Burbot
Lota lota
Not Kosher
Has fins but no scales
Fins
Yes
Scales
No
Description
The burbot, 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.
Cooked burbot tastes close to lobster, which earns it the nickname "poor man's lobster." In Finland the roe and liver are prized.
Burbot live in cold freshwater lakes, rivers, and reservoirs across the far north, with a circumpolar range above about 40 degrees north. They are found from Alaska to New Brunswick and across Europe into Russia, staying deep and cool in summer and active under the ice in winter.
Also known as
- Eelpout
- Lawyer
Burbot in foreign languages
| Scientific | Lota lota |
| Arabic | بربوط |
| Spanish | lota |
| Portuguese | Lota-do-rio |
| French | Lotte |
| Italian | Bottatrice |
| German | Aalraupe |
| Russian | Налим |
| Turkish | Tatlısu gelinciği |
| Chinese | 江鱈 |
| Japanese | カワメンタイ |
| Korean | 모오케 |
| Vietnamese | Cá tuyết sông |
| Indonesian | Burbot |
Gallery
Warnings & Kosher Issues
- Not kosher. Burbot have only minute, nearly microscopic embedded scales that do not qualify as halachic scales.
- The burbot is the only freshwater member of the cod family (order Gadiformes).