Cut vs cut
Lingcod vs Cod
The short answer
Firmness. Lingcod and Pacific cod are both lean and mild with large flakes, but lingcod is a greenling, not a cod, and its firmer flesh holds together on a grill where cod falls apart. Black cod is a third fish, sablefish, rich and oily where both are lean.
Lingcod
Ophiodon elongatus, a greenling caught along the West Coast from Alaska to Baja California. The name borrows from two fish it is not related to. Some fillets come out of the fish blue-green and cook to white. About a gram of fat per 100 grams raw, close to cod, but firm enough to turn once on a grill.
Cod
Pacific cod, Gadus macrocephalus, a true cod from the North Pacific, and the cod most US boats land. It is lean, at well under a gram of fat per 100 grams raw, and holds more water than Atlantic cod, so its big flakes let go under dry heat. Roast it hot, poach it, or fry it in a batter that does the structural work.
Side by side
| Lingcod | Cod | |
|---|---|---|
| Family | Hexagrammidae, the greenlings | Gadidae, the true cods |
| Range | West Coast, Alaska to Baja California | North Pacific, Bering Sea to Sea of Japan |
| Fat per 100 g raw | 1.1 g | 0.6 g |
| Protein per 100 g raw | 17.7 g | 17.9 g |
| Raw color | White, sometimes blue-green | White |
| Flake | Large and firmer | Large and soft |
| On the grill | Good: turn it once | Avoid: it sticks and falls through |
| Best methods | Oven-roast, pan-sear, deep-fry | Oven-roast, poach, deep-fry |
| Also sold as | Ling cod, cultus cod, buffalo cod | Pacific cod, gray cod |
The verdict
Which one to buy
Lingcod when you want to grill a lean white fish or sear it without it breaking up. Cod for fish and chips, chowder and anything roasted in a hot oven, where the big soft flake is the point. Black cod is a different purchase: buy it for richness, and broil it. We don't stock lingcod right now. We sell wild Alaskan Pacific cod, wild Alaskan black cod (sablefish), and wild Alaskan halibut, the lean white fish that grills the way lingcod does.
Three fish get sold with cod in the name, and only one of them is a cod.
What each one is
Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus) is a true cod, family Gadidae, and the cod most US boats land.
Lingcod (Ophiodon elongatus) is a greenling, family Hexagrammidae, found only along the West Coast of North America. NOAA lists older names for it too: cultus cod, buffalo cod, blue cod.
Black cod is sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria), a deep-water fish whose adults live on mud bottoms below 650 feet. It is not part of the cod family either.
The fat gap
Per 100 grams raw, NOAA lists Pacific cod at 0.63 g of fat, lingcod at 1.06 g and sablefish at 15.3 g. Cod and lingcod give you about a minute between done and dry. Sablefish bastes itself and forgives a few extra minutes under the broiler, which is why it is cooked hotter, to 135–140°F, against 130–135°F for cod.
Why lingcod grills and cod doesn't
Both have large flakes and almost no fat to bind them. Pacific cod also holds a lot of water, so on a grate it softens, sticks and drops through. Lingcod's flesh is firmer, enough to lift cleanly and turn once. In batter the gap closes, because the coating holds either fish together.
The blue fillet
Some raw lingcod is blue-green, from a pigment carried in the flesh. It cooks to white and says nothing about freshness.
Common questions
Is lingcod a cod?
No. Lingcod is a greenling, family Hexagrammidae; true cods belong to Gadidae. On a plate they look alike: lean, white and large-flaked.
Is black cod the same as lingcod?
No, and neither is a true cod. Black cod is sablefish, a deep-water fish with about 15 grams of fat per 100 grams raw, against about 1 gram in lingcod. Broil it to 135–140°F; it is very hard to dry out.
Can I substitute lingcod for cod?
Yes, in any cod recipe. Lingcod holds together better, so it can also go on a grill, which cod can't. Its fillets taper more, so the thin end finishes first.
Which tastes better, lingcod or cod?
Both are mild and clean. Lingcod is slightly sweeter and firmer in the mouth. Cod is softer, with bigger, looser flakes.
