Useful for your next trip
Useful kit connected to this guide, chosen to keep the next step simple.
Full pollock guide
How to spot it, where it lives, how it is caught and how to cook it — the complete guide, in one easy read.
Hook a decent pollock off the rocks and it fights like something twice its size, diving for the reef the second it feels the steel. That is half of why it is a Cornish favourite; the other half lands on the plate as firm, clean white flesh that takes to almost any treatment. It is a handsome member of the cod family, and a sounder choice than the pressured cod it often stands in for, as long as it is line-caught.
How to spot it
Pollock is a good-looking cod-family fish: a greenish-brown back shading from dark olive to a soft golden sheen, silver flanks and a clean white belly, with three dorsal fins, two anal fins and a big, deeply forked tail. What really names it is the jaw. The lower jaw juts forward well beyond the upper, and that one feature settles the usual mix-up with coley, or saithe. Pollock shows that protruding jaw and the golden-green, silver-flanked body; coley runs darker and more evenly grey-green, with the jaws closer to level.
Where it lives
Related guides and gear
FAQs
Quick fish questions
Short answers for the questions families and coastal readers often ask first.
How do you tell pollock from coley?
Pollock has a lower jaw that juts forward well beyond the upper, with a greenish-brown, sometimes golden body and silver flanks. Coley, or saithe, runs darker and more evenly grey-green, with the jaws closer to level. The forward jaw is the clearest tell.
How do you fillet pollock?
Treat it like any round fish. Cut down behind the head to the backbone, turn the knife and run it along the spine to the tail to free the fillet, then repeat on the other side. Skin each fillet by sliding the blade between flesh and skin, flesh-side down.
Is pollock healthy?
Yes. Pollock is a lean white fish, high in protein and low in fat, with useful B vitamins, selenium and a modest dose of omega-3. It is a light, filling choice that works well as a regular, everyday alternative to cod.