The Fish Bobby Flay Never Orders When At A Restaurant

With 17 published cook books, multiple TV shows and decades of cooking under his belt, celebrity chef Bobby Flay knows good food. He's involved in menu development at his many restaurants across the country and tosses his talent at crafting everything that comes from the kitchen. From the Mediterranean-style cuisine at Amalfi to flame grilled beef at Bobby's Burgers, Flay has his hands in nearly every style of dining. He's often out and about as well, visiting other restaurants and enjoying the foods that drive his entire life.

Like anyone else, Bobby Flay has menu preferences when he eats out, and has said in past interviews that he likes to order menu items served on crushed ice, and that he doesn't eat cod when he's at a restaurant. At the heart of Bobby Flay's ordering style is a sense of strategy, seemingly all about getting the most out of his experience. In Flay's opinion, cod doesn't have a strong enough flavor to make any kind of lasting memory, so he just doesn't order it. In a 2017 interview with PopSugar, Flay explained: "It just doesn't taste like anything, so I don't bother."

Cod is a white, flaky fish widely used in many different kinds of food products, from convenient frozen products like Gorton's cod fish sticks to fast food fish sandwiches and even in fine dining. It's a first choice for people who don't love strong fish flavors and the fish's light, almost flavorless quality Bobby Flay mentioned is beloved by many for its versatility. You can grill an irresistible cod in a foil packet for an outdoor barbecue, and you can easily disguise any fishy flavors with plenty of seasonings and cooking styles.

Atlantic cod and Pacific cod are the most popular in the cod family, which include species of pollock, haddock, and hake. The flavors are similar enough that some people choose to buy hake instead of cod, often due to overfishing concerns. Not every fish that has cod in the name falls into the category. Black cod is a different type of fish entirely, also known as sablefish or butterfish. Black cod has darker meat with a richer, more buttery taste than Atlantic or Pacific cod. 

White cod doesn't appear to be featured in Flay's restaurants, but black cod does make an appearance at Shark, one of his Las Vegas establishments. Black cod is listed on the menu alongside sea scallops and roasted salmon.

Bobby Flay may avoid ordering cod, but he doesn't skimp on the white fish when it comes to his cook books. Flay has dozens of cod-based recipes for those who love the light, gentle fish flavors that come with classic white cod. Across the internet and cook book sphere, you can find recipes from Flay for pan seared cilantro crusted cod, cod braised in miso broth with snap peas and mushrooms, and shrimp and salt cod ravioli with yellow pepper romesco sauce, among others.

Lemon is a keystone ingredient for many, if not most, Bobby Flay cod recipes. Flay is also fond of cooking fish in a classic California light style, which relies on acid and a small amount of seasonings for flavoring. The technique was popular as Flay was coming up in the kitchen and he continues to take this approach to his fish cooking methods.