Varieties of Fish

Varieties of Fish
Here are listed both fresh water and salt water fish
because the two can't be cleanly separated. Many fish
move to salt water to mature and come back to fresh
water to spawn and others are found both in salt and
fresh water.
General - Buying, Storing, Preparation, Cooking Methods.

Health and Nutrition - Mercury, worms and toxins.
Links
The varieties listed here are either of wide culinary interest or marketed in
Southern California. Primary names are consistent with names used in
Southern California fish markets. If you want more fish, Fishbase (F2) lists
Home
over 29,000 varieties under over 218,000 common names.
Please consider the IUCN Red List status when buying fish. In order of rising
concern: LC = Least Concern, NT = Near Threatened, VU = Vulnerable, EN
= Endangered, CR = Critically Endangered, EW = Extinct in the Wild, EX =
Fish Page Extinct. In addition there are DD = Data Deficient and NE = Not Evaluated.
The Monterey Bay Aquarium ratings are more complex, rating not only the
sustainability of the species, but also the fishery's effect on other species as
bycatch.
Click on pictures for larger version and cooking info
Anchovy - [family Engraulidae]

A family of tiny fish that swim in large schools in temperate seas worldwide.
They are very important to the fish food chain and also for production of
fermented fish sauce, as essential to the cuisines of Southeast Asia as it was to
Imperial Roman.
Blue Anchovy -
[Encrasicholina devisi]
This Indo-Pacific fish can grow
to just over 3 inches but the
photo specimen, shown with a
toothpick for scale, was 2-1/2
inches and weighed .075 ounce (that's over 200 to the pound). They are
found in the Persian Gulf, the Indian Ocean and the West-Central Pacific
as far southeast as Fiji and as far north as Taiwan. Prep & Cooking Details
1|P ag e V arie ty o f fish

California Anchovy -
[Engraulis mordax]
This anchovy is found from the
Canadian border to the tip of
Baja California and can grow to
9-3/4 inches and weigh 2.4
ounces, but the photo specimen was 5-3/4 inches and weighed 0.7 ounce.
The Argentine Anchovy Engraulis anchoita from the Southwest Atlantic
looks almost exactly the same but only grows to 6.7 inches and 0.9 ounce.
The California anchovy is used mostly for fishmeal and tuna bait but is
also sold fresh and just occasionally canned. The Argentine is generally
sold fresh or canned.. Prep & Cooking Details
European Anchovy - [Engraulis

encrasicolus]
European anchovies are found on the
west coast of South Africa all the way
up to Norway and in the western
Mediterranean. Live they look a lot
like the California anchovy but are a
little more elongated and a bit smaller,
growing to just under 9 inches. In Europe they are sold fresh, frozen, dried
and salted, but are familiar to Americans in cans from Morocco.
Unfortunately Morocco makes the worst anchovies in the world. Instead
buy Italian anchovies put up in tiny jars - more expensive but well worth
it.. Prep & Cooking Details
Barracuda -
[Sphyraenus species]
This very elongated fish
is a fearsome predator
with strong jaws and
sharp teeth but very rarely attacks swimmers. It is found in tropical and
subtropical seas. The photo is of a Pacific Barracuda (Sphyraena argentea) 33
inches long and weighing 4.4 pounds. This species can grow to almost 60
inches and 26 pounds. Florida barracuda can get up to 72 inches and 100
pounds.
Caution: barracuda can be highly toxic in tropical reef areas like Florida and
the Indian Ocean, Hawaii and northern Australia. Pacific Barracuda (S.
argentea) is generally safe. Prep & Cooking Details

Bangus - See Milkfish.
Basa - See Vietnamese Catfish.
BASS
"Bass" is a popular name applied to many fish that aren't really bass but
people call them "Bass" anyway, particularly the Black Bass (Smallmouth and
Largemouth). Shown here are the real bass (even though one of them is called
"Perch") with links to some others.
Black Bass - see Sunfish.
Chilean Sea Bass - see Patagonian Toothfish.
Largemouth Bass - see Sunfish.
Smallmouth Bass - see Sunfish.
Sand Bass - [family Serranidae

(Sea Basses) Paralabrax sp.]
The several varieties of Sand

Bass available in Southern
California, Barred (P.nebulifer),
Spotted (P. maculatofasciatus),
Goldspotted (P. auroguttatus, Cabrilla Estranjero), are all about the same
as far as cooking is concerned. The Goldspotted species can grow to 28
inches and 6 pounds, but the photo specimen is 16 inches long and
weighing 2-1/4 pounds. This is the only sandbass available commercially
and is fished mainly in the Gulf of California. Prep & Cooking Details
Striped Bass - [Striped Sea-

bass, Morone saxatilis]
This sea bass is found mainly in

river estuaries from the Gulf
Coast of the U.S. up the Western
Atlantic coast into Canada and
there are some landlocked. It has been introduced to other countries and is
now farmed commercially. These fish can grow to 78 inches and 125
pounds but the one in the photo was 15-1/2 inches and weighed 1-3/4
pounds, a typical market size. This fish renews its population fairly

quickly, is not listed as threatened and is now being farmed. Details and
Cooking
White Bass - [Morone

chrysops]
Native to the rivers of North
America, this bass looks a lot
like the Striped Bass, but it
inhabits only fresh water and
does not venture to sea. These
fish can grow to almost 18
inches and 6-3/4 pounds but the
one in the photo was 13-1/4 inches and weighed 1 pound 6 ounces, a little
larger than the average market size. This fish is now farmed on an
experimental basis and is not listed as threatened. Details and Cooking
White Perch - [Morone

americana]
Not actually a Perch but a Bass,
this fish is native to the North
Atlantic coast, living in salt,
brackish and fresh water, and is
an invasive species in the Great
Lakes. It is a good eating fish
and can be cooked in various
ways. The White Perch is not considered threatened, in fact it is considered
a nuisance in some areas. It can grow to a little over 19 inches and 4-3/4
pounds, but the photo specimen was 10 inches long and weighed 11
ounces, toward the high end of typical market size. Details and Cooking.
Belt Fish - [Ribbon Fish, Cutlass Fish, Largehead Hairtail (FishBase),

Scabbard Fish,
Trichiurus lepturus]
This fish is found worldwide and grows to over 7 feet long, but the photo
specimen weighed 1-1/2 pounds and would have been 44 inches if the tip of
its tail hadn't broken off. This is a highly commercial fish, primarily for Asian
markets and is very common in Los Angeles. Beltfish have no scales and
make no effort whatever to be kosher. Details and Cooking.

Bigeye - [Bullseye, Glasseye,
family Priacanthidae (Bigeyes or
catalufas)]
Bigeyes are a family of small
tropical fish found all around the
world. Few are fished commercially
and those that are are fished mostly
in the Indo-Pacific region. The photo specimen was labeled "Big Eye
Snapper" in an Asian market but I have identified it as Moontail Bullseye
(Priacanthus hamrur). This fish is found just about everywhere but the
Atlantic (except for a few off the southwest tip of Africa). It can grow to
almost 18 inches (large for a bigeye) but the photo specimen was 7-1/2 inches
(not counting a thread extending from the tail) and weighed 3.5 ounces. Prep
& Cooking Details
Bighead - see Carp.
Blue Runner - see Jacks.
Bluefish - [Pomatomus saltatrix]

This fish which is found just about
everywhere except in the Pacific
Ocean can grow to 51 inches and 31
pounds but the photo specimen was
16-1/4 inches and weighed 1.5
pounds. Considered a good eating
fish it's highly commercial and now being farmed. Details and Cooking.
Bonito - see Skipjack Tuna.
Bream - not a useful term - generally describes a moderately deep bodied

fish of moderate size but is applied to many completely unrelated fish from a
number of families.
Yellowfin Seabream - see Porgy.
Bumalo / Bombay Duck - [Bummalow, Bumla (India); Lutia (Bengal);

Loitta (Bangladesh); Luli (Malay);
Latia, Khô cá Khoai (Vietnam);
Long tou yu (China); Harpadon
nehereus]
A member of the lizzardfish family

(Synodontidae), this Indo-West Pacific fish is native to the Gulf of Arabia,
around India and through Southeast Asia and the South China Sea. It shares
many characteristics of fish living at great depth: gaping jaw with many long
sharp teeth, translucent, almost gelatinous flesh, uncalcified bones and
nighttime phosphorescence, so it may be a deep benthic fish that returned to
shallower waters. It inhabits moderate depth water along the coasts and
sometimes enters estuaries. This fish is currently abundant, IUCN NE (Not
Evaluated).
This fish is considered a delicacy, particularly in India and parts of

southeastern China. Bumalo can grow to 16 inches but are commonly 10
inches or less. The photo specimen was 12 inches long and weighed 6 ounces,
but looks unusually plump because it was in the middle of digesting another
fish about half its length. The rest of the batch were around 10 inches and 2-
3/4 ounces.
Salted and sun dried, this fish is called "Bombay Duck". Origin of that name
is uncertain, but seems to be associated with the rank smell of cars in the
Bombay mail train (Bombay Dak) during monsoon season. Details and
Cooking.
Bumper - [Pacific Bumper, Yellowtail Bumper, Chloroscombrus orqueta |

Atlantic Bumper, Chloroscombrus
chrysurus]
This fish is closely related to Scad,
but while there are scads of scad
there are only two bumpers - Pacific
and Atlantic, and even those two
may prove to be different varieties
of the same species. The photo specimen is a Pacific Bumper . Pacific Bumper
can grow to nearly 12 inches but Atlantic Bumper can grow to 25 inches and
supports a larger fishery. Pacific Bumper are found in the Eastern Pacific from
Los Angeles south to Peru. Atlantic Bumper is found in the West Atlantic
from Massachusetts south to Uruguay. Details and Cooking
Butterfish - [family Stromateidae]

A family of very deep bodied fish, many of which are called something else
and other fish which are not butterfish are called butterfish. see Pompano,
Sablefish, Pomfret and others. The ones listed here are real butterfish even
though they're called something else.
Silver Pomfret - [Butterfish,

White Pomfret, Pampus

argenteus]
This tropical Indo-West Pacific
fish is found from the Red Sea
to the South Pacific islands and
is not a pomfret but a butterfish
It can grow to almost 24 inches
but the photo specimen is about
9 inches and weighed 1/2 pound,
a typical market size here in Los
Angeles. Prep & Cooking Details.
Chinese Silver Pomfret -

[White Pomfret, Pampus
chinensis]
This tropical Indo-West Pacific
fish is found from the Persian
Gulf to southern Japan and is not
a pomfret but a butterfish. It can
grow to 15 inches but the photo
specimen is about 9 inches and
weighed 1/2 pound, a typical
market size here in Los Angeles.
Prep & Cooking Details.
Ca keo - See Gobies.
Ca bong cat - See Gobies
Carp - [Koi (Japanese), family

Cyprinidae, order Cypriniformes]
The modern Carp family has been around
for about 55 million years and the carp
order (Cypriniforms) since the Jurrassic
150 million years ago. They are not
considered a prime eating fish in the U.S.
but are popular on the menu in Asia and
Europe, particularly Poland.
Coming in many brilliant colors and

patterns and happy to live in small
freshwater ponds, carp is the primary fish
displayed in decorative gardens. Call a fancy carp "Koi" and it can sell for

hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Unprotected ponds need big
submerged pipes for them to sleep in because they are definitely on the menu
for raccoons.
Bighead - [Speckled Amur, Tongsan, Noble Fish, Hypothalmichthys

nobilis alt Aristichthys nobilis]
This Asian (probably Chinese)
carp has been introduced
worldwide and escapees from
pond clearing duty now populate
waters in 23 U.S. states where
they, and their near relative the Silver Carp, are considered troublesome
invasive species. Bighead is a filter feeding fish that lives on plankton near
the surface of the water and is used to clear algae from ponds.
This fish is common in Asian markets in Los Angeles where it is generally

sold in sections due to its large size. Split heads are sold for making soup.
This fish can grow to over 5 feet and 100 pounds, but the photo specimen
was 3 feet 6 inches and weighed 19.2 pounds, factory cleaned. That's a full
size dinner fork in the picture for scale. Details & Cooking.
Black Carp - [Mylopharyngodon

piceus]
Black carp are highly commercial in
China and are the most prestigious of
the native fish there but have not
become as widespread as other Asian
carp worldwide. They can grow to 48 inches and 77 pounds and can
become pests if they escape. A few have been found loose in the
Mississippi basin. They live on snails and mussels so some attempts have
been made to use this fish to control mollusks. They are considered a
threat to native mollusks so sterile fish are generally used to prevent wild
populations. Photo US Federal Government = public domain.
Carp Bream - [Common

