Behold, the mighty burbot

Transcona

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/06/2024 (501 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In pre-revolutionary Russia, kulebiaka was a favourite dish of the czars and gourmets.

Recently, the author of a book on Russian cooking, who lives in New York City, tried to replicate the dish for Russian guests ran into difficulty trying to find burbot liver, a key ingredient of kulebiaka, which consists of mushrooms, rice, eggs, onions, dill, salmon, and a variety of spices, all wrapped up in pastry dough and baked. Unable to locate burbot liver, they had to make do without. Burbot is a member of the freshwater cod family and was a favourite of Russian gourmets. Its liver was the foie gras of Russian aristocracy.

I read this with a great deal of interest, as in years of fishing I often saw burbot caught and thrown onto the shore to rot. The waste was minor compared to the cast-asides of commercial fishers, but it was still a waste. The reason? They’re not as handsome as a trout, we’re ignorant of their food value, and don’t know what to do with them.

Burbot are also known as maria, ling, and ling cod. They live in the deepest, coldest parts of rivers and lakes and are one of our healthiest, tastiest, and least polluted fish. Its liver contains four times the vitamin D and A found in cod liver. I have caught, eaten, and enjoyed burbot much more than imported fish such as basa and tilapia. which are farmed in Asia under questionable sanitary conditions.

There probably are few today interested in going through the trouble of looking for burbot liver for kulebiaka and then painstakingly assembling the ingredients to create this dish, as it’s too time consuming and laborious. However, burbot are easy to catch, delicious when simply pan fried or broiled, ideal for chowders or when used in your favourite fish recipe.

The Freshwater Fish Marketing Corporation is aware of burbot’s potential. I occasionally see it in limited quantities in supermarkets marketed as fresh water cod, turbot, mullet, or some other vague label. This appears to be test marketing but, as it’s very expensive, very limited, and there’s no promotion or explanation of its qualities and how it can be used, it remains unknown and will continue to go to waste. With world food shortages threatening, it’s irresponsible to see easily caught, local and healthful resources going to waste.