Alaska pollock as food
Alaska pollock, a species of cod found in the North Pacific Ocean, is used as food globally. Compared with common pollock, Alaska pollock is milder in taste, whiter in color, and lower in oil content.
File:Polaca-do-Alasca_vendida_em_São_Paulo.jpg|thumb|right|Alaska pollock frozen fillets sold in a market in São Paulo, Brazil
Alaska pollock fillets are commonly packaged into block molds that are deep frozen and used throughout Europe and North America as raw material for high quality breaded and battered fish products. Portions cut from frozen Alaska pollock fillet blocks are the most common choice for fast food restaurant fish sandwiches, for example in the McDonald's Filet-O-Fish.
Alaska pollock is also a common raw material used in the manufacture of surimi. Alaska pollock is widely regarded as one of the best proteins for the manufacture of high quality surimi because of the high gel strength of its flesh.
History
Pollock has been consumed in Korea since the Joseon era. One of its earliest mentions is in the 1652 Diary of the Royal Secretariat, which states that "the management administration should be strictly interrogated for bringing in pollock roe instead of cod roe."In 1940, Alaska pollock was the most commonly caught fish in Korea, with more than 270,000 tonnes brought in from the Sea of Japan. However, the consumption of Alaska pollock in South Korea dropped to an estimated 260,000 tonnes per year by 2016. Much of it is imported from Russia due to changes in sea water temperatures.
Alaska Pollock is a sizeable resource of fish and makes up 32% of the total US landings and 58% of Alaska's. Pollock is the target of many of the world's fisheries and represents about 5% of the world's harvest. In the United States water's alone over 1.5 million mt have been caught, giving an estimated value of 600- 900 million dollars in profit, between the years 1992–1996.
Processing
Alaska pollock fillets are layered into a block mold and deep-frozen for distribution. For high-quality products, high-grade fillets are frozen only once between catch and consumer. For lower quality, low-cost breaded and battered fish sticks, double-frozen or minced trim pieces are used instead.Use in fast food
Alaska pollock is commonly used in the fast food industry; in products such as McDonald's Filet-O-Fish sandwich Arby's Classic Fish sandwich, Long John Silver's Baja Fish Taco, and Birds Eye's Fish Fingers in Crispy Batter. Trident Seafoods and Chuck Bundrant were instrumental in popularizing the fish in the US in the 1980s; prior to then it had been most popularly consumed in Asia.In Korea
Alaska pollock is considered the national fish of Korea. Its Korean name, myeongtae, has also spread to some neighbouring countries: It is called in Russia, and the roe is referred to as mentai-ko in Japan, although the Japanese name for the fish itself is suketōdara.In Korea, myeongtae has more than 30 alternative names, including:saengtae – fresh Alaska pollockdongtae – frozen Alaska pollockbugeo – dried Alaska pollockhwangtae – "yellow" Alaska pollocknogari – dried young Alaska pollockkodari – "nosed" young Alaska pollock
Every part of a myeongtae, including the intestines and the roe, is used in Korean cuisine.changnan – Alaska pollock intestinesmyeongnan – Alaska pollock roe
''Saengtae''
Saengtae, which is fresh Alaska pollock, is most often boiled with radish in a kelp-anchovy broth to create a clear soup, saengtae-tang. Another common preparation is myeongate-jeon; pan-fried Alaska pollock patty. Saengseon-gaseu, the fish cutlet, is often made with filleted myeongtae. Fresh myeongtae can also be served raw as hoe, which is usually marinated and sometimes used as a topping for cold noodles.Fermented products such as sikhae and jeotgal can subsequently be made with saengtae. Production of myeongtae-sikhae involves a fermentation process using the entire fish along with malt and rice, while changnan and myeongnan are salted to make jeotgal, called changnan-jeot and myeongnan-jeot respectively.
''Dongtae''
Dongtae, which is frozen Alaska pollock, is typically eaten in a spicy stew, dongtae-jigae. It can also gutted and stuffed with vegetables to make a sundae, called dongtae-sundae.''Bugeo''
Bugeo, which is dried Alaska pollock, is often boiled in tteumul to make a clear soup, bugeo-guk. Dried Alaska pollock head, referred to as bugeo-daegari, is a common broth ingredient in Korean cuisine. Other dishes made from bugeo include bugeo-jeok, bugeo-jangajji, bugeo-jeon, and bugeo-jorim. A dish called bugeo-bopuragi, literally "bugeo lint", is made by grating well-dried Alaska pollock into "lint" and seasoning it.Bugeo can be thinly sliced, seasoned and dried to make fish jerky, called bugeo-po, which can be eaten plain or used as an ingredient in other side dishes.