Norwegian farmed cod impressed a tough panel of top Spanish chefs, but despite passing this stern test, the reviews probably won’t immediately help open a market, according to a report from the Research Council of Norway.
Chefs at 28 top restaurants in Barcelona, Bilbao and Madrid gave farmed cod high marks in freshness, consistency, smell and taste but said farmed fish was not rated attractive enough for exclusive establishments.
Refined products like salt cod were of interest to top chefs, and producers hoped that the positive reception in general would make farmed cod attractive to mainstream restaurants and the average consumer.
Farmed cod quality is now considered uniformly high within the Norwegian industry and emphasis is shifting to finding markets, with France and Belgium early buyers.
