Fried Pollock Recipe with Mashed Potatoes and Onions

Name: Fried Pollock Recipe with Mashed Potatoes and Onions
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: European
Ingredients: Pollock 1 whole fish; Flour 2-3 tbsp; Vegetable oil 100 ml; Potatoes 4-5; Onions 2; Parsley 2-3 sprigs; Salt, ground black pepper, coriander, lemon to taste

You would struggle to find anyone who has never eaten pollock. The funny thing is, they may not even know they have.

Pollock is the main raw material for processed fish products (the very sticks that go into crab stick salad with rice, fish fingers, fish cakes and so on), the base for imitation crab meat and, of course, for every kind of fish fast food. And I suspect there is more we have not guessed yet.

Pollock belongs to the cod family and is a close relative of Atlantic cod, navaga and blue whiting. It is a cold-loving bottom-dwelling fish that lives in the northern Pacific. Pollock is regarded as a food resource of the highest value and is caught on a massive scale with trawls and set nets. Although pollock is not a particularly big fish, some reach a metre in length and weigh up to 5 kg.

Unlike cod, pollock is a less expensive fish and therefore very affordable.

I remember that back in my childhood pollock, like hake, was always in the shops. Huge, heavy blocks of frozen pollock encased in ice. For some reason they were smashed apart for sale, which damaged this rather delicate fish.

Pollock bought at the shop was usually fried at home and eaten with mashed potatoes. Sometimes, though, pieces of pollock were stewed at home in a pot with lots of onion and carrot. An amazing dish: the fish bones practically “dissolved”, which, by the way, is a very good way for the body to get calcium and other minerals.

Fried pollock is an affordable dish that calls for no special cooking skills. The only thing is that pollock has a rather distinctive smell, much like grilled mackerel, and you should be ready for that. Still, fried pollock fillet is delicious, especially with lemon juice squeezed over it and mashed potatoes on the side.

Ingredients

2 servings

Pollock 1 whole fish
Flour 2-3 tbsp
Vegetable oil 100 ml
Potatoes 4-5
Onions 2
Parsley 2-3 sprigs
Salt, ground black pepper, coriander, lemon to taste

Step-by-step recipe

Pollock cooks fairly quickly, even counting the time to cut up and prepare the fish. It is usually sold headed and gutted, which makes cleaning and filleting easier. For home cooking we use only the fillet, removing the skin and, as far as possible, all the bones. Pollock does not have many bones. It is enough to cut away the rib bones and the backbone.
Thaw the pollock. It is best done naturally: simply move the fish from the freezer to the fridge ahead of time. It will thaw perfectly and will not leak. Since the fillet is cut off the skin, there is no need to scale the fish. Wash it and remove any remaining innards.
With a sharp knife, cut all the flesh off each side in one piece, together with the skin and fins.
Try to leave the rib bones behind and as little flesh as possible on the backbone. With a large sharp knife cut the fillet off the skin and trim away what is left of the fins – they hold an incredible number of tiny bones. You should end up with nothing but fillet.
Cut the pollock fillet into medium-sized pieces, depending on how you like to eat it. I cut it across the fillet into pieces 4-4.5 cm wide. Arrange the pieces on a plate. Season with salt and pepper to taste, sprinkle with a pinch of ground coriander and a little lemon juice. By the way, lemon tones down the fishy smell a bit.
Dredge the prepared pieces of fillet in flour and place them in a single layer in vegetable oil heated in a frying pan.
Fry the fish over medium heat until golden on one side, then turn and fry the other side. Frying usually takes 4-5 mins per side. Then lower the heat, cover the pan with a lid and cook the fish through for about 10 mins more.
Make the mashed potatoes.
Separately fry the onions, cut into thick strips.
Spoon the mashed potatoes onto plates and add the fried onions. Top with the fried pollock.
Add a wedge of lemon and a sprig of parsley. By the way, as a lover of spicy food, I recommend sprinkling the mashed potatoes with a pinch of hot pepper or coarsely ground chilli.