Lingcod is a marine fish native to the waters of the North Pacific; it can be found along coastlines from Alaska to Mexico. On the West Coast of the United States, lingcod is a popular game and food fish, and it is often readily available at markets and fishmongers. Frozen lingcod is shipped to other regions of the world for consumers who enjoy the mild white flesh of this fish.
Despite the name, lingcod are not actually true codfish. They are actually in the greenling family, and they are formally known as Ophiodon elongatus. A mature lingcod can reach a length of up to five feet (1.5 meters), with a muscular brown to blue green body blotched with copper and brown spots. The fish have distinctive large mouths surrounded by a formidable array of teeth, and their faces are slightly pug-nosed, making them rather funny looking.
In general, these fish are predatory, lying in wait for smaller fish to eat. They can also be very defensive of their territory, especially when they are spawning and guarding the resulting egg packets. Most lingcod prefer to stay close to the ocean floor, and they are often found in reefs and rocky deposits which provide lots of shelter and hiding places.
For sport fishermen, lingcod are a popular game fish because they tend to put up a fight, and their sweet, mild flesh can be cooked in a wide range of ways. White fish tend to be popular with consumers as well, since they are very versatile, and several commercial fishing companies bring in large lingcod catches to meet consumer demand. The mild flesh is sturdy enough to withstand grilling, and it can also be roasted, pan fried, used in fish and chips, and steamed, depending on personal taste. It also absorbs flavor very well.
Although lingcod appears to make a good food fish on the surface, there are some concerns about lingcod which make it a less than ideal choice. The first has to do with their preferred habitat close to the shoreline; lingcod are very vulnerable to oil spills and other forms of pollution, and they tend to bioaccumulate heavy metals and other substances which are not healthy. In addition, lingcod are very slow to mature, so they are threatened by overfishing and other unsustainable practices. Pregnant women should avoid consuming lingcod because of mercury contamination issues, and other people may want to limit their consumption to a few pieces a month.