The best cod and haddock alternatives for your fish supper

Telegraph

25-04-2025

At Harrison's in Oxford, a sign greets customers coming for a fish supper. 'To cod or not to cod?' it reads, before suggesting 'one of our delicious alternatives'.
A chart displays the regulars – cod and haddock – but below are a number of options. Hake is advertised as 'a mild and slightly sweet-tasting white fish, similar to cod or haddock, slightly firmer flake, but great sustainable alternative.' It also shows plaice, hoki, rock salmon (also known as huss, it's 'not as flaky as cod but has a mild, sweet-taste'), calamari and scampi.
Owner Ryan Harrison, who opened the award-winning chippy in 2021, says cod and haddock are by far the biggest sellers. But other fish are slowly making inroads. Harrison sells up to 10 species each day, which might include fillets such as hoki or plaice. 'It's still very small, but people that have ordered rock salmon, for example, are reordering it, because they like the taste. Hake is similar to cod, but a lot of people don't like to change from something they've always had.' Perhaps customers are less resistant than he thinks – M&S reports that sales of hake are up 125 per cent on last year, a sure sign that the gap is narrowing.
Soaring cod prices
Chip shop owners like Harrison are coming to terms with the environmental impact of overfishing. Cod prices reached their highest level ever late last year, forcing some chippies to remove it completely. The war in Ukraine, climate change and lower quotas due to declining stocks – which are largely fished by Norwegian and Russian firms – have all been blamed.
This has encouraged operators to look for other options, often more sustainable species caught in the UK. Harrison was part of a delegation led by Andrew Crook, president of the National Federation of Fish Friers, which visited Newlyn in Cornwall to meet Cornish fishermen. It spurred him to trial alternatives, and though he says cod and haddock will always be top choice, the fortune of alternatives is rising. With cod prices soaring, they are not always more expensive. Harrison sells haddock for £7 and cod for £8. Rock salmon is £8, hake £8.50, Cornish haddock £9.50. All are roughly the same size.
Creatures of habit
Britain likes to think of itself as a seafood-loving nation – witness the prominence of fishermen in the Brexit debates – but in truth it isn't. We eat a narrow range of species, 80 per cent consisting of the big five: cod, haddock, salmon, tuna and prawns. Much of our seafood, some of the best in the world, gets exported. Enjoying langoustines and scallops in a sunny Spanish resort? Chances are they came from Britain.
Britain's cooks, from chip shop owners to Michelin-starred chefs, hope to reverse the situation. Last month, The Caterer announced there has 'probably never been a more interesting time for seafood in this country'.
Branching out
One restaurant working closely with environmentally conscious fishermen is Beach House Falmouth. It has a long-established relationship with Ned Bailey, who has fished Cornish waters for decades. For Bailey, it is crucial chefs – and customers – broaden their horizons. 'It puts less pressure on the stocks of 'favourite' fish and shellfish, which is great for helping sustainability but also increases demand for less popular species, which would hopefully increase the price fishermen get for it,' Bailey says.
Beach House Falmouth's head chef Jack Frame enjoys the challenge. 'It's important to push people out of their comfort zones, it's better for conservation but also just exciting to try new things.' Frame says hake is popular, while monkfish and gurnard appeal to those seeking 'firmer and meatier' fish. For fish and chips, Frame has used mullet, hake and sole. 'Luckily these are easier sells, as it's battered.'
Not everything is a hit. Some find cuttlefish, similar to squid, 'a bit scary', although Frame cooks it into familiar classics, like a cuttlefish ragu, and guests 'always end up loving it'.
Championing the underdog
Jack Stein, chef director at the renowned seafood restaurant group founded by his father, Rick, has long championed more obscure species. Last year, he launched an 'Unsung Seafood Species' campaign promoting lesser-known and underappreciated seafood, including cuttlefish, cockles, whelks, megrim sole, razor clams and more. Stein recommends hake, coley and ling instead of cod and haddock, and oily mackerel over tuna – though only if it's caught with a line and hook. Red mullet and gurnard, both 'sweet and delicate', are also favourites of his, while the little-known and 'absolutely delicious' weever fish 'deserves more recognition in the UK' despite its venomous spines. 'Fortunately, our guests tend to be seafood enthusiasts, open to exploring new flavours,' he says.
In London, renowned Borough Market seafood restaurant Applebee's relaunched in February and executive chef Frankie van Loo is committed to expanding Britain's repertoire. 'Lots of people might not realise their usual favourite suspects aren't always available from UK shores, and that we're in danger of overfishing certain species.' Aside from classics – think dover sole meunière and fish and chips – van Loo aims to educate customers about seasonality, why certain fish shouldn't be caught during spawning periods, and how widening our choices allows stocks to replenish.
Following the Cornwall Good Seafood Guide, van Loo opts for the likes of monkfish and sea bream. 'We know scallops, sea bass, tuna, prawns and salmon will sell, it's what people know. We try to balance our menu with a combination of these fish and some lesser-known varieties such as red mullet, gurnard, cuttlefish and whiting.' Currently, a butterflied red mullet in bouillabaisse sauce is popular, and the chef hopes to swap cod and haddock for other species for fish and chips, such as whiting and pollock.
Diversity is key
Seth McCurry, UK & Ireland senior commercial manager at the Marine Stewardship Council, says: 'Diversifying the types of fish we eat is important because by eating different types of fish and seafood, we're spreading out the demand, giving some species a break and encouraging fishers to catch a wider variety. This helps make sure we aren't putting too much pressure on any one particular species.' McCurry says 37 per cent of global fish stocks were overfished in 2024, but the volume of pollock and hake sold has increased, while brands like Birds Eye are diversifying their ranges, including the little known silver smelt.
Getting people to switch isn't always easy, says Ben Champkin, chef patron at Catch at the Old Fish Market in Weymouth. The likes of herring and sprat have a 'distinctive, robust taste' and oily texture that some find overpowering. Their appearance can also be less appealing than more familiar trout or cod, says Champkin.
Back in Cornwall, Bailey would like to see more Britons eating spider and velvet crab, which mostly are shipped to Spain. 'Post-Brexit costs have made exporting much more expensive, so a lot of smaller firms have ceased exporting.' Eating a wider range of seafood is not only environmentally beneficial, it can help British fishermen, too.
Four recipes to try
Hake
Pollock
Mullet
Cuttlefish