Silver hake | DE L'EAU À LA BOUCHE

Corps mince et allongé, avec deux nageoires dorsales.

Grosse tête pointue et mâchoire inférieure saillante sans barbillon.

Corps couvert de grandes écailles. Coloration argentée, plus foncée sur le dos et plus pâle dans la région ventrale.

Nom

Silver hake
Merluccius bilinearis

Type

Bottom fish

Autres appellations

Atlantic hake

Nom en cuisine

État de la ressource

Not a cause for concern

Saison de consommation

Fresh from May to October.

SIZE :

Approximately 37 cm and 750 g, females up to 76 cm.

LIFE EXPECTANCY :

From 10 to 12 years.

LIFE CYCLE :

The reproduction season runs from June to September. Females release up to three batches of floating transparent eggs per spawning season. The larvae are born after two to five days.

Temperature can influence this period, which is later in colder years.

In the water column, usually between 50 m and 400 m deep, but can go as far as 914 m.

Silver hake are found closer to the shore when the water is warmer and migrate to deeper waters in winter.

PREYS :

Crustaceans
Hake (cannibalism)
Herring
Mackerel

PREDATORS :

Cod
Sword-fish
Seals
Seabirds

Camouflage

Juvenile silver hake camouflage amid shelters built by small detritus-eating crustaceans, called amphipods, to avoid predators. The stripes and spots on the fish’s dorsal surface mimic the tube patterns of amphipods for better camouflage.

MACHINES :

Trawls, gillnets.

REGULATIONS :

Quotas
Regulated gear type
Fishing season

Silver hake is an important commercial species in Canada and the United States.

In the past, it was mostly fished by European vessels. The market has therefore never developed in Quebec. Even today, the Canadian silvery hake fishing is destined for European markets.

Photographie d'une main tenant la tête d'un merlu argenté, bouche ouverte.

The fishing season extends mainly from May to November in the Northwest Atlantic.
Credit : Herpingpro, photo taken in Massachussets, in 2022.

Voir l’image en plein écran

BENEFITS :

This low-calorie fish is a good source of protein, potassium, and Omega-3.

LET’S COOK :

Tender texture; delicate and slightly sweet taste. White, boneless flesh.

Silver hake can be prepared whole in the oven, fried fish-and-chips style, or in grilled slices.

Its flesh is also well-suited to the production of surimi (also mistakenly known as crab sticks).

OUR CULINARY ADVICE :

The most popular accompaniments for silver hake are inspired by Portuguese cuisine: capers, garlic, onions, tomatoes, even chorizo or saffron.