Bream, Bronze Bream, Abramis
brama]
Silver Bream - [Blicca bjoerkna
alt Abramis bjoerkna]
The Carp Bream is a highly

commercial fish from Central

Europe to Middle Asia and was once an important food for the poor in
Britain. The flesh has been described as "bony, insipid and soft". It can
grow to 32 inches and 13 pounds but is more typically 12 to 20 inches and
4 to 9 pounds. In the photo the top fish is actually a Silver Bream and the
bottom one a Carp Bream. They are closely related but the Carp Bream
grows much larger and fully mature Carp Bream are often bronze in color.
Silver Bream grow to 14 inches and 2.2 pounds. Both fish are IUCN listed
as LC (Least Concern) Photo by Viridiflavus contributed to the public domain.
Common Carp - [Cyprinus

carpio carpio]
Possibly originating in the
Danube river, these fish have
been transplanted all around the
world and have become pests in
some areas. They can grow to 80
pounds and 47 inches long but the photo specimen was 25-3/4 inches and
weighed 7 pounds.
This is a highly commercial fish just about everywhere except North

America, where fancy varieties are used mainly as a landscaping accent.
Common Carp prefer larger lakes and slow moving streams with muddy
bottoms and eat just about anything. Wild carp and decorative koi tend to
be less deep of body and without the distinct hump typical of farmed carp.
Details & Cooking.
Crucian Carp - [Carassius

carassius]
A highly commercial European
carp, both wild and farmed,
Crucians can grow to 25 inches
and 6.6 pounds but are more
commonly between 1 and 3
pounds. They are found throughout European lakes, streams and rivers, as
far east as northern China and as far north as Finland.
The Crucian Carp has an amazing ability to survive for months with
almost no oxygen. This is an adaption to allow survival in ponds that are
frozen over and covered with snow, ponds predators can't survive in.
Details & Cooking.

Goldfish - [Gold Crucian, Carassius
auratus auratus]
An Asian carp introduced throughout the

world, generally pictured in a small bowl
with a cat trying to get at it. This fish can
grow to 23 inches and 6.6 pounds but will
stay small if kept in a small aquarium,
often around 2 to 4 inches. It's ability to
survive in low oxygen environments
made it possible to keep goldfish in fishbowls before the advent of areated
acquariums.
Goldfish are highly variable in color and have been bred in numerous
variations as a decorative. They are edible but is not generally eaten except
by cats and raccoons. Swallowing live goldfish was once a popular
passtime among college frat-brats but has long been out of style. Not Red
Listed.
Grass Carp - [Rehu

(India);
Ctenopharyngodon idella]
A silver bodied fresh
water fish imported from
Asia, the grass carp can
grow to 59 inches and nearly 100 pounds, but the photo specimen was 27
inches and 8.4 pounds. Grass carp are voracious eaters of underwater
vegetation and are an important food fish in Asia, both farmed and caught
wild.
Use of triploid (sterile) grass carp to control invasive aquatic weeds was
pioneered in the Imperial Valley of California. Triploids are created by
slightly damaging eggs immediately after fertilization. They grow to only
40 pounds in the irrigation channels and live half as long as diploid carp
but they eat about 90% as much and won't establish wild populations
where they are not wanted. The California hatchery has been studied by
teams from many states and countries. Details and Cooking
Silver Carp -
[Hypophthalmichthys molitrix]
An Asian carp that has been
introduced worldwide for food
and for cleaning algae out of
10 | P a g e V arie ty o f fish
lakes and reservoirs - though it often becomes a pest. This fish, like the
closely related Bighead Carp, is a plankton eating filter feeder, but it feeds
a little deeper than the Bighead. It's the worlds most important farmed fish
but I haven't seen any for sale in Southern California.
This fish is a major pest in the Mississippi, Illinois, Ohio and Missouri
rivers where it can grow to well over 40 pounds and leap 10 feet out of the
water when startled. Many recreational boaters have been injured and even
killed by leaping fish and contests are held to catch as many as possible,
but there is no effective control method. For Details and Cooking see the
closely related Bighead Carp. Photo by Tdk, distributed under license Creative
Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0.
Tinfoil Barb - [Barbonymus altus (Red Tailed Tinfoil (photo)), B.

schwanenfeldii (Tinfoil Barb),
Poropuntius malcolmi (Goldfin
Tinfoil)]
Found in the rivers of Southeast
Asia these are very small carp.
The photo specimen (B. altus) is
10 inches and weighed 1 pound
but most are smaller, while B.
schwanenfeldii (black edges on
the tail) can get 13 inches. The Goldfin doesn't tolerate aquaculture and is
only sold locally in Southeast Asia. Details & Cooking.
Catfish - [order Siluriformes]

There are some 2200 species of catfish in as many as 40 families and many
genera. The greatest number of species is found Central and South America
(including one recently discovered in Mexico that may have been around
since dinosaur days). Some catfish are ocean fish but most live in fresh water.
Catfish do not have scales but some species are covered with overlapping
armor plates. For more detail see Catfish - Overview
Channel Catfish - [Channel

Catfish Ictalurus punctatus]
Catfish farming is a sizeable
industry in the U.S. where the
Channel Cat dominates. Most
catfish are grown (and
consumed) in the Southern
States but they are widely available in the rest of North America. The
photo specimen weighed 4-3/4 pounds (factory cleaned) and was 23-1/2
inches long. Details & Cooking.
Sheatfish - [family
Siluridae (Sheatfishes)]
There are many genera and
species in this catfish
family, but only a few are
fished and farmed commercially. Most live in the rivers and lakes of
Southeast Asia and China, though by far the largest, Silurus glanis, is
found in the Baltic region of Europe and the Black and Aral Sea regions.
The photo shows Micronema bleekeri which can grow to nearly 24 inches
but the photo specimen was 16 inches and weighed 14 ounces. Details &
Cooking.
Swai - Vietnamese Catfish - [Basa, Shark Catfish, Pangasius bocourti

| Swai, Tra, Iridescent Shark, Striper (Trader Joe's), China Sole
(marketing - no longer used), P.
hypophthalmus]
Vietnam has recently become a

serious competitor to U.S.
catfish growers, shipping large
amounts of frozen fillets to the
US. These may range from 2 ounces to over 11 ounces, but in the Mekong
River these fish may grow to over 3 feet long.
The two varieties commonly farmed are Basa and Swai (Tra), but what is
shipped to the U.S. is mostly Swai. Basa is preferred in Vietnam but, since
North American. buyers don't seem to care, the faster growing Swai is
shipped. Details and Cooking Photo of P. hypophthalmus by Melanochromis
licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic.
Walking Catfish - [Clarias batrachus - also C. gareipinus North African

catfish and hybrids of the two]
This air breathing catfish quickly

becomes a pest in subtropical regions,
especially since it can travel fairly long
distances over land from one body of
water to another. Brought to Florida for fish farming, it escaped and is now
notorious for invading fish farms and eating all the fish. Native to
Southeast Asia it can grow to over 18 inches and over 2-1/2 pounds but the
photo specimen was 17 inches and 1-1/2 pounds. Hybrids with the North
African variety can be much larger, and that variety itself can grow to 120
pounds. Details and Cooking
Flathead Catfish - [Mississippi Catfish, Yellow Catfish, Opelousa

Catfish, Mud Catfish,
Shovelhead Catfish, Pylodictis
olivaris]
A very large Mississippi catfish
noted mainly as a sport fish but
pretty good eating too. Details
& Cooking. Illustration by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service = public domain.
Blue Catfish - [Ictalurus

furcatus]
The largest Mississippi catfish
and the second best North
American catfish for eating,
after the closely related Channel
Catfish. Details & Cooking. Illustration by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service =
public domain.
Char - [Family Salmonidae Genus Salvelinus]

Char are closely related to Salmon and Trout, and a number of species are
popularly called "Trout". Among these are Brook trout (northeastern North
America), Bull trout (northwestern North America), Dolly Varden trout
(northern California around to Russia), and Lake trout (Alaska, Canada,
northeastern U.S. and introduced to northern Europe and Asia). The lake trout
is the largest char, growing to just over 100 pounds.
Arctic / Alpine Char -

[Salvelinus alpinus alpinus]
Circumpolar in both freshwater
and saltwater, the Arctic Char
can live farther north and in
colder waters than any other
fish. It can grow to 33 pounds
and 42 inches but is usually
marketed at between 2 and 5
pounds. In color it can range from gray to gray above and red below. The
photo specimen is from Südtirol, in Alpine Italy. This fish is now farmed
in Canada, Iceland, Norway, Ireland and West Virginia. In the wild it is
listed as "LC" (least concern) by the IUCN, and farming is approved by
the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Details & Cooking. Photo by Saibling donated
to the public domain.
Rötel - [Storröding (Sweeden); Salvelinus umbla]

This trout-like char is native to the alpine regions of Germany,
Switzerland, Austria and Italy, and has been reported from Sweden. It can
grow to 29 inches, but there are dwarf populations in many high Alpine
lakes. I have seen Rötel described as a "perch" in cookbooks, but
cookbooks tend to call a lot of things "perch". IUCN rated LC (Least
Concern).
China Sole - see Vietnamese Catfish.
Chilean Sea Bass - A made-up marketing name for Patagonian Toothfish

which is not a bass at all.
Climbing Perch - [Anabas

testudineus]
Not actually a perch, this fish is a
member of family Anabantidae
(Climbing gouramies - a different
family from gouramies proper). It
can grow to over 9 inches but the
photo specimen was 5-1/2 inches
and weighed 2.3. ounces. Able to tolerate extremely bad water conditions, it's
an air breathing fish that can survive for weeks out of the water if it's kept
damp. It can't actually climb trees though - individuals found in trees were
probably left by birds. Most climbing gourami species live in Africa and are
too small to eat, but this large one is found from India to China and
considered a delicacy in Southeast Asia. It's both caught wild and farmed.
Prep &Cooking Details
Cod, Haddock & Hake - [family Gadidae (Cods and haddocks)]

Cod fisheries have been so economically important on both sides of the
Atlantic wars have been fought over them. There are many varieties of cod in
both the North Atlantic and North Pacific, a number of which are
economically important, but there are even more fish called "Cod" that aren't
cod at all.
Black Cod - see Sablefish.
Lingcod - see Lingcod.
Rock Cod (Red) - see Vermillion Rockfish.
Atlantic Cod - [Gadus morhua]

This highly commercial North
Atlantic fish can grow to 78
inches and over 200 pounds.
Populations are found off North
America from Cape Hatteras to
northern Canada, off Europe
from Northern France through the Barents Sea and off Greenland and
Iceland. Atlantic Cod populations have been over-fished and are rated
"Vulnerable". Efforts are underway in Norway to develop methods for
farming this fish.
Cod produces white, mild flavored, low fat flesh that holds together well
when cooked but flakes easily. It's one of the three fish used for British
Fish and Chips (the other two are Haddock and Plaice. Cod is also
smoked, dried (stockfish) and salted. It is particularly popular in the
Basque country and Portugal. Photo by Bartlomiej Stroinski
Pacific Cod - [Arctic Cod, Alaskan Cod, Gray Cod, Gadus

macrocephalus]
This species has a distribution in
the North Pacific similar to that
of Atlantic Cod in the Atlantic.
It is found as far south as the
Yellow Sea and the coast of
Southern California. This fish can grow to about 4 feet and 50 pounds but
the photo specimen, from Canada, was 6.9 pounds and 25 inches long.
This cod is not as threatened as the Atlantic cod, particularly since

McDonalds has shifted to Alaskan Pollock (a cod relative). The Bering Sea
and Aleutian Island fisheries have been certified by the Marine
Stewardship Council as responsible and sustainable. Details and
Cooking.
Haddock - [Offshore Hake,

