Cod is one of the most versatile fish in the world, serving purposes that stretch far beyond the dinner plate. It’s a staple protein in dozens of cuisines, a source of nutrient-rich liver oil, a raw material for medical wound grafts, and even a luxury leather product. Here’s a full look at what cod fish is used for and why it remains so commercially important.
A Low-Calorie, High-Protein Food
Cod’s primary use is as a lean, mild-flavored table fish. A 3-ounce serving of cooked Atlantic cod contains about 90 calories, just 1 gram of fat, and 19 grams of protein. Pacific cod is nearly identical: 85 calories and 20 grams of protein for the same portion. That ratio of protein to calories makes cod a go-to for people managing their weight or looking for a clean protein source without the fat content of salmon or mackerel.
Beyond protein, cod delivers meaningful amounts of several micronutrients. That same 3-ounce serving provides over 30% of the daily value for vitamin B12, more than 20% for phosphorus, and 40% or more for selenium. Selenium supports thyroid function and acts as an antioxidant, while B12 is essential for nerve health and red blood cell production.
Culinary Uses Across Cuisines
Atlantic cod has firm, meaty flesh with large flakes and a slightly richer flavor. It’s the traditional choice for fish and chips in the UK, baked cod dishes across Southern Europe, and hearty seafood stews. Pacific cod is softer and milder, which makes it popular in Asian cooking: miso soup, tempura, and steamed preparations where delicate texture matters more than bold flavor. Both types hold up well across nearly every cooking method, including baking, pan-searing, grilling, broiling, poaching, and deep frying.
Cod also has a long history as a preserved food. Salted and dried cod, known as bacalhau in Portugal and Brazil or baccalà in Italy, remains a central ingredient in Mediterranean and Latin American cooking. Stockfish, made by air-drying unsalted cod, is a staple in Norwegian and West African cuisines. These preservation methods allowed cod to be traded across oceans centuries before refrigeration existed, and the dishes built around them endure today.
Cod Liver Oil as a Supplement
Cod liver oil has been used as a nutritional supplement for centuries, originally to prevent rickets and other vitamin deficiencies. Unlike regular fish oil, which is extracted from the body of the fish, cod liver oil comes specifically from the liver and is unusually rich in vitamins A and D alongside omega-3 fatty acids.
Just one teaspoon of cod liver oil contains about 2,501 IU of vitamin A, roughly 97% of the recommended daily intake during pregnancy. That concentration is actually high enough to be a concern: excessive vitamin A during pregnancy can cause birth defects, so pregnant women are typically advised to use regular fish oil instead. For most other adults, cod liver oil provides a convenient way to get omega-3s, vitamin D for bone health and immune function, and vitamin A for vision and skin health in a single supplement. The general recommendation for combined EPA and DHA (the two key omega-3s) is 250 to 500 mg per day.
Medical Wound Grafts
One of the more surprising uses for cod is in medicine. Processed cod skin is now used as a biological wound dressing for burns, diabetic foot ulcers, and other difficult-to-heal wounds. The skin’s natural lipid profile is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which give it anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties strong enough to work against antibiotic-resistant bacteria like MRSA.
What makes cod skin especially effective as a graft is its physical structure. It’s highly porous, with enough openings to allow human skin cells called fibroblasts to migrate through and begin rebuilding tissue. The graft adheres to the wound bed, reduces inflammation, and supports faster healing compared to some conventional dressings. Cod skin grafts have been used on superficial and deep partial-thickness burns, full-thickness wounds, and treatment-resistant diabetic foot ulcers.
Leather and Fashion
Cod skin is also tanned into leather for use in fashion and design. Fish skin leather looks fragile, but it’s remarkably strong because its fibers run in a crisscross pattern rather than in parallel like mammal hides. The result is a thin, pliable material that resists water and holds up to daily wear. In one durability test, a pair of fish skin leather boots worn every day for six months showed no damage to the leather itself; only the stitching thread eventually broke.
Luxury brands have taken notice. Prada, Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton, and Puma have all incorporated fish skin leather into clothing, shoes, and bags. Nike has experimented with fish leather for running shoes, and a German automotive company trimmed a BMW interior with salmon skin leather. As the fashion industry looks for alternatives to conventional animal leather, fish skin sourced from processing waste offers a material that might otherwise end up in a landfill.
Animal Feed and Fertilizer
About 30% of global fish meal production comes from scraps generated when fish like cod are processed for human consumption: heads, bones, skin, and offal that would otherwise be discarded. This processing waste is ground into fish meal and fish oil used in animal feed, particularly for aquaculture (farmed fish), poultry, and swine. Fish meal is protein-dense and contains amino acids that support fast growth in livestock, which is why it has been a major feed ingredient for decades. NOAA has invested in developing methods to improve recovery of seafood processing waste specifically for use in aquaculture feeds, reducing both waste and the need to catch additional fish solely for feed production.
A Fish That Shaped Global Trade
Cod’s importance goes beyond its current uses. Dried and salted cod was one of the commodities that shaped early global commerce. Portuguese fishermen reached the Grand Banks off Newfoundland years before John Cabot’s 1497 voyage, drawn by enormous cod stocks. The cheap, shelf-stable protein became intertwined with the Atlantic slave trade and the sugar economy: salt cod fed enslaved workers who produced sugar, coffee, and cotton, which in turn fueled the Industrial Revolution in Europe. Historians have compared cod’s role in international trade to that of sugar itself.
Sustainability Pressures Today
Cod’s commercial value has come at a cost. Atlantic cod stocks, particularly in the northwest Atlantic, famously collapsed in the early 1990s and have never fully recovered. Regulators continue to impose strict limits. For the 2025 fishing year, NOAA set emergency catch limits for Gulf of Maine cod and Georges Bank cod to prevent overfishing. Recreational fishing vessels and commercial common pool vessels are now prohibited from possessing Georges Bank cod entirely. These restrictions reflect just how depleted some populations remain, even three decades after the most dramatic collapse.
If you’re buying cod, look for labels from certification programs that track stock health and fishing practices. Pacific cod from Alaska is generally considered a more sustainable choice than most Atlantic cod fisheries, though status varies by specific stock and region.