After Lobster, the seafood most ubiquitous on the restaurant menu’s across Maine is Haddock.
Fish and chips, Haddock Rubens, Haddock Fingers, backed Haddock, Grilled Haddock, Fish Chowder – basically where ever fish treads, these days in Maine and New England that fish will tend to be Haddock.
Cod used reign but was fished out. As a child, I remember seeing flounder all the time on the menu and swordfish. But now when you go to restaurants you tend to see farmed fish like salmon, catfish or tilapia.
Sometimes you’ll see Halibut on the menu but in the tourist destinations and seafood joints along the coast, Haddock is the new king of white flaky fish for the fryer.
Haddock is a cousin of Cod but the flavor is closer to Halibut. Haddock has a finer flake and a more tender texture with a slightly sweeter flavor than Cod.
Visitors from Northern Europe will recognize the flavor as it is the favored fish for Fish and Chips.
Haddock are groundfish that inhabits both the American & European Atlantic Coasts. They are most abundant on the Georges Bank and Gulf of Maine which makes them perfect to feed the tourists and locals in Maine. They typically grow to a size of about 20 pounds and live deeper than Cod in water that is under 45 degrees.
Haddock is a low-fat and low-calorie protein source but contains lower amounts of omega-3 fatty acids than other seafood such as Salmon. Haddock is low in mercury so don’t worry about gouging on it over your vacation.