Melanogrammus aeglefinus]
A highly commercial North
Atlantic fish closely related to
cod, found from the Arctic
Circle to as far south as New
Jersey and the north coast of France. They can get as large as 39 inches
and 37 pounds.
Haddock flesh is much like cod, white, firm, low fat and holds together
well when cooked. It is much used for British Fish and Chips. Haddock are
sold fresh, dried and smoked, but, unlike cod, it doesn't take salting well.
Details and Cooking. Drawing by H.L. Todd for U.S. National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration = public domain.
Whiting - European - [English Whiting, North Sea Whiting, Merlangius

merlangus]
Native to the eastern North Atlantic and Baltic Sea, and through the
Mediterranean and Black Sea, this is the "whiting" called for in European
cookbooks. It was formerly considered a fish for the poor, but due to
general overfishing of European waters it is now valued more highly. This
fish can grow to 27 inches and over 6-1/2 pounds, but is commonly caught
at 9-1/2 inches.
Whiting - New England - [Silver Hake, New England Hake, Merluccius

bilinearis]
This cod relative is native to the western North Atlantic from South
Carolina to a bit north of Newfoundland, Canada. This fish is highly
commercial, but most of the catch is exported to Europe where hake is in
demand. This fish can grow to 30 inches and over 5 pounds, but are more
likely to be less than 15 inches. This fish is so similar to the Pacific
Whiting we presume you can use the same write-up. Details and
Cooking. Drawing © expired = public domain.
Whiting - Pacific - [Pacific Hake, North Pacific Hake, Merluccius

productus]
This cod relative is native to the eastern North Pacific from southern
Mexico to Vancouver Island, Canada, and is very similar to the Silver
Hake found on the Atlantic side. Our photo example was, unfortunately,
headless and without scales or guts, but you can see it is a very elongated
fish of almost circular cross section with fragile fins nearly the entire
length of the body, dorsal and ventral. This fish can grow to 35 inches and
over 2-1/2 pounds, but the headless photo specimen was 12 inches
(probably 17 inches head-on) and weighed 8-1/4 ounces (probably 14
ounces head-on). Details and Cooking.
Croakers & Drums - Corvina - [family Sciaenidae]

Croakers and Drums get their name from sounds they make underwater.
Corvina is a Spanish name for many fish in this family.
Freshwater Drum - [Gaspergou, Sheepshead, Lake/River drum, Grunt,

Croaker, Aplodinotus grunniens]
This fish was purchased in an
Asian market in Southern
California labeled "Sheephead"
with a subscript of "Bacoco". It's
not a Bacoco which are ocean
fish but it is called "Sheepshead"
in some regions, but in
California a Sheepshead is a totally different fish. This is a pretty big fish
at 20 inches and 4.82 pounds but they can grow to over 3 feet and 50
pounds. Found in large non-freezing lakes and rivers in North and Central
America, this is a minor commercial fish and not considered threatened.
Yellow Croaker
This is confusing. There are two fish called Yellow Croaker in Southern
California, often sold in the same market. Some authorities clearly assign
them as Larimichthys polyactis and Pseudosciaena manchurica but
Fishbase considers those two names to be for the same fish. They are
probably right, but their photo is so bad it's hard to tell what fish they think
it is. L. polyactis seems reasonably clear, but the other fish was a problem.
A bunch of croakers looking quite similar - but based on tail shape and
stripe pattern in Fishbase I settled on M. undulatus, confirmed by the
Smithsonian Envronmental Research Center. Their photo of M. undulatis
is very good, and a dead ringer for my boy.
Corvina / Yellow Croaker - [Yellowfish, Yellow Corvina, Larimichthys

polyactis alt Pseudosciaena
manchurica]
Native to the northwest Pacific,

particularly the Yellow Sea and
East China Sea, this fish is highly prized among Asians in Los Angeles,
especially the Koreans. In Korean markets they are sold frozen, dried,
salted cooked and sometimes fresh, usually in lengths less than 12 inches.
They are often called "Corvina" (Spanish for croaker) or "Yellow Corvina"
to avoid confusion with the other fish called "yellow croaker" (see Yellow
Croaker above). They are easy to tell apart, this one has a round face, the
other has a pointy face. This fish can grow to about 18 inches, but the
photo specimen, purchased from a Los Angeles market serving mostly
Vietnamese and Chinese, was 13-1/4 inches long and weighed 1 pound 2-
1/2 ounces, IUCN status NE (Not Evaluated). Details and Cooking.
Atlantic Croaker / Yellow Croaker - [Micropogonias undulatus | very

similar: Spotfin Croaker Roncador stearnsi; Yellowfin Croaker Umbrina
roncador; Sharpnose hammer
croaker Johnius borneensis]
See the entry for Yellow

Croaker above for the confusion
surrounding this fish and others.
I had previously followed the FDA photo and called this fish
Pseudoscianena manchurica but I'm pretty sure now that is wrong (see
Corvina above).
This fish is native to the West Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean. It
ranges from Massachusetts to Argentina and is considered a very good
eating fish. This fish can grow to 22 inches and 5 pounds 11 ounces, but
the photo specimen was 14 inches long and weighing 1 pound 3/4 oz. This
fish is currently caught wild and not farmed. Details and Cooking.
Red Drum - [Redfish,

Sciaenops ocellatus]
Strangely, this drum is not
always red, and the distinctive
ringed spot at the tail may not be
there on some fish either, or may
appear on only one side. This West Atlantic fish is found from
Massachusetts to northern Mexico and can grow to 61 inches and 99
pounds, but the photo specimen was 16-1/2 inches and 2 pounds. The
photo specimen, farm raised in Taiwan, shows an extra black spot on this
side and had two on the other side. Red drum was badly depleted to supply
restaurants during the "Blackened Redfish" craze of a few years back but
is now farmed and in good supply. Details and Cooking.
Dace - [Dart, Dare, Leuciscus
leuciscus]
A common fish in fast moving fresh
(or sometimes brackish) waters with
a worldwide distribution in
temperate climates. Pictured is one
12 inches long and weighing 10 ounces (cleaned). Dace is commonly
categorized as a "course" fish and not used much for food in the U.S. or
Europe. It can be treated much as carp and in Asia it is often used to make fish
balls. Whole fish can be found in Asian markets Details & Cooking.
Dollar Fish - see Pompano.
Dolphin (fish) - see Mahi-Mahi.
Dover Sole - There are two fish marketed as Dover Sole, Microstomus
pacificus (fishbase: Dover Sole), actally a flounder, and Solea solea (fishbase:
Common sole). Woe betide s/he who attempts to use pacificus in a recipe for
real sole.
Drum - see Croakers & Drums.
Eel - [order Anguilliformes families Anguillidae (freshwater), Congridae

(saltwater), Muraenidae (Morays), others, and order Synbranchiformes
(Swamp Eels)]
Anguilliforms is a large order of fish that have become very elongated to the
point of resembling snakes and worms. While related to other modern ray-
finned fish they tend to be rather primitive and a bit simplified. Freshwater
eels spawn at sea and die there. Their offspring enter rivers as juveniles and
live there until time to spawn. Lacking scales in most cases and scales that can
be scraped off without tearing the skin in all cases, eels are not kosher.
American Eel - [Anguilla rostrata]
This freshwater eel is found in

rivers and streams along the West
Atlantic from Greenland to the tip
of South America but is most
common in the temperate zones of that range. Female eels can grow to 60
inches and 16 pounds but males only to 18 inches. North of the equator these
eels go to the Saragaso Sea to spawn and die, a little to the west of where the
European eels go. Aquaculture depends on capturing returning juveniles.
There is a big market in Asia for these juveniles because of an eel shortfall
there but populations are declining and protections are being considered by
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Illustration from U.S. National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration = public domain.
European Eel - [Anguilla

anguilla]
This freshwater eel is found in

rivers and streams along the East
Atlantic from Morocco to northern
Norway and in the Mediterranean,
Baltic and Black seas. These eels
can grow to 52 inches and 14 pounds but market size is much smaller. These
eels go to the Saragaso Sea to spawn and die, a little to the east of where the
American eels go. Aquaculture depends on capturing returning juveniles but
the runs have been scant recently and this eel is listed as CR "Critically
Endangered". Do not catch or eat this eel. Photo by Ron Offermans distributed
under license Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0.
Japanese Eel - [Unagi (sushi), Anguilla japonica]

This freshwater eel, native to Japan, China and Southeast Asia including the
Philippines, is caught wild and farmed. japonica spawns far out to sea and
then dies, so aquaculture depends on capturing returning juveniles. They can
grow to nearly 60 inches but are generally marketed much smaller. This fish
is highly prized and expensive in Japan and is not seen in California markets
- in fact most farmed eels in Japan are now American eels because the supply
of Japanese eels is approaching "none".
Conger Eels - [Anago (sushi), Conger conger (European), Conger myriaster

(Japanese) and others of family
Congridae]
This strictly ocean eel is much

larger than the freshwater eels and
much more robust in its
reproduction habits. The European Conger can grow to nearly 10 feet and
350 pounds. They are found worldwide and there isn't a lot of difference from
one species to another. Illustration of Conger conger from U.S. National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration = public domain. .
Spiny Eel - see Spiny Eel
Swamp Eel - [Rice Eel, Asian Swamp Eel, Monopterus albus of family
Synbranchidae]
This eel is native to Southeast Asia, China and Japan, and possibly
Bangladesh (a very similar but smaller eel, M. cuchia is found from Pakistan
through Bangladesh and Burma). M. albus can grow to a little over 39 inches
but the photo specimen, bought fresh at an Asian market in California, was
32 inches and weighed 1.1 pound factory cleaned. This eel is in no way
endangered and can be a pest. Details, Prep and; Cooking page.
Emperor - [family Lethrinidae]

A moderate size family of Indo Pacific fish (only one species ventures into the
Atlantic). Most are under 24 inches long and most support at least minor
fisheries.
Pink Ear Emperor

An Indo - West Pacific fish
found from the eastern coast of
Africa through the South Pacific
islands. Some reports show them
also along the coast of Baja and
Central America. The most
commercial of the Emperors,
this fish can grow to 20 inches but the photo specimen was 10-3/4 inches
and weighed 12 ounces. This fish is not listed as threatened. Important:
see Prep & Cooking Details for special notes before cooking.
Flathead - [Bartail Flathead,

Platycephalus indicus]
Flatheads are a fairly large family
of fish but only this one is
commercially significant. The
Bartail Flathead can grow to 39
inches and 7.7 pounds but the photo
specimen was 14-1/2 inches and
weighed 11 ounces, the in a package of three frozen in China. This fish is
found from the Atlantic coast of southern Africa around through the Indian
Ocean all the way to the mid Pacific islands and has been introduced into the
eastern Mediterranean. It ranges from from southern Australia north to Korea
and Japan and is now also being farmed, particularly in Japan. Prep &
Cooking Details.
Featherback - [Clown featherback, Clown knifefish; Pla Grai (Thai); Ca

Thac Lac (Viet); Chitala ornata (Mekong). Also Chitala chitala (Ganges -
disorderly spots), Chitala lopis (Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Borneo - no
spots)]
Native to the Mekong Basin, this

important food fish is thin, with
flesh so tender it's nearly mushy,
and so shot full of bones, spines and fin rays it's nearly impossible to eat
whole or as fillets. It is, however, the preferred fish for fish cakes, fish balls
and some kinds of pickled fish and fish sauce in Thailand and Vietnam.
This fish grows up to 39 inches and 11 pounds but the photo specimen was
17-1/2 inches long and weighed 1 pound 6-1/8 ounces, purchased from the
freezer case of an Asian market in Los Angeles. Prep & Cooking Details.
Flounders - [families: Achiropsettidae (southern flounders), Bothidae

(lefteye flounders), Paralichthyidae (large-tooth flounders), Pleuronectidae
(righteye flounders)]
Flounders include a number of families of fish that have evolved to lie flat on
the bottom. Their eyes have moved so both are on the side marked "up". They
make their living by blending into the sea bottom, often partially covered with
sand, and ambush their prey, but some of them also leave the bottom and hunt
like regular fish.
In Europe "Sole" means fish of family Soleidae. In North America the name is
applied haphazardly to various flounders that are not members of the Soleidae
family - probably because "sole" sounds more European and sophisticated.
Dover Sole / Slime Fish - [Slime Sole, Slippery Sole; Microstomus
pacificus]
Not the "real" Dover Sole (Solea

solea) - this one is used mainly for
mink food, but is also sometimes
passed off to unsuspecting consumers
as edible. It is native to coasts of the
North Pacific, from San Diego,
California up around and down to
southern Japan. This fish can grow to
nearly 15 inches and 7.7 pounds but is
more commonly around 13 inches.
Actually dover sole is edible, though insipid, but used in recipes intended
for real Solea soles it is an unmitigated disaster, turning to mush.
Solea solea which is a true sole, not a flounder, is not found outside
European and North African waters, so it tends to be quite expensive here,
if you can find it at all. When a recipe calls for "Dover Sole", Petrale Sole
(actually a flounder) will do fine, but not Pacificus. Details and Cooking.
Photo by U.S. National Oceans and Atmospheric Administration = public domain.
Halibut - [Hippoglossus stenolepis (Pacific), Hippoglossus hippoglossus

