Seafood Made Simple: How to make teriyaki glazed cod collars — chicken wings of the sea

This recipe is a versatile teriyaki glaze

I recommend using the collars of cod, pollock and hake for this method. Picture Chani Anderson

One of the biggest obstacles we face within the seafood industry is waste. In this country we tend to only place value on the fillets of the fish, which only account for a small part of the whole fish. That was a big part of the reason we decided to take on the challenge of only buying whole fish and taking responsibility for the whole animal at Goldie.

Filleting and preparing a whole fish is a laborious task and not an industry standard for that very reason. We’re still striving to increase our yield and reduce what we're putting in the bin. We use the tails of round fish for schnitzels, the trim for Taiwanese fried fish nuggets, we steam and pull the cheeks of monkfish, and smoke and emulsify the roe into a taramasalata. Of course, we make use of the bones in stocks and sauces too but ultimately those still end up in the compost bin after we’ve extracted all the flavour.

This weekend’s recipe is a versatile teriyaki glaze. Here I’ve used cod collars, a part of round fish which is usually discarded. Cooked like this they are the chicken wings of the sea!

The collars are located just below the head of the fish and attached to the main frame; each whole round fish has two. I recommend using the collars of cod, pollock and hake for this method. Once the collars are removed from the fish a small bone is left intact that you can hold onto when eating.

I have also included advice on using this sauce with mackerel fillets if you’d rather give that a go.

If I can get my hands on it, I’ll substitute the maple syrup or honey in this recipe for Highbank Apple Syrup. Made purely from apples from Highbank’s fifth generation organic orchard in Kilkenny, it’s a wonderful product.

Teriyaki glazed cod collars

This recipe uses cod collars, a part of round fish which is usually discarded. Cooked like this they are the chicken wings of the sea

Servings

4

Preparation Time

 20 mins

Cooking Time

 15 mins

Total Time

 35 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 8 cod collars

• For the teriyaki glaze:

• 150ml soy sauce

• 100g maple syrup or honey

• 50ml mirin

• 2 limes, juiced

• 1 clove garlic, minced

• 1 small thumb ginger, minced

• 1 red chilli, finely diced (seeds removed)

• To serve:

• 1 bunch coriander

• 1 chilli, sliced

• 1 lime, cut into wedges

•  

Method

1. To make the teriyaki sauce, place the soy sauce, maple syrup, mirin, lime juice, garlic, ginger and diced red chilli in a small bowl and whisk to combine.

2. To cook the cod collars. preheat an oven to 200°C.

3. Prepare the collars by gently removing any scales present on the skin side of the collar with a small blunt knife so as not to puncture the skin.

4. Pat dry to remove any excess moisture.

5. Place in a large mixing bowl with the teriyaki glaze.

6. Mix well with spotlessly clean hands to ensure the collars are well coated in the marinade.

7. Line a large baking sheet with greaseproof parchment or a slip pat mat.

8. Arrange the cod collars on the baking sheet so they are not over lapping and maximum surface area is exposed to ensure a crisp and caramelised result.

9. Bake in the preheated oven for 10-12 minutes until sticky and glazed.

10. Remove from the oven and finish with some chopped coriander, slices of red chilli and fresh lime wedges.

11. Serve immediately.

12. For Mackerel Teriyaki: Heat a stainless-steel frying pan on medium- high heat.

13. Lay the mackerel skin side down in the pan.

14. The fillets may curl up as they hit the pan, use a spatula to apply some pressure to ensure even caramelisation on the surface.

15. As soon as the fillets retract turn the pan down to a medium heat and cook for 2-3 minutes until 70% of the flesh side of the mackerel has turned from pink to opaque.

16. Turn the fillets over and add 2 tbsp of teriyaki glaze per fillet and cook and for a further 1 minute until cooked through and the glaze has reduced to a sticky coating on the mackerel.

Fish tales

Let your fishmonger know ahead of time if you want to try this recipe

Mackerel is a fish that should be eaten when spanking fresh.

Be mindful of bones when preparing mackerel, ask your fishmonger to pin bone the fillets.

This teriyaki glaze has so many uses. It’s great with vegetables, meat and fish.

The glaze will last for a week in the fridge, so can be made ahead of time.

It is important not to marinade the fish you are serving ahead of time in this teriyaki glaze as it will begin to break down the fish.

This sauce is also fantastic with thick-cut fillets of ling and pollock.