BLACK GOLD

AKA sablefish, is the fisherman’s treasure of the sea

By Leslie A. Westbrook

Photos by Eliot Crowley

I serendipitously discovered locally harvested wild black cod for home preparation thanks to an enthusiastic recommendation from a local fisherman.

I had savored the smooth, buttery fish at a few fine restaurants, but had never prepared it myself until a couple of years ago. I tested a miso-based recipe and became a fast fan, as have the friends and family I’ve served it to. Turns out, I’d chosen one of the most well-known Asian style marinades, made popular by well-known Japanese restaurateur Nobu Mitsubisa.

Properly known as sablefish and abundant in our coastal waters, black cod may not be the prettiest fish in the world, but it might be one of the best. Also referred to as butterfish, this delicacy melts in your mouth. It is sustainably harvested, has a tiny bone line (that can be easily cut out and removed or with tweezers after cooking, but don’t let this stop you) and makes a perfect replacement for non-sustainable Chilean sea bass.

Deep-sea, long line fishing— this method is just a decade old for the Santa Barbara fishing fleet— for the super high in Omega 3 fish is practiced 10- 20 miles outside of the Channel Islands. The Santa Barbara Fish Market at the harbor sells it fresh – so fresh it’s practically still wiggling. I recently developed a deeper appreciation for our local fishing community after meeting with one long time commercial fisherman at his Mesa home.

For those curious as to how this tasty fish gets to your dinner table, here’s the lowdown from John Colgate, 72, who has been fishing our region since 1972.

“It’s surprising the number of people who don’t know about black cod,” John confirms when I share that a savvy East Coast food writer I queried about favorite recipes thought I was referring to salt cod, or bacalau (as it’s know in Portugal – not one of my favorites) while “fishing” for recipes.

Black cod has nothing to do with cod. It comes from the family Anoplopomatidae. The sablefish is a species of deepsea fish common to the North Pacific Ocean. Adult sablefish are opportunistic feeders, preying on fish (including Alaskan Pollock, eulachon, capelin, herring, sandlance, and Pacific cod), squid, euphausiids, and jellyfish. Sablefish are long- lived, with a maximum-recorded age of 94 years although the majority of the commercial catch in many areas is less than 20 years old.

All fisheries in the USA are managed and mandated for sustainable fishing practices. Santa Barbara Fish Market supports CFSB, the Commercial Fisherman of Santa Barbara, as well as U.S.-harvested seafood managed by Pacific Fisheries Management Council and NOAA.

A Fisherman’s Tale

John Colgate is a native Californian and UCSB graduate who always “took to the water.” A bonafide salty dog, Colgate has endured a tough profession over his lifetime.

“My parents started me competitively swimming at a really young age and I discovered I liked swimming below the surface better than above it!” He started diving and “eating” his way thru college on abalone and other fish he caught. He attended the Marine Tech program at SBCC, with plans to be an oil field diver, but started commercially diving for abalone while working at Oceaneering International.

“I decided to be a full time abalone diver 48 years ago,” Colgate recalled, who was also a founding partner of the SB Shellfish Co. on Stearns Wharf. But the sea called.

“I’ve always been an ocean guy, so I went back to diving abalone, sea urchin and spiny lobster,” he said of his lifelong love affair with the sea.

About six or seven years ago, Colgate added a black cod fishing permit to his repertoire.

“I wanted to get out of the water, my body got beat up from diving,” he admitted, “None of it’s easy and a progression of fisheries presented themselves.”

He “changed with the times” and now, with a helper, line sets for black cod, or sable fish on the far side of the Channel Islands. It’s not a job for the weak of stomach or timid. The day begins at 7 a.m. – collecting ice at the fuel dock, and then picking up lines baited with anchovy from their yard in the Funk Zone. The Māʻalaea (Translation: a warm offshore wind; also a town and harbor in Maui), Colgate’s 30’ x 10’ wide vessel is loaded for the five –hour, 60 mile trip out to the fishing grounds at a spot 20 miles due west of San Miguel Island.