(Atlantic)]
A large righteye flounder

growing to almost 9 feet and 500
pounds. Pacific Halibut are
found from central California
through the Bearing Sea to the
Sea of Japan. They are a prized
eating fish and well known, so
other flounder are sometimes
labeled "Halibut" in markets. I
have seen Petrale Sole labeled as "Baby Halibut". Atlantic Halibut is
rated "EN" (endangered) and should not be fished or eaten.
Halibut is a white fleshed fish that holds up well to most methods of

cooking. It is a large fish so it is most often sold as partial fillets. Petrale
Sole, while much smaller, has similar cooking properties and can be used
as a substitute. If you live on the East Coast or in Europe you can use Sole.
.
Petrale Sole - [Eopsetta
jordani]
A righteye flounder which can
grow to 27 inches long and 8
pounds but the photo specimen
was 20.5 inches and 3.6 pounds,
a typical market size, mainly an
incidental catch off the the
Pacific coast from northern Baja
to the Bering Sea coast of Alaska. This seasonal fish is mainly an
incidental catch but is considered one of the best eating fish on the
California coast so fetches a high price. It is not considered threatened.
Plaice - [family Pleuronectidae, Pleuronectes platessa (European)

Hippoglossoides platessoides (American), Pleuronectes
quadrituberculatus (Alaska)]
A group of medium size right

eye flounders. The European can
get up to 39 inches and is found
in the East North Atlantic and
Baltic Sea. The American gets to
32 inches and is found in the
West Atlantic as far south as
Rhode Island and around Greenland. The Alaskan grows to about 24
inches. Plaice is very popular in European recipes and is sometimes used
for fiah and chips, but it's not common on the West Coast of North
America where Petrale Sole should be a suitable substitute. Photo of
European Plaice by Hans Hillewaert distributed under license Creative Commons
Attribution-Share Alike 3.0.
Rex Sole - [Glyptocephalus

zachirus]
This righteye flounder is caught
in the North Pacific from
Southern California to the
Russian coast of the Bering Sea.
The can grow to 23 inches and a
bit over 4 pounds, but the fish in
the photo was 13-3/4 inches
long and weighed 10 ounces, typical in the markets here - though fish up
to 1 pound are frequently seen. The population is not considered
threatened and there hasn't been a lot of interest in farming this fish
because it matures too slowly. Prep & Cooking Details.
Sanddab - [Citharichthys
sordidus (pacific), C.
xanthostigma (long fin)]
This lefteye flounder was hugely

popular in eateries in the San
Francisco Bay area of California
but is now in short supply
because of fishery laws designed to protect shallow water rockfish. The
sand dab itself is not considered threatened. Rex Sole is a perfect substitute
(even though it is a righteye flounder from deeper water), similar in size,
flavor and cooking properties. Sanddabs grow to 16 inches but are mostly
under 1 pound. For Prep & Cooking Details see Rex Sole. Photo by U.S.
National Oceanica and Atmospheric Administration = public domain.
Starry Flounder - [Platichthys stellatus]

A very common fish from Santa Barbara California to Arctic Alaska and
the Sea of Japan. Strangely, it is a righteye flounder but most have their
eyes on the left side. They grow to 3 feet and 20 pounds.
Fugu - [Pufferfish, Blowfish, Boh-guh (korea), Family Tetraodontidae,

usually some species of genus Takifugu (commonly Takifugu rubripes
(photo)), Lagocephalus or
Sphoeroides but also Diodon]
A family of fish that puff up to
several times their normal size
when threatened, common in
tropical seas, particularly near reefs.
Fugu is considered a great delicacy
in Japan (and Korea) where it is
extremely expensive and served raw
in highly decorative arrangements. It's prepared only by trained and licensed
fugu chefs - because the eyes and internals are so toxic one fish can kill 30
people.
Non-toxic fugu can be farm raised because they don't make the poison
themselves, they have to consume certain bacteria to do it. Non-toxic fugu has
generated little interest - without the risk of death it's just another fish. Puffers
have long been eaten in Florida but are now banned taken from some waters
due to a different bacterial toxin. Fugu is not considered threatened but is not
generally marketed in North America. Photo by Chris 73 distuributed under license
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike v3.0.
Fusiliers - [family Caesionidae]

Fusiliers are generally non-migratory reef fish found in tropical seas.
Redbelly Yellowtail Fusilier -

[Caesio cuning ]
This Indo-West Pacific fish can
grow to nearly 24 inches but is
generally marketed much
smaller. The pictured fish was
12-1/2 inches and weighed 14
ounces. A popular eating fish in the Philippines it can be found in fish
markets catering to that community. Prep & Cooking Details.
Twinstripe Fusilier -
[Pterocaesio marri]
This Indo-West Pacific fish can
grow to nearly 14 inches but is
generally marketed smaller. The
pictured fish was 10 inches and
weighed 8 ounces. A popular
eating fish in the Philippines, it can be found in fish markets catering to
that community.
Apparently Twinstripe Fusiliers vary in color. The ones available at a

Philippine market in Los Angeles are very red and marked "Redtail
Fusilier", but Fishbase and other sources list no such name. Prep &
Cooking Details.
Goatfish - [Mullet; Red Mullets; family Mullidae]

A family of tropical and temperate marine fish, Goatfish, often called
"Mulllet", have always been a very popular eating fish in Western and
Mediterranean Europe but are little known in North America. Confusingly,
they are not related to the Mullet family.
Striped Red Mullet - [Mullus
surmuletus]
This temperate and sub tropical
Goatfish is found along the
Atlantic coast of Europe, in the
Mediteranean and along the
northwest coast of Africa. Some are found also in the Black Sea. This is
the "Red Mullet" called for in European cookbooks but you're unlikely to
find any in North America. They can grow to 15 inches and 2 pounds but
are usually marketed at between 2-1/2 and 8 ounces. Red list status: Not
Evaluated. Details and Cooking.
Indian Goatfish / Red Mullet - [Yellow Spot Goatfish, Parupeneus

indicus]
This tropical Indo/Pacific
Goatfish is found from the east
coast of Africa to the southwest
coast of Mexico and as far south
as the northern coast of
Australia. It adopts a number of
color schemes but is often
marketd in its red form as "Red Mullet". All have the round dark spot at
the tail and a large yellow spot at the lateral line between the two dorsal
fins - but in the red form that spot is only faintly visible.
This is a supurb eating fish, but not common here in Southern Califronia.
They can grow to nearly 18 inches but fish in my test batch were about 12-
1/2 inches long weighing 1 pound. The photo specimen is a bit smaller
because the idiots at the market had broken the tails of all the larger fish to
fit them in a foam tray that was too small - an outrage that would never
happen in the Philippine and Southeast Asian markets here. Red list status:
Not Evaluated. Details and Cooking.
Gobies - [family Gobiidae]

Gobies constitute one of the largest fmailies of fish, but are among the
smallest fish, ranging from 3/8 inches long to 12 inches long, but only a very
few giant gobies are over 4 inches. Because of there size few gobies are food
fish, but a few are popular aquarium fish.
Sand Goby - [Tank Goby

(Fishbase), Flathead Goby; Ca
bong cat, Ca bong da (Viet);
Glossogobius giuris]
This fish is found in tropical

fresh and brackish waters from
the east coast of Africa to the
South Pacific islands. Caught wild and farmed. It is absolutely gigantic -
for a goby - most of which are between 1 and 4 inches long. This one gets
as large as 19 inches in brackish water, less in fresh, but is generally
marketed at about 9 inches and 3.2 oz. Details and Cooking.
Keo Fish / Ca Keo - [Ca Keo (Viet), Pseudapocryptes elongatus alt P.

lanceolatus]
This air breathing

vegetarian fish, found
from India to Tahiti and north to China, lives only in brackish waters,
particularly in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam. It can grow to nearly 8
inches but the photo specimen was 7-1/2 inches and weighed 0.77 ounces.
It was harvested wild in Vietnam where this fish is quite popular for a hot-
pot soup named after it. Details and Cooking
Golden Thread - [Golden threadfin bream, Pla Sai Dang (thai) Nemipterus
virgatus]
This small fish is commercially
important in the East and South
China Seas and is common in Asian
markets in California. The photo
shows a typical individual 10-1/2
inches long and weighing 9 ounces.
The name comes from a long yellow thread extending from the top tip of the
tail but this will be missing by time the fish is in the market Prep & Cooking
Details.
Gouramies - [Osphronemidae (Gouramies)]

A family of generally very small fish (most 1 to 3 inches), most living in
Africa, but with a couple exceptions of edible size living in Southeast Asia.
Many gouramies have a leading ray of the pelvic fins elongated into a tentacle
which may extend beyond the tail.
Giant Gourami - [Osphronemus goramy]
Found in the rivers of Southeast Asia this fish can
grow to over 27 inches. An air breathing fish it can
stay alive for days out of the water if kept moist. A
popular eating fish it is both fished and farmed and is
not threatened. Prep & Cooking Details.
Snakeskin Gourami -
[Trichogaster pectoralis]
Found in the rivers of Southeast
Asia this fish can grow to nearly
10 inches but the photo
weighted 3.9 ounces. Note that
the pelvic fins have become
long threads extending from well below the pectoral fins extending back
(visible in the larger photo). Able to breath air, this fish can stay alive for
days out of the water if kept moist. Considered a good eating fish it is both
fished and farmed and is not threatened. Prep & Cooking Details.
Graylings - [Genus Thymallus]

These fish belong to the Salmon
family along with Trout, Char and
Whitefish. They inhabit fresh
waters in the far north and are easy
to tell from trout by their large
scales and a very large and showy
dorsal fin. The longest and most
commercialized (wild and farmed)
is the Arctic Grayling (T. arcticus arcticus) which may grow to 30 inches and
over 8 pounds. The grayling proper (T. thymallus,) is a European species that
may grow to 24 inches and 15 pounds. Drawing by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service =
public domain.
Groupers - [family Serranidae]

A group of ocean fish of the same family as Sea Bass and with very similar in
characteristics. The most famous are the Giant and Goliath Groupers which
can grow to around 1000 pounds - pretty big bass. All groupers meet kosher
requirements but many species are Red Listed as VU (vulnerable) or EN
(Endangered).
Areolate Grouper -
[Epinephelus areolatus]
An Indo West-Pacific fish found
from South Africa to Fiji and
north as far as Japan. It can grow
to 18 inches and 3 pounds but
the photo specimen was 13-1/2
inches and weighed 1 pound. This fish is both caught wild and farmed.
This fish is not Red Listed. Prep & Cooking Details.
Goliath Grouper -
[Epinephelus itajara]
This fish which grows to 98
inches and near 1000 pounds
occasionally attempts to eat
scuba divers. It is found in
warmer waters on both coasts of
North and South America and
particularly likes to live in caves
and shipwrecks. This fish has
been greatly depleted, mainly by sport spear fishing - this fish is Red
Listed CR (Critically Endangered) - do not catch, do not spear, do
not eat (severe Federal fines for posession).
Giant Grouper - [Epinephelus lanceolatus]

This Indo-West Pacific fish grows to over 100 inches and 880 pounds and
is found from South Africa to Hawaii. It's habits and characteristics are
very similar to the Goliath Grouper of the American coasts. This fish has
been over-fished and is Red Listed as VU (Vulnerable). Some aquaculture
has been established.
Red Grouper - [Pink Grouper (restaurants), Brown Grouper, Deer

Grouper (Bahamas),
Epinephelus morio]
This West Atlantic fish is found
from North Carolina to Southern
Brazil and all around the Gulf of
Mexico and Caribbean. It can
grow to 49 inches and 50 pounds
but the photo specimen was 16-1/2 inches and weighed 1-1/2 pound. This
fish is Red Listed as NT (Near Threatened). Prep & Cooking Details.
Strawberry Grouper / Golden Hind - [Golden Hind (fb), Cephalopholis
aurantia | Strawberry Hind (fb), Strawberry Grouper, Cephalopholis
spiloparaea]
Fishbase ascribes "strawberry
grouper" to C. spiloparaea but
the photo specimen is a half inch
longer than that fish gets.
Consequently I'm assigning
"Strawberry Grouper" to both
these nearly identical fish. Both are Indo Pacific fish found from
Mozambique (C. Spiloparaea only) to French Polynesia. Both are deep
water reef fish of similar habit. C. spiloparaea can grow to nearly 12
inches and C. aurantia to 23 inches but the photo specimen was 12-1/2
inches and weighed 1.4 pounds. Neither fish is Red Listed. Prep &
Cooking Details.
Haddock - See Cod & Haddock.
Hake - [family Phycidae, family Merlucciidae, others]

