Sole of Discretion CIC - Pouting Fillet 300 G

trisopterus luscus

Pouting is a fish that is unjustly unpopular! It is a member of the cod family, but what it lacks in dense, flaky texture it gains in it’s delicate and sweet taste.

Because it deteriorates rapidly it doesn’t fetch good prices on the fish markets, so there is little incentive for fishermen to look after their catch, or even land it. SoD fisherman get a fair price for pouting and in return are obliged to ice the fish immediately (as they do with all our landings) and gut it on board. Gutting pouting helps retain its freshness and flavour. Most fish landed at the market isn’t gutted so the quality can be poor.

French cooks view pouting more favourably and flour their pouting and fry or steam it with salted butter, it can also be poached then sauted. Pouting only live for about 4 years (as compared with up to 25 for cod) and are common in British inshore waters, near Northern Europe Atlantic down to Spain and is generally not a big commercial species. Because it is a short-lived species common in British inshore waters it stands a good chance of breeding successfully.

So far our pouting has only been landed by the handliners and they land fish well over their mature size of 21cm long. However, as it is not a commercial species it lacks formal assessments and consequently there is little information available on its stock status.

Buying this fish will increase its value and help reduce discards according to the MCS. As there is little scientific data available this is a perfect species for our Marine Biology students to get working on.