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Is Burbot kosher?

No — Burbot is not kosher under Jewish dietary law.

Not kosher. Burbot have very tiny, deeply embedded scales that do not qualify as halachic scales.

Burbot (Lota lota)

Image: · licensed CC BY-SA 3.0 · source

Scientific name
Lota lota
Also known as
Eelpout, Lawyer
Category
scaleless
Fins & scales
Fins ✓ , no scales ✗
Kosher status
Not kosher

About Burbot

A freshwater cod-like fish, the only member of the cod family found in freshwater. The burbot (Lota lota), also known as bubbot, mariah, loche, cusk, freshwater cod, freshwater ling, freshwater cusk, the lawyer, coney-fish, lingcod, or eelpout, is a species of coldwater ray-finned fish native to the subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere. It is the only member of the genus Lota, and is the only freshwater species of the order Gadiformes. The species is closely related to marine fish such as the common ling and cusk, all of which belong to the family Lotidae (rocklings). The burbot (Lota lota), also known as bubbot, mariah, loche, cusk, freshwater cod, freshwater ling, freshwater cusk, the lawyer, coney-fish, lingcod, or eelpout, is a species of coldwater ray-finned fish native to the subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere. It is the only member of the genus Lota, and is the only freshwater species of the order Gadiformes. The species is closely related to marine fish such as the common ling and cusk, all of which belong to the family Lotidae (rocklings). Etymology The name burbot comes from the Latin word barba, meaning beard, referring to its single chin whisker, or barbel. Its generic and specific names, Lota lota, comes from the old French lotte fish, which is also named "barbot" in Old French. Distribution Burbot have circumpolar distribution above 40° N. Populations are continuous from France across Europe and chiefly Russian Asia to the Bering Strait. In North America, burbot range from the Seward Peninsula in Alaska to New Brunswick along the Atlantic Coast. Burbot are most common in streams and lakes of North America and Europe. They are fairly common in Lake Erie, but are also found in the other Great Lakes. An anadromous...

Kosher ruling

Not kosher. Burbot have very tiny, deeply embedded scales that do not qualify as halachic scales.

Source: Orthodox Union; Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0); Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0)

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