BacalhauvsMerluza

Bacalhau and Merluza are different fish, but they're close enough in the kitchen to stand in for one another.

Gadidae

Bacalhau

Atlantic cod is a cornerstone of European and North American food culture, with a mild, flaky white flesh that has fed populations for centuries. It is sold fresh as thick fillets and steaks in the UK and US, and as salt-dried bacalhau in Portugal and Brazil — a product so culturally embedded in Iberian cuisine that Portugal alone is said to have a different bacalhau recipe for every day of the year.

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Merlucciidae

Merluza

Hake is a mild, white-fleshed fish from the cod family, softer and more delicate than cod itself. It is the most consumed fish in Spain and one of the most popular in Argentina. In France it is known as colin and is a supermarket staple. Its gentle flavor and flaky texture make it suitable for frying, baking, and steaming. Argentine hake (Merluccius hubbsi) is a related but distinct species.

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Both are mild, white, flaky Atlantic fish from the cod family — hake is softer and more delicate, cod is firmer and thicker.

A fish you can order instead

$129.00–$325.00 · Free US shipping (except Hawaii) · Alaska Gold Seafood

Merluza's cousin: Pacific cod does every job hake does, a little firmer

• ·Longline-caught Gadus macrocephalus
• ·Boneless 6 oz portions
• ·Individually vacuum-sealed and frozen
• ·5, 10 or 20 lb box

Wild Alaska Pacific Cod

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Affiliate link — CarneAtlas may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Price checked 31 Aug 2026.

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