I Try It So You Don’t Have To: Cod Liver in Oil

Cod Liver Oil as a product has been around for a very long time. As a nutritional supplement, and a torture device for children it has quite a history.

I picked up a can of cod liver, packed in its own oil a couple weeks back when I found the head cheese I wrote about. The health benefits of cod liver oil are very well documented, though there are some risks such as  hypervitaminosis A, which sounds more like a super power than a problem, but I’m no scientist.

Pretty simple list of ingredients, cod liver, cod liver oil and salt, which is always appealing to me. When I popped open the tin some of the oil came out immediately, the tin was completely full to brimming. The smell was much like a can of tuna, pretty mild overall with a fishy scent that was not at all unpleasant. Not stinking like death is a positive for me anymore. I pulled back the rest of the lid and was faced with a ton of oil and a good sized chunk of cod liver.

I sampled a spoonful of the oil first, even though it wasn’t really the focus I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. It was actually quite pleasant, very light in flavor and texture. I expected it to be very fishy and heavy and it was neither. It had mild flavor, again similar to tuna packed in oil and impressively delicate, I immediately began to think of uses for the oil. Now on to the liver itself.

I was expecting to enjoy it based on the flavor of the oil and I was not disappointed. Light fishy taste and a smooth creamy texture like you would expect from liver. It was delicious. I went back for another bite right away. Again my brain started working on possible uses for this stuff. Mixing it up with spices or seasonoings and spreading it on a crostini would be excellent.

I didn’t have any crostini in the house but a cracked black pepper Triscuit and some Malden salt should be a good stand in.

My instincts were right on, salt and pepper were all the complement it needed to really shine. This stuff is excellent.  If you are on the hunt for something delicious and nutritious I would highly recommend you seek out a can. The liver itself would take any flavor that goes well with fish, ginger, garlic, soy, citrus etc. The oil would make a great base for a vinaigrette or a flavoring in a stir fry.

Cod liver goes firmly into the “try it” category. I will try to find something with less of a chance of being tasty next week.