Haddock is a prized catch
For New England fishermen, haddock are unpredictable. ''It's what you run into," says Gloucester fisherman Russell Sherman, who never sets out to catch the capricious fish. They play hard to get, but their catch-me-if-you-can attitude seems fitting for such great-tasting fish.
That may change, however. The catch has been coming up big this year. According to the National Marine Fisheries Service there are more haddock on Georges Bank than at any time in the last 40 years.
Haddock prices are going down as the supply goes up. Hank Soule, general manager of the Portland Fish Exchange, says, ''We think that in terms of freshness, steady availability, and especially price, haddock will be one of the best seafood values for consumers over the next five years."
Some New Englanders seem to have forgotten what makes haddock distinctive. It's sloshed in batter so often -- used interchangeably with cod and pollock for fish and chips -- that its flavor is too often deep-fried out of existence.
Yet many seafood chefs, fishermen, and seafood-savvy diners prize firm haddock fillets. At Duckworth's Bistro in Gloucester, chef and owner Ken Duckworth sees this all the time. ''All these people in Gloucester who eat fish never order cod if it's on the menu. They consider it for chowder or fish cakes. Haddock is what they choose when they want a piece of fresh fish.
''Because it's so lean I generally incorporate some sort of fat bacon or something really rich to counter the sweetness and the freshness of the fish," says Duckworth. ''I usually use chicken stock a lot or chicken drippings with haddock or cod."
The tastes and traditions of Gloucester locals have influenced Duckworth's recipes. ''A lot of people in Gloucester when they eat fish, they saute cabbage with it," he says. Duckworth's seared haddock over Brussels sprouts, bacon, and caramelized parsnips is richly nuanced and less predictable than haddock and cabbage, yet it's a tip of the hat to an older tradition.
In his cookbook memoir, ''Reflections and Recipes from an Old Salt," Roger Fitzgerald recounts eating so much haddock as a New England fisherman that he began developing a lateral stripe down his side. It's this black stripe that distinguishes haddock from cod in appearance. For this reason, haddock is the only fish routinely displayed skin-side up at the seafood counter.
Some old-timers recall haddock's availability during the Depression and World War II. In Alfred Hitchcock's thriller ''The 39 Steps," home-cooked haddock provides a respite for the beautiful brunette spy, Annabella Smith, before she's dispatched with a kitchen knife. It was at least a good last meal against the backdrop of world unrest.
As for Fitzgerald, now retired in Duvall, Wash., where he still fishes, ''If I had to think of one good reason to move back to New England," he says, ''it would be haddock."
