The meat resembles cod or haddock, and a minority claim it has a flavor to match the best game fish. The liver is a rich source of vitamin D (Scott and Crossman 1973), and the nutritive value of the fish prompted 1920's fisheries biologists to label it the "fish of the future." Canada attempted to promote the burbot as a food fish in the 1960's. The former U.S. Bureau of Fisheries promoted them extensively in the early part of the century through circulars and display cards. In 1976, Mattingly extolled the virtues of burbot, creating a booklet of recipes including titles such as White Pine Pan Fried, Crispy Kinde, Goodells Golden Puffs, Jiffy Jasper Jamboree, and Lakeland Cocktail.

Mattingly, R. 1976. Great Lakes Fish Cookery. Mich. State. Univ. Coop. Ext. Serv. Bull. E-932. Nat. Res. Svc.

Scott, W.B. and E.J. Crossman. 1973. Freshwater fishes of Northern Canada. Fish Res. Board of Canada, Ottawa Bull. 184.

Text by Kristin Blann Experiment for Fisheries 5601 March 11, 1997