Japanese cuisine, with its encyclopaedic knowledge of fishes and their multiple gastronomic applications, has been working for years with a fish neglected in the rest of the world: the sablefish or black cod. Until very recently, not even the country where the largest catch is made (United States) has known much about this fish, which has a smooth texture, good flavour and high oil content. However, in recent years and with the growing influence of oriental cuisine, sablefish has gained devotees and today is offered in many of the best restaurants in the world.

The first thing we have to say about the black cod is that it is not a member of the cod family, but of Anaplopoma fimbria, a unique group of fishes. Also, and in spite of being considered a white fish, its flesh contains much more oil than most fish included in this category. In fact, in the United States, it is often called butterfish, a name that aptly describes the smooth texture, full flavour and high oil content of this unique species.

The term white fish refers to its lifestyle as a "deep water fish" and applies to various species of white-fleshed fish which live on or near the bottom of the ocean. Scientifically, they are known as "demersal species", to differentiate them from the fish called “pelagic” which live at various depths in the seas. Black cod inhabit the North Pacific from the Bay of California to Alaska, the Bering Sea, the Aleutian Islands and Japan. The species lives in deep water, generally below 200 metres, although black cod are known to make daytime migrations to the surface and return to the bottom at night.

The black cod is also a very long-lived fish, up to 34 years (it can even double this age), and its reproductive maturity is reached at between three and six years. It usually spawns (around a hundred thousand eggs per female) at the end of the winter and beginning of spring, so that the fishing season runs from March to November. The eggs incubate near the sea floor but, after hatching, the larvae rise to the surface. Once the fry are formed, they stay in shallow waters near the coast and later as juveniles move to deeper offshore waters. The larvae and fry feed on planktonic crustaceans while adults are considered “opportunist” predators, preying on fish and invertebrates primarily along the sea bottom.

75% of black cod is caught in Alaska, primarily by longline fishing. Black cod generally range in size from 1 to 5 kg. Alaska's black cod fishery is strictly regulated to assure its sustainability, and is in the process of obtaining certification as a sustainable and well-managed fishery by the Marine Stewardship Council (www.msc.org).

Japan, the nº1 Market Although most black cod is caught in Alaska, its major market is Japan where it is known as gindara or “silver cod” and is highly valued for its ease of preparation and its versatility. In fact, due to its exceptional flavour and succulence, it has been featured on the menus of the most highly esteemed chefs.

In Europe, thanks to the work of the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute and importers of Alaska seafood products, black cod has been introduced with great success, and not only in the top Japanese restaurants, such as Miyama in Madrid, but also to the growing number of chefs offering a “fusion cuisine”. For more information, visit the Alaska Seafood website or contact David McClellan at dmcclellan@alaskaseafood.org.

JAPANESE FUSION CUISINE

In recent years there have been numerous European chefs who have felt attracted by the techniques and ingredients of oriental, and particularly Japanese, cuisine. The much celebrated fusion cuisine, and in this case Mediterranean-Oriental cuisine, has seen some of its maximum exponents in Europe's most recent generation of chefs.