Cod

After the sandfish season ends, cod makes its appearance as perhaps one of the most famous examples of mid-winter cuisine in Oga. Oga is one of the prefecture’s most valued fishing grounds; it even made up around half of Akita’s entire catch of cod in 2009. Female fish are usually valued more because of their eggs, but the opposite can be said for cod. Male cod are highly valued in contrast to the female fish because they provide soft cod roe, a delicacy.