The Fish Variety So Good And Tender It Was Nicknamed The 'Butterfish'

If you're in the market for a fish dinner that's both rich in flavor and particularly easy to cook, look no further than black cod. Also known as "sablefish," it's sometimes called "butterfish," likely due to its buttery texture (although this can be slightly confusing, as there's another fish by the same name, which is fished off the U.S. and Canadian Atlantic coasts, and is sometimes called "American butterfish.")

What sets black cod apart is its relatively high fat content (it also includes omega-3 fatty acids), which gives a distinctive flavor and texture. As you may have guessed from the nickname, it has a buttery quality to its flavor, which is considered simultaneously rich yet mild (the "mildness" seems to refer to the fact that it doesn't have so much of a fishy flavor that you get with other fish). On the texture side, it's smooth and velvety, with an almost melt-in-your-mouth softness thanks to that high fat content, with large flakes and a white flesh. (Despite its white inner flesh, the "black" in the name refers to its outer darker skin.)

It's that fat content that makes black cod relatively easy to cook with. Not dissimilar to fat in cuts of beef, it means the fish is less likely to dry out or become tough or chalky in the pan or the oven. So, if you're nervous about cooking fish right, it's one potentially solid choice.

Not only is black cod an easy fish to cook with, the cooking methods are also relatively flexible. Grilling, baking, poaching, slow-cooking, and steaming are all good bets, and smoked black cod is also a tasty choice available at some delis for a savory kick to its usually mild flavor. It's not a perfect all-rounder, though, as it's arguably too rich for raw dishes like ceviche.

For one cooking suggestion, look to Nobu Matsuhisa, the namesake chef of the world-famous Japanese-Peruvian Nobu restaurants. Arguably one of the most iconic celebrity chef dishes out there is his miso-marinated black cod (a version of this is pictured above). It's a dish you can copy at home without too much fuss (as long as you remember to set aside a chunk of time for marinating); you'll just need mirin, sake, and white miso on hand. There's also a highly-rated knock-off version of it available from Trader Joe's. Otherwise, you could stew it with tomato and saffron, or consider a ginger-soy marinade. Generally speaking, it goes with salty and acidic ingredients.

Of course, there's gotta be a downside: Black cod is not the cheapest fish around, and prices can go over $15 or even $20 per pound, although prices are reportedly dropping and better deals than this are probably out there. It's generally a bit easier to find in the Pacific Northwest or Alaska — but for a fish this tasty and hard to mess up, it's probably worth going out of your way for it.