He decided to take advantage of the charms of the Polish sea this year Also Tomasz Strzelczyk – a chef known from the “MasterChef” program, and running the YouTube channel of the Oddramfartucha channel. While visiting one of the fryers, he noticed that there was no ordered cod on his plate, but a different species of fish. Unfortunately, this was not the result of a mistake, but the common practice that dishonest sellers use.
Fresh fishpreferably the one straight from the cutter is a Baltic attraction that is difficult to deny yourself. What’s more, a portion of fish is also a nod to our health. After all, as dietitians repeat it is a great source of protein, vitamins, minerals and healthy omega-3 acids, which great, among others, affect our circulatory system.
Poles, compared to other nationalities, reach for fish relatively rarely. The ambushes pawned by restaurant and fry owners are lurking on unconscious consumers. This practice was discovered by Tomasz Strzelczyk, who in one of the restaurants in the coastal Mielno received Czarniak instead of cod.
Where does this unfair behavior come from? The reason is obvious, differences in prices. Czarniak can be even half cheaper compared to cod. However, it is worth not passing by such a “deliberate mistake” indifferently. Finally, for a meal on the Baltic Sea, we have to pay dearly, bills for orders placed by Strzelczyk ranged from 62 to 68 zlotys.
Both Cod and Czarniak come from a family of cod, they are predatory species and sea fish that can be found in the Baltic Sea. They also have a similar size, at first glance it is easy, so a mistake. Czarniak, or black cod, has a darker back, in olive-gray color and silver sides, while cod scales are brighter. Of course, these differences cannot be seen on the plate.
Strzelczyk describes Czarniak with “false cod”, some places in his menu place this fish under the name “black cod”. However, they usually forget to add a second part of the name, so that customers are convinced that they are buying ordinary cod. The chef indicates that after removing the coating or cake in which the fish is fried, on Czarniak’s meat you can easily see a dark line, running through the whole piece. The second feature he drew attention to is Specific dissection of fishmeat is broken in characteristic lobes, and seems more dry than in the case of cod. The difference can also be felt in the taste, Strzelczyk described the structure of Czarniak as a slightly “lacquer”.
What should good quality cod look like? A piece of fish should not be too thin, the meat must be juicy, delicate and white. Cod also has a more compact structure than black cod – does not crumble. Of course, these differences for a layman can be difficult to catch, especially when the fish is covered with a thick layer of coating. However, it is worth paying attention to the service when this type of situation encounters us.
Sources: Teragota.pl, youtube.com/@oddaszfartucha