Several families of long narrow fish of the same order as cod. Hake are
popular in Europe but not widely in the U.S. where much of the New England
catch is shipped to Europe. The main commercial species grow to about 39
inches. European hake (Merluccius merluccius) appears to be over-fished but
is not yet on the threatened lists.
Halibut - see Flounders, righteye
Herring - [Family Clupeidae, various genera and species]

A family of generally small oily fish, Herring can grow to over 18 inches and
1.5 pounds but is generally caught and harvested much smaller. See also
Sardine
Atlantic Herring - [Clupea

harengus harengus]
The most abundant and
economically important herring,
this round bodied fish can grow
to nearly 18 inches and 1.5
pounds but the photo specimen was 13-1/2 inches and weighed 14-3/4
ounces, pickled whole. Atlantic herring is commonly sold pickled or
smoked but is eaten raw in Holland and fresh in Northern Europe,
particularly Poland.
Whitebait are immature herrings and generally eaten whole. Sild are small
immature herrings canned like Sardines in Norway. Marine ecologists
classify Atlantic herring as a sustainable harvest. Details, Prep & Cooking.
Blue Herring - [Skipjack Shad,

Alosa chrysochloris]
While most herring are found in
cold ocean waters this one likes
subtropical temperatures and
ventures far up rivers, having
been found as far north as Minnesota in the Mississippi and Ohio rivers.
This fish can grow to 19 inches and 3-3/4 pounds the photo specimen,
caught wild off Florida, was 9-1/2 inches and weighed 5 ounces. Prep &
Cooking Details.
Kilka - [Black Sea Sprat, Clupeonella cultriventris, also Anchovy Kilka,

Anchovy Sprat (fb), Clupeonella engrauliformis and (lesser importance)
Bigeye Kilka, Southern Caspian
sprat, Clupeonella grimmi]
Cultriventris is a brackish to
fresh water fish native to the
Black, Azov and northern
Caspian Seas and nearby lakes
and rivers. Grimmi and
engrauliformis live in central and southern Caspian only. All can grow to
just over 5-1/2 inches, engrauliformis a little longer, and are major fish for
canning in the region. I have also seen some cans of Latvian Baltic sprats
labeled Kilka.
Caspian stocks have recently dropped 50% due to an American comb jelly
named Mnemiopsis leidyi eating all their food and the fishery is now
endangered. This also happened to the Black Sea but another American
jellyfish named Beroe ovata came along and ate most of the Mnemiopsis.
This solution is likely to be applied in the Caspian. Beroe eats only
Mnemiopsis and disappears when they are all eaten. Prep & Cooking
Details
Herring Pickled, Canned,

Kippered & Dried
Herring is an oily fish that
preserves well in various ways,
and all these ways are exploited.
The photo shows two varieties
of pickled herring from Poland,
a major herring eating country. Yummm! More on Preserved Herring
Kelee Shad - [Tenualosa kelee or Hilsa kelee]

Hilsa Shad - [Tenualosa ilisha]
Toli Shad - [Chinese Herring,
Tenualosa toli]
These three fish are all but
indistinguishable one from
another. They are highly
commercial Indo-West Pacific
fish found from the Persian Gulf
to the South China Sea and the Java Sea, these fish can grow to 23 inches
(13 for kelee) but the specimen in the photo was 10 inches and weighed 6
ounces. These shad are marketed fresh and dried and are not considered
threatened. Some Hilsa shad has been successfully farmed in India. Prep
& Cooking Details
Tunsoy - [Genus Sardinella

various species and Dussumieria
acuta]
Tunsoy is the Philippine name
for various Indo-Pacific herring.
The photo example was
rehydrated from a package of salted and dried herring obtained from a
Philippine grocery. These fish are about 5-1/2 inches long and weigh about
1/2 ounce (after a 5 hour soak). Prep & Cooking Details
Idiot Fish - See Rock Fish - Idiot.
Jacks - [Genus Caranx, various species]

A family of deep bodied fish related to Pompanos and Scads.
Blue Runner - [Bluestripe Jack,

Hardtail Jack, Caranx crysos]
Belonging to the same family as
Pompanos, Blue Runners are
found on both sides of the
Atlantic and in the
Mediterranean, generally near
reefs, They can grow to 27 inches and 11 pounds, but the photo specimen,
caught wild off Alabama, was 13 inches and weighed 1# 2 oz. Prep &
Cooking Details
Crevalle Jack - [Jackfish Caranx caninus (Pacific) Caranx hippos

(Atlantic)]
The Pacific and Atlantic fish
may actually be the same
species. The Pacific, is found
from Southern California to Peru
and may grow to almost 40
inches and almost 40 pounds but
the photo specimen is 11 inches and 11 ounces. Atlantic fish are found
from Nova Scotia to Uruguay and have grown to over 48 inches and 70
pounds. Prep & Cooking Details
Yellowtail Amberjack -
[California Yellowtail, Seriola
lalandi]
This large jack is found in warm
waters all around the Pacific, the
Pacific Islands and the South
Atlantic below the Equator. This is a prize game fish off the coast of
California and can grow to over 8 feet long and over 200 pounds but the
photo specimen was 27 inches and 7.44 pounds. Prep & Cooking Details
Kilka - see Herring.
Lapu-Lapu - Philippine word for just about any Grouper, along with a few
non-groupers.
Lingcod - [Ophiodon elongatus]

The only representative of genus
Ophiodon, the Lingcod is not a cod.
It's found on the Pacific coast of
North America from Ensenada,
Mexico to the Gulf of Alaska and is
considered an excellent eating fish.
Lingcod can grow to nearly 60
inches and 130 pounds. Photo by
Magnus Kjaergaard distributed under
Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike
v2.5.
Mackerel - [family Scombridae (Mackerels, tunas, bonitos)]
Mackerels are a large family including several genera of economically
important fish ranging from a few ounces to nearly 100 pounds. Mackerel are
in general oval fish, meaty, oily and strongly flavored. Tuna, which are flatter
in shape, are technically mackerel but are treated separately.
Atlantic Mackerel - [Scomber

scombrus]
This North Atlantic mackerel is
most commonly found off the
European coast and in Japanese
sushi bars - large quantities are exported to Japan from Norway. There are
also strong populations off the U.S. Atlantic coast and also found in the
Mediterranean, the Black Sea and off the coast of Morocco. The pictured
specimen was 15 inches long and weighed 1-1/4 pounds before being
cleaned, stuffed and baked. Prep & Cooking Details
Chub Mackerel - see Japanese Mackerel
Hasa Hasa (Philippine) - [Short Mackerel (fb) Rastrelliger brachysoma]

Fish I have seen labeled "Hasa Hasa" marketed in Los Angeles was
actually Bigeye Scad.
Indian Mackerel - [Rastrelliger

kanagurta ]
A highly commercial Indo-West
Pacific mackerel found from the
Red Sea and Madagascar to
Samoa, these fish can grow to
over 13 inches but the specimen
in the photo was 8-1/2 inches and weighed 4-1/2 ounces. This fish is not
considered threatened and is sold fresh, frozen, canned, dried-salted,
smoked and made into fish sauce. Prep & Cooking Details
Japanese Mackerel - [Blue Mackerel, Pacific Mackerel, Chub Mackerel,

Aji (Japanese), Scomber
japonicus]
A truly worldwide fish, this
mackerel is found in temperate
and tropical waters just about
everywhere - unless you
subscribe to division into three species: S. japonicus in the Indo Pacific, S.
colias in the Atlantic and S. australasicus around Australia and Indonesia.
It grows to 25 inches and over 6 pounds but the photo specimen is 16-1/4
inches and 1-3/4 pounds. Held in disrespect in the U.S. for being strong
flavored and oily, this fish is highly regarded in Japan (though Atlantic
Mackerel is still considered better eating). Sold fresh, frozen, salted,
smoked and canned. It is kosher and not threatened. Prep & Cooking
Details
King Mackerel - [Scomberomorus cavalla]

Largest of the fish called mackerel, the king mackerel can weigh nearly
100 pounds, measure up to 6 feet long and live for over 20 years. It is
found along the Atlantic coast of the Americas from the U.S. / Canada
boarder almost to Argentina. Sports fishing brings in well over twice the
catch of commercial fishing.
Mackerel Pike - [Pacific Saury, Sanma (japanese), Cololabis saira]

This highly elongated fish is found in the North Pacific, ranging
from Japan to Alaska and as far south as Mexico. This fish can grow
to 15 inches but the photo specimen was 12-1/2 inches long and weighed 6
ounces. Mackerel Pike is kosher, and with a high reproductive rate is not
threatened. Details and Cooking
Pacific Sierra - [Sierra, Spanish

Mackerel, Scomberemorus
sierra]
This prized eating mackerel is
found along the East Central
Pacific from Southern California
to the northern tip of Chili. It can grow to 39 inches and 18 pounds but the
one in the photo was 18-3/4 inches long and weighed 1 pound 4-3/4
ounces. Market size around here is between 15 and 22 inches. Details and
Cooking
Smoked Mackerel - [Scomber

spp.]
Mackerel is an oily fish with
robust flavor which makes it an
excellent candidate for smoking.
Atlantic mackerel is preferred but Pacific mackerel is also used. Prep &
Cooking Details
Mahi-Mahi - [Dolphin, Dolphin-fish, Dorado Coryphaena hippurus]
This large fish is unrelated to the sea mammal also called "Dolphin" so the
Hawaiian name Mahi-Mahi is now widely used to avoid confusion. This fish
is found in tropical and subtropical seas the world around, including the deep
ociean where few other fish venture. They are a short lived fish and are
usually caught at about 20 pounds, though they can grow to 90 pounds. The
flesh is firm and fine grained, and generally cut into steaks or fillets. It is often
used as a kosher substitute for swordfish,
Milkfish - [Bangus (Philippine),

Chanos chanos]
This Indo-Pacific warm water fish

is an important food fish in India,
Southeast Asia and the Pacific,
particularly the Philippines. Milkfish are extremely suspicious, strong and
very fast so are difficult to catch in the wild but are a major farm fish in many
tropical counties. While they can grow to almost 6 feet and over 30 pounds,
farmed milkfish is generally marketed at 18 inches and smaller The fish in the
photo was 18 inches and 2-1/4 pounds. The milkfish is durable, having
survived the Cretaceous extinction that did in the dinosaurs, the ammonites
and perhaps 50% of other marine species. Prep & Cooking Details
Monkfish - [Angler, Lophius americanus (North America), Lophius

piscatorius (Europe)]
Monkfish is mostly a huge ugly
inedible bony head with a small tail
sticking out the back side of it. This
explains why you'll never see a
whole monkfish in the fish market -
only the tail is sold. The American
Monkfish can grow to 47 inches and 57 pounds, the European to 78 inches
and 127 pounds but these figures are meaningless since most of the fish is
inedible. The European Monkfish is considered heavily over-fished though
not yet on the official endangered lists. Monkfish is not kosher. Prep &
Cooking Details
Moonfish - [Mene maculata
family Menidae]
This Indo - Pacific fish is found
from the eastern coast of Africa
through the South Pacific islands
and as far north as the southern tip
of Japan. This species, the only
member of the Menidae (Moonfish)
family, can grow to nearly 12
inches but the photo specimen was
8-1/4 inches and weighed 7.4
ounces. In its home range moonfish
is often dried and can be dried without salt. Having no scales it is not kosher
and is not listed as threatened. Prep & Cooking Details.
Moonfish, Mexican - [Selene

orstedii]
Related to Pompanos, this fish is
found on the East Pacific coast from
Baja California to Columbia in
South America. They can grow to
13 inches long but the ones
available commercially here are
about 10 inches and weigh about 9
ounces. Not listed as threatened. Prep & Cooking Details.
Mullet - [Family Mugilidae]

