Arcticas Spotted Wolffish
Spotted wolffish, though relatively new to the US market, has been a culinary favorite across Europe for as long as people have been fishing.
Spotted wolffish has a beautiful white meat with a great fat content. It also holds together well while cooking and plating.
It can be skewered, grilled or roasted without flaking apart or losing its moisture.
They are bottom dwelling fish that like to live in cave-like rocky outcroppings. While a wolffish might look like an eel and have a fierce set of teeth, the wolffish is actually a real fish with a low-key disposition.
In Scandinavian countries, wolffish are called "stone-biters". This is because their jaws are so powerful they can bite through urchins, crabs, lobsters, sea stars and shellfish.
Wild wolffish are at risk of overfishing. Like Chilean sea bass, they reach reproductive age very late and it takes several years for the fish to reach full maturity.
Wolffish also have this strange thing that happens when they finally reproduce. While they tend to their eggs, they lose all their teeth in order to regrow a complete new set. That means after months of fasting, wolffish are very hungry and easy to catch on cod lines. There is no dedicated fishery for wolffish so wild wolffish are always a by-catch.
Over the past decades scientists have documented a dramatic fall in wild wolffish stocks.
Luckily this fish can be farmed sustainably. It is a perfectly adapted fish for land-based fish farming.
In Norway, north of the Arctic Circle, the company Aminor is commercially farming spotted wolffish.
Wolffish are not "active" swimmers like cod or salmon. They like to spend the day just hanging out on their bespoke shelving system.
The 4-meter deep tanks are continuously supplied with clean cold water drawn from the deep fjord next to the farm.
Wolffish are fed a natural diet and have a favorable feed conversion ratio (FCR) of less than 1:1.
They are naturally disease resistant and strong so they are never given any antibiotics, medicinals or any other treatments.
Wolffish meat is full of connective tissue. It takes a little longer to cook than other flaky fish but it stays juicy and holds its shape incredibly well.
The skin is smooth with a layer of fat between it and the meat. This skin is delicious and can be fried on its own like a chicharron or left on the filet for crispy skin plated presentations.
The wolffish meat is tender and bright white. It can be prepared sous-vide, steamed, grilled, roasted or whatever you can imagine.
The flavor of the meat "plays well with others". It can stand up to strong flavors (tandoori, cajun, BBQ) as well as compliment more subtle pairings (truffle, butter-miso, herbs).
It is also a rick fish meat containing 8% to 11% intramuscular fat making it virtually impossible to overcook. It doesn't shrink while cooking so you will plate what you put into the pan.
It is a perfect fish to introduce to customers as an appetizer.
Since it is a forgiving meat, spotted wolffish can be prepared in advance and finished to order. Some chefs have described spotted wolffish as having attributes of Chilean sea bass, monkfish, halibut and black cod.
"Wolf Bites" anyone?
It is also important to point out that the farm follows through on its promise of doing things right. They do not ship the fish in styrofoam, instead opting to use specially designed recyclable cardboard boxes.
This is a farm making the right decisions from start to finish.
Arcticas Spotted Wolffish is available weekly as whole dressed, h&g or filet formats. It is always fresh, flavorful and dependable.