It takes an hour to set the 33 tubs of long baited line before dropping it some 3,000 feet below the surface. The down line is anchored and buoyed at both ends, each with a flag a few miles apart. The 10,000 baited hooks assure a good catch in these fishing grounds.

“My helper Nick and I will have some dinner, wait three to five hours before hauling the line up,” notes the fisherman, “Each fish usually weighs three to four pounds, but they can be up to ten pounds. All in all, it’s a 24-hour run. A good night’s catch is limited to a weekly quota of 2,000 lbs.”

John, who admits he’s “getting older” fishes an average of 30 weeks a year, while some of his younger colleagues go out 40 weeks.

“Older guys fish less and look for better weather,” he laughs adding, “The most noteworthy thing about this fishery is the weekly quota that Pacific Fisheries Management Council allows. This provides fisherman the ability to look at a weather window and pick one day that week to fish.”

John gives all the black cod to his son/fish wholesaler and retailer Brian.

“He’s waiting on the pier when I get there,” he jokes to his son, who spent a summer fishing with his dad.

“Forty five weeks a year, there is black cod landing fresh on our docks,” rings in Brian Colgate, owner of Santa Barbara Fish Market, who takes all of his dad’s black cod catch (weekly landings are regulated to 2,000 pounds max) for his wholesale and retail business.

That’s before the fish travels to his son Brian Colgate’s nearby 3,000 square foot state-ofthe-art processing facility on Santa Barbara’s Eastside and then to the the retail market at the Harbor for the folks like you and me.

“Santa Barbara has always been a small faster boat fishing harbor because of the distance to the islands and its unpredictable weather. Fishermen have to travel up to 60 miles to their fishing grounds, while those in Morro Bay may only have to travel ten miles,” John notes.

“What is most noteworthy about this fishery,” his son Brian rings in “is the weekly quota that the Pacific Fisheries Management Council mandates. That gives fishermen the ability to look at the weather every week and and pick a day that’s best for fishing. On average forty-five weeks a year there is black cod landing fresh on our docks!”

A Son’s Journey

Brian Colgate, 39, owner of the tiny, but mighty retail harbor store Santa Barbara Fish Market, which is celebrating 20 years in business this year, obviously has fish in his blood.

“We process 100% of the fish that is in the retail store. We are selling smoked black cod from the local catch and continually working with new recipes,” says Brian. The smoked cod, sold fresh or frozen, is a full flavored moist fish that tastes much like smoked trout, but more delicate. Other tasty treats from the deli case include squid salad, poke and ceviche, depending on the season.

Santa Barbara Fish Market sells a whopping million pounds a year of seafood, wholesale and retail, annually. Of that, Brian Colgate reckons he sells thousands of pounds of black cod weekly, including to area restaurants Barbareno, Caruso’s at The Miramar Hotel; Californian Hotel’s blackbird, Loquita and The Ballard Inn in the Santa Ynez Valley. Other restaurants that patronize SBFM include bouchon, The Wine Cask, Belmond El Encanto and Sama Sama.

“We have full quality control and do all of of our own production and distribution in house at our wholesale distribution facility two miles from the harbor.,” notes Brian, adding that his Fish Market is very competitive price wise as it is a direct outlet to the public. “Chances are if fish are landing locally, we’re going to have it in our retail shop.”

Deliveries to the harbor retail store occur three to five times a day. In addition to fish from our waters, customers can find seafood from around the world, like Scottish salmon and Maine lobster tails.

“Anything can be special ordered, too,” Brian stressed. A longer-range picture also comes into focus. “The market is our commitment to supporting sustainable fisheries that maintain fish stocks so they will be available to future generations. We want the public to be able to open up and deepen their relationship with the ocean and the seafood – broaden their horizons. The ocean and seafood is an amazing blessing. It’s so nutritious, healthy, and supports our community here in Santa Barbara,” concludes Brian.

Brian’s vision to link our fishing community to the public is a reality – thanks to his roots and passion for the wonders of the sea. It’s a legacy that father and son share with their friends and colleagues who provide delicoius, healthy, sustainable food for our tables.