A fairly large family of salt water fish, Mullets have always been very popular
in the Mediterranean area and costal Europe but is little used in North
America. Confusingly, the best know "mullet", the Red Mullet, is not a mullet
at all but a Goatfish.
Grey Mullet - [Flathead Mullet,

Mugil cephalus]
Found world wide in coastal
waters, this fish can grow to 47
inches and 26 pounds but the
photo specimen was 15-1/2
inches, weighing 1 pound 6-1/2
ounces. They are caught wild and farmed and are not considered
threatened. They are not common in North American markets except along
the Southeast Coast, but are a very important commercial fish in many
parts of the world. It is a good eating fish - look for it in Philippine and
Southeast Asian fish markets. Details and Cooking.
Red Mullet
These famous mullets are not mullets at all - see
Goatfish.
Orange Roughy - [Hoplostethus

atlanticus]
A member of the Slimehead family,

this fish is caught in extremely deep
cold waters, mainly off New
Zealand. The fishery started in 1979
when gear was made available that
could locate and catch them at such depth. They are extremely long lived (to
150 years) slow breeding fish and even at current reduced rates the fishery is
probably not sustainable. Rated Do Not Eat by marine environmentalists and
listed as threatened by the government of Australia. Average market size is
about 2-1/4 pounds and they are so ugly they're always sold as fillets. The
flesh is mild, almost shellfish like and has been compared to sole. Drawing by
Robbie Cada contributed to the public domain.
Parrotfish - [Big Belly Parrotfish, Forsten's Parrotfish, Rainbow Parrotfish,

Scarus forsteni]
Parrotfish are a large family but this
is the only representative I've found
yet so it's stand-alone for now. This
West Pacific fish, found from the
East edge of the Indian Ocean to the
Pitcairn Islands, grows to 21 inches
and 5.5 pounds but the photo
specimen was 12-3/4 inches and weighed 1.1 pounds. Prep & Cooking
Details.
Patagonian Toothfish - [Chilean Sea Bass, Merluza Negra (spanish),

Mero (japan) Dissostichus eleginoides]
A large fish (up to 250 pounds) living at great depths in the southern
oceans from Uruguay to the Antarctic Circle. It has very white flesh
with a high fat content but rather little flavor. A single large fish can sell for
$1000 in Japan. Though marketed as "Chilean Sea Bass" in the U.S. it is not a
bass at all nor is it specific to Chile. This fish is endangered by pirate fishing
and it's slow rate of maturing. While there is some properly licensed
commercial fishing, the pirate take is thought to be five times as large. It is not
possible to tell legal from pirated fish so consuming this fish should be
avoided. Photo by US Federal Government = public domain.
Perch [Genus Perca species; also Latidae (Lates perches)]

"Perch" is the prototype for Order Perciformes (Perch-like fishes) to which
most of our familiar fish belong. Perch are properly fresh water fish of which
there are two main members, Walleye and Yellow Perch. There are a number
of ocean fish called "perch" but none are actually perch. I am, though,
including Lates perches (Latidae) here for convenience.
Climbing Perch - not a perch, see Climbing Perch.
Barramundi - [Giant Perch, Asian seabass, White seabass, Barra; Siakap

(Malay); Lates calcarifer]
This Indo-Pacific fish is very

important in Southeast Asia and
northern Australia both wild and
farmed - a sought after fish that
fetches a premium price. It can grow to 78 inches and 132 pounds but the
photo specimen was 17 inches long, weighed 2 pounds 14 ounces. It
probably came from from a fish farm in Thailand, but a growing number
are farmed in the US. They are also farmed in Indonesia, Malaysia and
Australia with smaller operations in the UK and Holland. Details and
Cooking.
Walleye - [Yellow Pike, American Zander, Sander vitreus | similar Sandre

Canadien, Sand pickerel; Sander
canadensis]
Pronounced "Wally", this largest

member of the true perch family
can grow to 42 inches and 25 pounds but the photo specimen was 18-1/2
inches and 2-3/4 pounds. This freshwater fish is found in the great lakes
and in most major rivers in the Northeast of the U.S. and Canada. It is
found in the Mississippi river basin as far south as Arkansas. Commercial
aquaculture is in the development stages but large numbers are hatched for
restocking lakes and rivers. Red List status "Not Evaluated". Details and
Cooking.
Ocean Perch is not a perch - see Rockfish.
White Perch is not a perch - see Bass - White Perch.
Yellow Perch - [Perca flavescens]
This North American native lives

mainly in nortern lakes and rivers, but
a few are found as far south as South
Carolina. It can grow to nearly 20
inches and 4-1/4 pounds, but is
commonly quite a bit smaller. Red List
status "Not Evaluated". Photo by U.S.
Department of Agriculture = public domain.
Egli / European Perch - [Perca

flaviatilis]
Very similar to the North American

Yellow Perch, but not yet proven to be
the same species. This perch infests
the ponds, rivers and streams of
Europe and most of Siberia, except
Spain and Italy which are too warm for it. In Europe they grow to about 10
pounds, but they have been introduced to New Zealand and Australia
where the record is 23 pounds. They are commonly marketed at around 10
inches. Considered an excellent eating fish, caught wild and farmed. IUCN
rated LC (Least Concern). Photo by Dgp.martin distributed under license Creative
Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported..
Zander - [Pike Perch, Sander lucioperca | similar Volga Pikeperch Sander

volgensis]
This elongated perch is native to

Eastern an Central Europe,
Sweden, Finland and Western
Asia, but has been introduced
into England and other countries as a popular angling fish. It can grow to
39 inches and 44 pounds, but is commonly around 20 inches and is
considered a very good eating fish. Red List status is "Least Concern".
Restaurants in Minnesota have been busted for serving imported Zander as
Walleye (from which it is indistinguishable on the plate), so see Walleye
for Details and Cooking. Photo by Elnuko contributed to the public domain.
Petrale Sole - see Flounders
Plaice - see Flounders.
Pollock - [Theragra species (Alasakan, Norwegian), Pollachius species (true

pollocks)]
The Alaskan Pollock [walleye
pollock T. chalcogramma] is the
largest fish harvest in the world at 3
million tons per year. Most is made
into sirimi, artificial crab meat, and McDonald's fish sticks. Alaskan Pollock
is in the same family (Gadidae) as Cod and is considered a sustainable catch
by marine ecologists. Prep & Cooking Details.
Pomfret - [family Bramidae]

Yes, there actually are real pomfret, but the fish called "Pomfret" in the
market aren't, they're Butterfish and Pompano. Black Pomfret Taractes
rubescens, Atlantic Pomfret Brama brama and Pacific Pomfret Brama
japonica are real pomfrets but I have yet to find any in the markets.
Pomfret, Black (Gray) - see under Pompanos Black Pomfret. There is

actually a Black Pomfret that's a real Pomfret (Taractes rubescens), but the
pompano is what you'll find called "black pomfret" in the markets.
Silver Pomfret - see under Butterfish Silver Pomfret and Chinese Silver
Pomfret.
White Pomfret - see Silver Pomfret and Chinese Silver Pomfret.
Pompanos - [Genus Trachinotus, Parastromateus and others]

Deep bodied ocean fish of family Carangidae (Jacks and Pompanos).
Pompanos are prized eating fish worldwide, though some of them are
commonly known as Butterfish and Pomfret.
Black Pomfret - [C. Parastromateus niger]
Actually not a Pomfret but a
Pompano (the two families look
a lot alike) and a very good
eating fish. This Indo-West
Pacific fish can grow to 29
inches but the photo specimen
was 10 inches and weighed 12
ounces. Though highly
commercial this is a fast
breeding fish and not considered threatened, Prep & Cooking Details.
Pompano - [Trachinotus blochii (Golden Pompano, Asian Pompano),

Trachinotus carolinus (Florida
Pompano, Common Pompano)]
Pompano is a highly preferred
eating fish. The specimen in the
photo was marketed as "Golden
Pompano" which is supposed to
be T. Blochii but from photos in
Fishbase he looks more like the
very similar Florida Pompano T.
carolinus. Florida wild caught pompanos are very expensive (actually this
fish is found from Massachusetts to Brazil). Both species are farmed
commercially and I wouldn't be at all surprised at hybrids of the two.
Carolinus can grow to 25 inches and Blochii to 43 inches but the photo
specimen was 12 inches and weighed 1 pound 6 ounces, toward the high
end of market size here. Prep & Cooking Details.
Pony Fish - [Sap Sap (Philippine),

Leiognathus equulus]
This tropical Indo-Pacific fish is
found from the east coast of Africa
to the Pacific Islands and as far
south as the north coast of
Australia. The fish gets its name
from its strange extensible mouth
which looks like a pony's nose
when extended.
Pony Fish can grow to 11 inches but the photo specimen was 9-1/2 inches and
weighed 8.1 oz, caught wild off Thailand. Living near river mouths and in
mangrove areas they are both farmed and caught wild and sold both fresh and
dried. They have no scales I could find so they probably aren't kosher, but
they're not considered threatened. Prep & Cooking Details.
Porgy - [family Sparidae]

Various deep bodied fish that subsist mainly by crushing shellfish. Familiar
on the U.S. east coast are Pagrus pagrus, caught mostly off New England and
Sheepshead Porgy caught south of the Chesapeake Bay. Most familiar in
Europe is the Red Porgy or Red Sea Bream. Porgy is not well known on the
U.S. West Coast because the Pacific Porgy is rare of Southern California,
becoming common off the coast of Mexico.
Sheepshead Seabream. -
[Archosargus probatocephalus]
Found along the West Atlantic
from Nova Scotia around along
the northern coast of the Gulf of
Mexico this fish can get to
almost 36 inches and 21 pounds
but the photo specimen was 12-
1/2 inches and weighed 1-1/2
pounds. It's an ocean fish but it freely enters brackish water and sometimes
even fresh water. It is considered an excellent eating fish and is not
threatened. Prep & Cooking Details.
Squirefish - [Pink Snapper,

Chrysophrys auratus]
A fish often sold in the U.S. as
"Snapper" from New Zealand,
this Porgy is found of the coasts
of Australia and New Zealand.
A distinctly separate population
is found from the Philippines
and Indonesia to China, Taiwan, and Japan. Farming this fish is in the
experimental stages so all market fish are currently wild. The pictured
specimen was 14 inches long and weighed 1 pound 6 ounces. The
Squirefish is not considered threatened. Prep & Cooking Details.
Yellowfin Seabream -
[Acanthopagrus latus]
This Indo-West Pacific fish is
found from the Persian Gulf to
the Philippines and from the
north coast of Australia to Japan.
It can grow to 19 inches and 3 pounds but the photo specimen was 10-1/2
inches and weighed 12 ounces. It is both caught wild and farmed. Prep &
Cooking Details.
Pufferfish - see FUGU.
Rabbitfish / Spinefoot - [family Siganidae] Rabbitfish are

tropical reef dwelling fish that, unlike most fish, are vegetarian, living on
seaweeds (algae). Incidentally to their diet the eat bacteria and other
organisms adhering to the seaweed, and some of these contain ciguatera
toxins. Predatory fish that eat Rabbitfish can concentrate these toxins to a
dangerous degree, but Rabbitfish themselves contain only low, non-dangerous
levels.
Java Rabbitfish - [Streaked Spinefoot (Fishbase / FDA), Java

Rabbitfish, Bluespotted
spinefoot; Siganus javus]
Found in tropic seas from the

east coast of Africa to the South
Pacific islands, the Java
Rabbitfish is a vegetarian living
on algae. It can grow to 20 inches but the photo specimen was 14 inches
and 1.9 pounds, near the high end for market fish. Rabbitfish reproduces
quickly and is not listed as endangered (IUCN NE (Not Evaluated). They
have no conventional scales so are not kosher. Details and Cooking.
Virgate Rabbitfish / Barred Spinefoot - [Barhead Spinefoot

(Fishbase), Virgate Rabbitfish; Siganus virgatus | similar Barred Spinefoot
(Fishbase), Pencil-streaked
Rabbitfish / Spinefoot: Siganus
doliatus]
These two Rabbitfish are very

closely related and can
interbreed. They also vary
tremendously in coloration so
are hard to tell apart. The
Virgate ranges from the east coast of Africa to the South Pacific islands
while the Barred ranges from southern India across the Pacific to the coast
of Central America and northern South America. They both go as far south
as the northern coast of Australia and as far north as the northern tip of the
Philippines. Both are vegetarian, living on seaweed (algae). The Virgate
can grow to nearly 12 inches and the Barred to almost 10 inches.
Rabbitfish reproduce quickly and are not listed as endangered (IUCN NE
(Not Evaluated). They have no conventional scales so are not kosher.
Details and Cooking.
Rex Sole - see Flounders.
Robalo - see Snook.
Rock Cod, Red - see Vermillion Rockfish.
Rock Cod (true) - [Lotella rhacina]

