Eating fish heads certainly isn’t a new concept. Cultures around the world have eaten the tender meat out of the cheeks, throats, and collars of fish since time immemorial. Today, if at all, fish heads are usually used in stocks and sauces. Seafood chefs boil fish heads until the meat and bones release their flavour, before straining and discarding. These recipes, however, arguably waste some of the best meat, the morsels hidden within the fish’s...

I decided to begin this series with the tongue. I made that decision because I assumed it would be an easy place for me to start. Boy, was I wrong.
You might recall my last article where I mentioned that my sister and I used to eat cod’s tongues in my dad’s hometown of Spaniard’s Bay, Newfoundland. Cod’s tongues are tender, meaty little morsels found in fish shops, homes, and food counters all across the province. I’d always assumed they were...

I grew up eating and thoroughly enjoying wild game and fish offal and body parts. To this day, I associate fried liver with my mom’s savory gravy and my dad’s favourite birthday dinner. Dad was born and raised in Spaniard’s Bay, Newfoundland, where he grew up eating whatever was cheapest or easiest to bring home. As a family we spent the occasional summer there, eating cod tongues and cheeks, and seafood chowders flavoured by fish scraps. In the...