The favourite fish of Scotland, Haddock is famous as the star in many dishes from the everyday fish supper to its  smoked form being used as the base for every delicious bowl of Cullen Skink. 

They are a member of the cod family and similar in taste and texture, however they are smaller than Cod reaching 80cm and around 3.5kg in weight. In Scotland it is generally preferred over cod for fish and chips and other fish suppers as the clean white flesh is tender and flaky with a slightly sweeter taste than cod. Fresh fillets are translucent.

Their round bodies have a grey back, silver flanks and white belly and the lateral line is black and gently curved. The distinctive dark blotch on each shoulder is the so called St. Peter's mark or thumb print. As a member of the cod family they have the typical small barbule on the lower lip. They are distributed on both sides of the Atlantic and fished year-round.

Try it pan fried in butter with with some boiled new potatoes and seasonal veg. Finish the dish with fresh ground pepper a knob of butter and a sqeeze of lemon.

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