Ocean Catfish/Hake

Name: Ocean Catfish/Hake
Latin Name: Anarhichas lupus / Urophycis tenvis

Harvest Area: Newfoundland to Cape Cod, MA

Seasons: Year round

Characteristics: Ocean Catfish, known as wolffish throughout Europe, has a large head and sharp canine-like teeth. Fillets are firm and white. Hake is a cod-like fish with soft white flesh and a slightly different bone structure (making pin bones difficult to remove).

Grade/Pack: Ocean Catfish is sold primarily as frozen fillets. It is packed cello or block, sometimes in shatter pack or IQF form. Hake is sold fresh in fillet form or is headed and gutted along the Eastern seaboard markets. In Canada much Hake is frozen into cello and block form.

Traditional Applications: These fish can be fried or baked with good results; they can also be used as chowder fish.

Substitutes: Both of these fish are generally substitutes themselves. Hake is served along the Eastern seaboard and in the Midwest as a cheaper white fish. Ocean Catfish is used throughout the Gulf states as a substitute for Cod or Freshwater Catfish. There is a market in Chicago, presumably for the same purposes.

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