Members of the cod family (Gadidae) living mainly off the coasts of Australia
and New Zealand.
Rockfish, Scorpionfish - [Pacific Rockfish, family Scorpaenidae,

family Sebastidae]
Some biologists lump all these fish under Scorpaenidae (Scorpionfishes) and
some assign a number of genera to Sebastidae, a family not recognized at all
by the first group. They are mostly venomous (poisoned spines) ranging from
extremely to not much. Fortunately those off the Pacific coast of California
fall in the "not much" range.
Popularly, rockfish are called names like "Sculpin" and "Rock Cod" but none
are members of those families. They are popular eating fish ranging from mid-
Baja California to Kodiak Island Alaska, though each species has a more
limited range.
California Scorpionfish -
[Sculpin, Scorpaena guttata]
Commonly called "Sculpin"

(which it is not), this fish is
found from the central coast of
California to the central cost of
Baja California and the northern
half of the Gulf of California, a rather short range as fish go. It can grow to
17 inches but the photo specimen was 14 inches and weighed just under 2
pounds 2 ounces. Details and Cooking.
Canary Rockfish - [Orange
Rockfish, Rockcod, Sebastes
pinniger]
One of the many varieties of
deep water rockfish caught all
along the Pacific coast, Canary
Rockfish is found from Baja
California to the Gulf of Alaska. They can grow to 29 inches and 10
pounds but the photo specimen is normal market size at 20 inches and 4
pounds. This fish is sometimes more orange than the one in the photo.
Idiot Fish - [Shortspine

Thornyhead, Sebastolobus
alascanus]
A variety of Scorpion Fish
particularly adapted to the deep
"oxygen minimum" layer of the
ocean where most fish can not
thrive. It has a huge head, both long and wide, housing very large gills. It
lives in the North Pacific, some as far south as the Mexican border but
mostly Northern California, Washington State, Canada and Russia, but as
far south as northern Japan. This fish can grow to 31 inches and 20 pounds
but the photo specimen was 21 inches and 4-3/4 pounds, towards the large
end of market size.
Living under very sub-optimal conditions the Idiot Fish grows slowly and
has a slow propagation rate. The U.S. fishery is tightly regulated under
Federal fisheries programs to avoid overfishing, consequently it's not
found far from the Pacific coast. Of course it's strange spiny appearance is
sort of off-putting for many people anyway, which is just as it should be
because there will be more for me. Outside the U.S. Pacific coast
regulation may be defficient and the IUCN Red List status is EN
(Endangered). Details and Cooking.
Redbanded Rockfish - [Red

Bandit (Asian markets);
Sebastes babcocki]
This Pacific rockfish is found

from the northern tip of Japan all
the way around and down to San Diego, California but is most populous
along the south coast and islands of Alaska. It can grow to 25 inches and
almost 10 pounds, but the photo specimen was 17 inches and 3 pounds. It
is sold in Asian groceries in Southern California labeled "Red Bandit".
Colors may be lighter than on the photo specimen. A slow growing fish of
moderate population, it's mainly an incidental catch and unlikely to be
found in markets far from the Pacific Coast. Details and Cooking.
Rougheye Rockfish - [Blacktip

Rockcod; Sebastes aleutianus]
. .This Pacific rockfish is found

from the northern tip of Japan all
the way around and down to San
Diego, California but is most populous along the south coast and islands of
Alaska and off the coast of Washington state. It gets its name from a row
of tiny spins found right under the eyes. This fish can live for over 140
years and can grow to 38 inches and 19 pounds, but the photo specimen
was 19 inches and 3 pounds 4 ounces. It can occasionally be found in
Asian groceries in Southern California. Fishing regulations for rockfish are
quite strict, limiting supply, so they are unlikely to be found in markets far
from the Pacific Coast. Details and Cooking.
Ocean Perch - Other

Besides the Pacific Ocean Perch described below there is an Atlantic
Ocean Perch (Golden Redfish, Sebastes marinus) which grows up to 15
pounds and lives across the subarctic Atlantic, and a smaller (to 3 pounds)
Australian Ocean Perch (Red Gurnard Perch, Helicolenus percoides alt.
Sebastes percoides) which lives on the west and southern coasts of
Australia and around New Zealand. Both of these are rockfish closely
related to the Pacific Ocean Perch but may vary in culinary details. Spines
on the Australian fish are toxic.
Ocean Perch - Pacific - [Longjaw Rockfish, Pacific Ocean Perch; ;

Sebastes alutus]
This Pacific rockfish, easily

recognized by the nubby
protrusion on it's lower lip (no, it
isn't a cold sore) is found from
the northern tip of Japan all the way around and down to San Diego,
California but is most populous along the south coast and islands of Alaska
and around the Kamchatka Peninsula. This fish can live for about 100
years and can grow to 21 inches and 4.6 pounds, but the photo specimen
was 16-1/4 inches and weighed 1 pounds 15 ounces.
This fish can occasionally be found in Asian fish markets in Southern

California. As with all rockfish it is wild caught and this fish is currently
considered overfished. IUCN Red List status is "Not Evaluated". Details
and Cooking.
Vermillion Rockfish - [Red

Rock Cod, Sebastes miniatus]
One of the many varieties of
deep water rockfish caught all
along the Pacific coast from
Baja to Vancouver Island. They
can grow to 30 inches and 15
pounds but the individual in the photo is normal market size at 17 inches
and 3 pounds. Prep & Cooking Details.
Sablefish / Black Cod - [Coalfish, Butterfish; Blue CodAnoplopoma

fimbria]
This fish is currently a

darling of the fancy chef
set, under the name
"Black Cod". Sablefish is
not at all related to real Cod, nor much of anything else - there's only one
other fish in the entire Anoplopomatidae family. Sablefish are found off the
North Pacific coast in deep water with sandy bottoms. They range from mid
Baja California all the way around to mid China, though they're scarce south
of Los Angeles and Korea. Most of the catch on this side of the Pacific is sold
to Japan. This fish can grow to 47 inches and 125 pounds, but the photo
specimen was 23 inches and weighed 3 pounds 6 ounces, about normal for
market size.
Sablefish farming is now being developed in Canada to the intense distress of

the wild catch industry. The Sablefish fishery is highly regulated in both the
U.S. and Canada to assure a sustainable harvest. The Monterey Bay Aquarium
rates Sablefish from Alaska and Canada "Best Choice" and from California,
Washington and Oregon "Good Alternative". Details and Cooking.
Salay Salay - Philippine - a number of small deep bodied Scad varieties - see
Yellowstripe Scad Alepes melanoptera, Blackfin Scad Alepes melanoptera,
Herring Scad Alepes vari, Shrimp Scad Alepes djedaba,
SALMON - [Family Salmonidae, Genus Oncorhynchus (Pacific) and

Salmo (Atlantic) species]
Salmon are large seagoing

Trout. Actually all Trout are
Salmonidae but we've broken
out those not called Salmon
to other headings (See Trout) for a list.
Salmon live most of their lives in the deep oceans but return to the river of
their birth to spawn - and then die. Why they die I do not know, other fish of
the same genus, even seagoing ones, survive spawning (so are called Trout).
Atlantic salmon have a high mortality at spawning but some survive.
Salmon Details
Wild Salmon
Varieties of Salmon
Farmed Salmon
Prep & Cooking Details
Sand Dab - See Flounders.
Sandfish - [Sailfin Sandfish,

Arctoscopus japonicus]
This fish is found in sandy-muddy
bottom areas of the Asian side of
the North Pacific. In Japan these
fish are cultured in captivity, then
released for the fishery. They grow to as long as 11 inches and 7 ounces. The
photo specimen was by far the largest from a tray of frozen fish purchased
from a Korean grocery and was 10 inches long and just over 4 oz. Prep &
Cooking Details.
Sardines - [Herring family
Clupeidae]
There are many varieties of Sardine,
all members of the Herring Family,
and each variety is likely to be
known by a number of local names.
Larger fish may be sold fresh but
many millions are canned every
year, packed in water, oil, mustard
sauce and tomato sauce, particularly
in Canada, Southeast Asia and
Morocco.
My preference is for Canadian, followed by Polish and Southeast Asian - with

Moroccan a distant last place. Morrocco is by far the largest canner of both
sardines and anchovies - you'd think they could figure out how to make them
taste decent. The photo shows a short stubby variety from Thailand canned in
tomato sauce.
California Sardine - [South

American Pilchard, Sardinops
sagax]
California is fortunate in having
a good supply of these sardines
sold fresh, but they are also
found along both Pacific coasts,
in the Indian Ocean and on the
Atlantic side of South Africa. The photo specimens are about 7 inches long
and weigh about 2 ounces each. Prep & Cooking Details.
Spanish Sardine - [Sardinella aurita (fb Round Sardninella), Sardinella

maderensis (fb Maderensis
Sardinella)]
Spanish Sardine is supposed to
be S. aurita, but the photo
specimen, sold as such, looks
more like S. maderensis to me.
aurita lives all along both
Atlantic coasts, the Caribbean and the Mediterranean in both tropical and
temperate zones. Maderensis is an East Atlantic and Mediterranean fish.
While both species can grow to over 12 inches, the photo specimen was
10-1/2 inches long, 3 inches high, 1-1/4 inches thick and weighing 7-1/2
ounces. These fish are doing well and do not have an at-risk rating. Prep
& Cooking Details
Saury, Pacific Saury - see Mackerel Pike.
Scad - [family Carangidae] Scad belong to the same family as the mild and
delectable Pompanos and the stronger flavored Jacks. They resemble
mackerel in flavor, but a little milder and without so much oil.
Bigeye Scad - [Selar

crumenophthalmus]
This is a "circumtropical" fish
found all the way around the
world above and below the
equator, but it's interpretation of
the "tropical" part is a bit loose
since it's found as far north as Nova Scotia. It's a nocturnal fish traveling in
schools of hundreds of thousands and can grow to 27 inches, but the photo
specimen was 10 inches and weighed 7.1 ounces. I have seen this fish
marketed in Los Angeles labeled "Hasa Hasa" which is properly the
unrelated (but similar looking) Short Mackerel. This fish is kosher and is
not threatened. Prep & Cooking Details.
Hardtail Scad - [Torpedo Scad,

Megalaspis cordyla]
found from East Africa to Japan
and very common around
Indonesia. It can grow to 31
inches and nearly 9 pounds but the photo specimen was 11-1/2 inches and
weighed 10 ounces. This is a highly commercial fish in Southeast Asia.
Kosher and not threatened. Prep & Cooking Details.
Mackerel Scad - [Cigarfish, Cigarminow (small), Galunggong

(Philippine), Round Scad,
Decapterus macarellus]
This fish, found
worldwide, is not related
to Mackerel, but can be
treated similarly except
when the Mackerel's
oiliness is important (smoking, pickling). This fish can grow to 18 inches
but the photo specimen was 15 inches long and weighed 1# 3oz. These fish
have just enough scales to be kosher. Prep & Cooking Details.
Round Scad - a group of mackerel shaped scads, all of the genus

Decapterus, including Mackerel Scad (D. macarellus), Japanese Scad (D.
maruadsi), Shortfin Scad (D. macrosoma), Round Scad (D. punctatus) and
Indian Scad (D. russelli).
Shortfin Scad - [Round Scad,

Decapterus macrosoma]
This Indo-Pacific scad is also
found in the East Pacific from
the coast of Baja California to
Northern Peru. They can grow to
over 14 inches, but the ones
popular here (photo - California wild caught) are about 6-1/2 inches and
weigh 2 ounces. Prep & Cooking Details.
Yellowstripe Scad - [Yellowstripe Trevally, Salay Salay, Selaroides

leptolepis ]
One of a number of similar
small deep bodied Scad called
"Salay Salay" in the Philippines.
These Indo-West Pacific fish,
found from the Persian Gulf to
the Philippines, can reach 8
inches but are marketed here much smaller. The photo specimen was 6-1/4
inches long, weighed 1.6 ounce and has a yellow stripe more distinct than
many have. Prep & Cooking Details.
Yellowtail Scad - [Atule mate]

This Indo-Pacific fish is found
from the east coast of Africa to
Hawaii. The specimen in the
photo was 11 inches and
weighed 9 ounces. Prep &
Cooking Details.
Scorpionfish - see Rockfish.
Sculpin - [family Cottidae (Sculpins)]
Sculpins are a large family of small fish, but in California when someone says
"Sculpin" they really mean the California Scorpionfish, a member of the
Rockfish / Scorpionfish family(s) that looks rather like a very fat sculpin.
Sea Bream - [family Sparidae (most), family Lethrinidae, others]

A catch-all name for a number of deep bodied fish of various names that
resemble fresh water bream. Most of them are Sparidae (Porgies) or
Lethrinidae (Emperors) but other families are represented.
Shark - [class Chondrichthyes subclass Elasmobranchii superorder

Selachimorpha]
Sharks are very different from
other fish. When the modern
fish (teleosts - bony fish)
came on the scene they
rapidly pushed their
predecessors toward
extinction. Under severe
stress these older fish back evolved some features of their own primitive
ancestors while adding some very advanced features as well. So successful
were these adaptions the following era is called "The Age of Sharks" and
modern fish had to struggle to survive.
Sharks have much larger brains than modern fish and a more complex social
structure. They generally give live birth instead of laying eggs. They have no
bones but a skeleton of cartilage, the light weight of which allows them to
grow very large and still float. Their scales are formed like teeth rather than
the removable flakes on modern fish (thus shark is not kosher). In the U.S.
shark is generally marketed as steaks about 1-1/2 inch thick.
Some sharks are now on the conservation lists. Do not buy shark fin or order
sharkfin soup - havesting methods are inhumane, very wasteful, and some of
the sharks used are rated "vulnerable" or "threatened". Prep & Cooking
Details.
Sheephead / Sheepshead a name applied to an number of unrelated fish.

