COD.....the story....

Some of you may or may not know that Louisville is one of this country's leading COD markets. Maybe because we are 73% Catholic, I am not sure. That said many, many people are getting deceived in what they are getting. Some local fish houses have actually started to use haddock, pollack, or worse yet tilapia and are calling it COD or SCROD (a New England term for COD). That said, where you get your fish, you should ask. My personal favorite is The Fishery, 3624 Lexington Road, they use 100% Icelandic Cod (even at a much higher procurement price), and it IS the best in town, all of their soups and sides are made in house, and are top quality. Robin, maybe you should go back in a give them a review. Side note, they also fry in Zero Trans-Fat oils a big plus nowadays. Again, when paying $7 - $8 for a nice fish sandwich, make sure you are getting what you pay for.

I've always liked the Fishery.

[Robin Garr]

My personal favorite is The Fishery, 3624 Lexington Road ... Robin, maybe you should go back in a give them a review.

I do like the Fishery, Rob ... also Stan's, Carolina Fish and Seafood Connection within a few blocks - it's Louisville's Fish Central! The Fish House at Barret and Winter also makes a great fish sandwich.

I can't state with certainty who uses real cod and who doesn't, but all of these places make splendid sammies.

I do worry a little about over-fishing and the shrinking cod reserves. A while back I reviewed a good book, Mark Kurlansky's "Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World," which covers this issue (and the entire history of the cod industry) in readable detail. Worth a look.

I'm pretty sure that Scrod is named that specifically because it is not always Cod, but sometimes Haddock or even other white fish. So I would be ticked if something was substituted for Cod, but if you're buying Scrod, then you're already buying something that is ambiguous.

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrod
http://www.scrod.net/scrod.html
http://www.boston-online.com/glossary/scrod.html

I was always told that scrod is young cod, as the links Charles gave points out. I didn't know about the haddock substitution, but it makes sense, the taste is similar and it looks pretty much the same when cooked. I'm perplexed about the tilapia though- and not in a good way.

Some of you may or may not know that Louisville is one of this country's leading COD markets. Maybe because we are 73% Catholic, I am not sure. That said many, many people are getting deceived in what they are getting. Some local fish houses have actually started to use haddock, pollack, or worse yet tilapia and are calling it COD or SCROD (a New England term for COD). That said, where you get your fish, you should ask. My personal favorite is The Fishery, 3624 Lexington Road, they use 100% Icelandic Cod (even at a much higher procurement price), and it IS the best in town, all of their soups and sides are made in house, and are top quality. Robin, maybe you should go back in a give them a review. Side note, they also fry in Zero Trans-Fat oils a big plus nowadays. Again, when paying $7 - $8 for a nice fish sandwich, make sure you are getting what you pay for.

73% catholic for Louisville is an absurd figure. The Catholic encyclopedia lists 135,000 catholics in Louisville which would be about 15%.

I know that some fish places use haddock and pollack and have for a while. Very difficult to tell the difference when deep fried. Can't imagine using tilapia and calling it cod. Much to thin and would be hard pressed to stand up to deep frying.

I'm a Fishery fan, too. Good stuff for the price.

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrod
http://www.scrod.net/scrod.html
http://www.boston-online.com/glossary/scrod.html

"scrod.net"? you gotta' love the Internet.

I love The Fishery as well. Great fries and sides too. Carolina Shrimp does good fried fish sandwich as well. I like the grilled fish better at Stans's. In our house we are very picky about fish, so we go to different "fish joints" for specific items.

St. Mathews does seem to have a lock on the fast fish sandwich.

Try the Hungry Pelican in Fern Creek....

Haven't been to the HP in FC in years but I did eat at the one on Eastern Bld in Indiana a few days ago. I had a cod sandwich and it was really good. Yes it was real cod - got a good size sandwich with a side of those fried onions that I can't seem to find anywhere else except HP for 4.99. I thought it was a good deal. I also LOVE The Fishery when I'm in St Matts.

I am sorry about that confusion of 73%, it is a stat that I had heard, but maybe in reference to Christians, etc....I am not sure...but with 135,000 Catholics in the Louisville area, that is a lot of COD (or something else) being eaten. That said, we are having a real COD problem in the USA because of two reasons. 1 - the over fishing of the species, though in the north Atlantic they are regulating that now. 2 - the dollar is very weak in comparison to the Euro, which in turn makes Icelandic Co. more $$$$

I was always told that scrod is young cod, as the links Charles gave points out. I didn't know about the haddock substitution, but it makes sense, the taste is similar and it looks pretty much the same when cooked. I'm perplexed about the tilapia though- and not in a good way.

I thought it was young Cod as well. The Cod situation reminds me of "Grouper". You never know what your really getting but chances are good that your eating a cheaper IQF substitute for the real thing.

The best frozen cod is the one that is proccessed and frozen on the boat at sea. Restauarnts are trying to find alternatives due to the sometimes limited availability and the huge price increases. Not only has cod been overfished but its habitat has been damaged in the process. There are major differences in the different brands of cod. Sure we will still be able to find it but be prepared to pay the price. AT least it is not up there with Chilian sea bass.

I work for food distributor in louisville and am involved with frozen and fresh seafood. The games that are played with a variety of species would make your head spin. Cod can come from a variety of countries and is not regulated by our government. Just recently the U.S. started getting involved with Basa also called Swai or the real name Pangasius bocourti. Most of this product comes from Vietnam or China and some packer were putting any type of species that was close to this type of fish. They found hormone added product in it which open the door for us to get involved with. What was happening it was a free for all and you really never knew what you were getting. So the U.S. government got involved and did DNA testing on the large packers overseas and changed the standards to Specie specific and Hormone free and labeled Pangasuis. Our company stopped buying this product until our home office felt it was safe to sell again. So now we hear of people using Tilapia as red snapper and who knows what is next. Basa has been used as Grouper for years. So about cod. There is a big difference between Pacific and Atlantic cod due to the tempeture of the waters. Yes there is also a big difference in price. Some people are switching to a formed product vs a solid muscle because of price. Some are going to pollock and hoki has been know to be used. There is also twice frozen cod that is less expensive due to the layering of water to add weight. It is a suprise to a lot of customers when they see the difference in the weight they paid for and what they get when it is thawed. All I can say is buy from a company that has someone to explain the difference and lets you feel, taste and touch the product. A deal is not always the right move.This trick is also used in pollock. Louisville is the largest market for Icelandic cod in the country. This comes from Icelandic. I sure hope customers raise their prices as cod goes up. It is forcasted to go up into the 6 and maybe the seven dollar per pound range during lent. We have a great town that understands quality in products and restaurants and It only takes a few bad visits with below standard quality to get us to go somewhere else. I hope you take that in consideration before lowering your standards. Also farm raised tilapia has a much better flavor and is not raised like rain forest or other wild species. Unlike the story aired about what it eats farm raised is top feed and actually is becoming the new cod. I hope the price stays consistent because it is farmed raised. There is some companies testing farm raised cod right now. I would bet it has a different flavor than what we can get from a catholic fish fry during lent. Now that is where you can get a bargain on a great fish sandwich.