Did you know that fish have cheeks? And did you know you can eat them?
Well they do and you can. Several species of fish, both saltwater and freshwater have cheeks that are large enough to harvest. These include halibut, grouper, cod, walleye, whitefish and lake trout. About the size of a scallop, fish cheeks are prized for their firm texture and tenderness.
They’re usually not available in supermarkets, but if you’re near a commercial fisherman, you might be in luck. For work, I recently meandered along Lake Superior to the Bayfield Peninsula in Wisconsin. I stopped by Halvorson Fisheries in Cornucopia where they had frozen lake trout fish cheeks for sale. I’d never had them before, so was intrigued. I bought a half pound and took them home in my cooler.
To find out what happened and get a free recipe, please visit a blog post I wrote for work. You can visit it here.
Marie's Meanderings 
Cod cheeks are a delicacy around here in NL. Cod tongues are as well, but I only like the small ones that are crispier.
Cod tongues, now that’s a new one on me! Do they taste similar to cheeks or do they have their own special flavor?
Slightly different taste than the rest of the cod, and more expensive by the pound. They are very much in demand in the towns and villages I’ve lived in.
And I should add that it isn’t exactly the tongue but the muscle behind it.
Very cheeky of you.
I thought so! 🙂
I’ve heard of cheeks but have never eaten them. Not to likely to run across them here!
I wonder if antelope cheeks are a thing?
😂
I have forgotten about them until now. Our family ate them a few times during my childhood.
And did you like them or not so much? Or did you just eat them because they were there? Enquiring minds want to know.
We ate them because they were there and I was an adolescent who ate whatever was edible in the house. I don’t remember liking them or disliking them.
This sound yummy. Amy Tan wrote a wonderful short story called “Fish Cheeks.” I used to read it with my 10th graders.
Oooo, I will have to check out that short story! Thanks.
I remember cod cheeks as a child…I liked them.