See:
California Sheephead - see Wrasse
Sheepshead Seabream - see Porgies
Sild - see Herring.
Sillago - [family Sillaginidae (smelt-whitings)]
A modest size family of Indo - West Pacific fish, very slender and most under
15 inches long.
Silver Sillago - [Whiting, Common Whiting, Northern Whiting, Sand

Whiting, Silago-whiting, Silver
Whiting (Australia); Sillago
sihama]
An Indo - West Pacific fish
found from the east coast of
Africa to the Pacific islands and
from the southern tip of Japan to the north and west coasts of Australia. A
few have gotten into the eastern Mediterranean through the Red Sea. They
can grow to 13 inches but the photo specimen was 5-1/4 inches and
weighed 0.6 ounce. Both caught wild and farmed, this is considered a good
eating fish and is not endangered. Prep & Cooking Details
Silver Fish - []
These appear to be juveniles, and may be
of a variety of fresh water herring, but I'm
not sure. They're sold in Asian markets as
frozen blocks of random sized fish,
generally from 1/2 inch to 2 inches long,
labeled "Silver Fish". They're also sold
dried in tubs or bags labeled "Silver
Anchovy", but I don't know for sure if
they are actually anchovies. Prep &
Cooking Details.
Skates & Rays - [order Rajiformes (skates & Rays): family Rajidae
(skates) Dasyatidae (stingrays) and others. Alternate: order Rajiformes
(skates), Myliobatiformes (Rays)]
These mostly bottom dwelling fish are related to
sharks but have pectoral fins so enlarged they
are referred to as "wings". Like sharks skates
have no bones but a skeleton of cartilage. Skate
is generally sold as cuts from the wings and is
prepared quite differently from other fish. I
haven't seen ray for sale anywhere but skate
wing, and sometimes whole skate can be found in Asian fish markets.
For how to tell Skates from Rays see Note F21. Note: I accept the FishBase
taxonomy so I can lump skates and rays into the same paragraph, not from
malice against biologists who support the "alternate" taxonomy. Some skates
are listed as endangered (Common Skate, Thornback and Roker) but it's
impossible to tell in the market what skate they are selling if it's just wings.
No skate or ray is kosher. Buying & Preparing Skate Wings.
Dipturus Skate - [genus Dipturus var.

species]
Fishbase has a number of skates that look
"almost exactly like" this one and they're all
so similar but just a touch different that I'm
going to chicken out and just call this one a
"Dipturus Skate". This species is white on
the underside but some are dark on both
sides. The photo specimen, obtained from an
Asian market serving a primarily Vietnamese
community, was quite small at 14-1/2 inches
across, 18 inches total length and 1.6 pounds. Some Dipturus species can
get as large as 100 inches long and 200 pounds but 48 inches and 24
pounds is more typical. Prep & Cooking Details.
Smelt - [family Osmeridae,

several genera]
Small fish related to Salmon
and found in both salt water
and fresh (where they spawn
in streams). Various species
are native to Atlantic and
Pacific coasts of the U.S. and Canada, some as far south as Southern
California but most in northern waters. Smelt are also found along the coasts
of Europe and the western Pacific. A variety native to the U.S. northeast coast
was introduced to the U.S. Great Lakes in about 1918 and became an
important catch there, but the population is currently in decline.
Smelt form large schools and are harvested in both open waters and in
spawning streams. They are generally marketed at 6 to 8 inches, most being
frozen and bagged. Bright orange smelt roe is collected from fish caught in
the spawning streams and sold to garnish sushi. Prep & Cooking Details.
Snakehead - [Mudfish, Dalag

(Phil.), Snakehead murrel, Channa
striata]
This is one of the most important
food fish in Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia, both wild and farmed, and is
also popular in the Philippines. Live snakeheads are popular in Asia but are
illegal in the U.S. (but Asians keep sneaking them in). They can grow to 40
inches (larger in Hawaii) and 6.6 pounds but the photo specimen was 17
inches and 1-1/2 pounds. A fresh water fish preferring muddy water, like the
walking catifish it can survive extreme conditions and take off over land to
exploit new ponds and rivers. Like the walking catfish It's a voracious
predator but can survive in colder climates. Prep & Cooking Details.
Snappers - [family Lutjanidae (Snappers)]
Red Snapper
Lots of fish are marketed under the name "Red Snapper", but some aren't
even in the family Lutjanidae and some aren't even red. Listed below you'll
find some with a legitimate claim to the name.
Crimson Snapper - [Lutjanus erythropterus]

This is what an Australian would probably have in mind as a Red Snapper.
This species inhabits the Indo-Pacific region and is both caught
commercially and farmed. to 32 inches. Not considered threatened.
Jordan's Snapper - [Lutjanus jordani]

Mexico to Peru 23 inches Not considered threatened
New Zealand Snapper - Pink Snapper - see Squirefish This fish often
sold in the U.S. as "Snapper" from New Zealand is actually a Porgy.
Northern Red Snapper -

[Lutjanus campechanus]
This popular fish is found in the
Gulf of Mexico and off the
Western Atlantic coast to
Massachusetts but is rare above
North Carolina. It can grow to 39
inches and 48 pounds. There
have been reports of ciguatera poisoning from eating this fish from tropical
reef environments. The body of this fish is deeper than the Pacific Red
Snapper and the face more tapered to a point. This fish was badly over-
fished, but the fishery is now better managed and populations have been
recovering. We presume the culinary characteristics of this fish are very
similar to its close relative, the Pacific Red Snapper, so refer to Details and
Cooking for that fish. Drawing from Fishbase distributed under license Creative
Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported.
Pacific Red Snapper - [Lutjanus
peru]
This true Red Snapper is found
from Mexico to Peru in the
Eastern Pacific. It can get up to
37 inches long and up to almost
13 pounds but the photo
weighed 1 pound 14 ounces, a bit larger than average market size. This
snapper is a premium fish and fetches a premium price. Pacific Red
Snapper is IUCN rated NE (Not Evaluated) and is not considered
threatened. Details and Cooking.
Southern Red Snapper - [Lutjanus purpureus]

This snapper is native to the Caribbean to as far south as northern Brazil
but doesn't extend north into the Gulf of Mexico. It can grow to about 39
inches 22 pounds. In appearance it is similar to the Northern Red Snapper
but has an oval darker spot on the lateral line near the tail, which may fade
in maturity. There have been reports of ciguatera poisoning from eating this
fish from tropical reef environments Not considered threatened.
Snook - [Robalo, Black Snook Centropomus nigrescens (west coast),

Common Snook C. undecimalis
(east coast), family Centropomidae
(Snooks)]
The Common Snook, found on the
eastern coast of the Americas from
North Carolina to Brazil, grows to
4-1/2 feet and 53 pounds. Black Snook, found on the western coast of the
Americas from southern Baja California to northern Columbia, grows to 4 feet
and 57 pounds, but the photo specimen was 16-3/4 inches and 1-1/4 pounds
(factory cleaned). These two snooks look very similar except the Black is
darker above the centerline. Prep & Cooking Details.
Sole - [Common Sole, Dover Sole;

Solea solea]
"Sole" without a qualifier means

Common Sole, a fish also known as
"Dover Sole" that's very popular in
Europe. Unfortunately there's another by that name - see Dover Sole for an
explanation of the confusion and subterfuge created by that name. This fish is
native to the North Atlantic from Norway to the northwest coast of Africa,
and is most numerous around the British Isles, the north coast of Germany and
the coast of France. To a lesser extent it inhabits the Mediterranean and parts
of the Black Sea. This fish can grow to 27 inches and 6.6 pounds but is more
commonly about 12 inches.
In North America a number of flounders are called "Sole" to make them seem
more sophisticated and European. While there are other true soles, Common
Sole is most common and preferred when available. The Marine Stewardship
Council has certified the Hastings Fleet Dover Sole fishery as sustainable, but
that may not apply to other fisheries. This fish is now also being farmed. As a
Pacific Coast substitute use Petrale Sole (actually a flounder). Details and
Cooking. Photo by Hans Hillewaert distributed under license Creative Commons
Attribution-Share Alike 3.0.
Spiny Eel - [Ca Chach (Viet), Peacock Eel (fishbase) Macrognathus

siamensis]
Spiny Eels are a separate order
(Synbranchiformes) from eels
proper and eels improper (
Anguilliformes). There are a fair number of spiny eel species but this one,
found in the rivers of Vietnam and Southeastern Thailand, is commercially
significant (and a popular aquarium fish). Infesting freshwater rivers, streams,
rice paddies and flooded forests they can grow to almost 12 inches but the
photo specimen was 7.5 inches and weighed 1.1 ounces, the largest in a tray
of frozen eels from Vietnam. The "spiny" part is tiny sharp stickers along the
back and a couple on the bottom in front of the fins. Prep & Cooking Details.
Sprats - [family Clupeidae (herring family)

Spratus spratus]
This small fish is a little slimmer than the herring
and is particularly important to the economies of
Poland, Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia.
Sprats are smoked, beheaded (to fit in the can

better) and packed with sunflower seed oil and salt
in 4" diameter by 1" high cans for the enjoyment of
persons of taste. Definitely not for the baby spinach
set, they go exceptionally well with ice cold vodka and strong Russian tea.
Fortunately plenty are now exported to the U.S. and I have a good stock
stashed away.
Sturgeon - [family
Acipenseridae]
Sturgeon is an ancient fish,
highly successful and little
changed for something like
200 million years. Today most species face extinction due to the absurd prices
show-offs and "gourmets" will pay for their eggs (caviar), and from
degradation of habitat. Sturgeon are the largest fish found in fresh water with
the Russian Beluga (A. Huso huso) reaching 19 feet and and over 4500
pounds while the more slender Pacific White Sturgeon (A. Acipenser
transmontanus) reaches 20 feet and 1800 pounds. The photo specimen
(smoked, not yet positively identified but possibly Atlantic (A. Acipenser
oxyrinchus oxyrinchus)) was 27 inches and 1.6 pounds, typical for whole
smoked sturgeon found in markets serving Russian communities.
Russian caviar, particularly Beluga, should be avoided - the fish are critically
endangered and the trade largely controlled by Russia's murderous organized
crime syndicates. Purchasing or eating it makes you an accessory to crime and
contributes materially to species extinction. Pacific White Sturgeon and Lake
Sturgeon (A. Acipenser fulvescens) are the only commercially important
sturgeon not listed as "Threatened" or "Endangered". Top grade "chef
approved" caviar is produced in California where the white sturgeon is heavily
farmed (the meat is sold through markets serving Russian communities). Lake
Sturgeon are caught wild, mostly in Canada, and also produce marketable
caviar. Prep & Cooking Details.
Sunfish - Freshwater - [family Centrarchidae (Sunfishes)]

Black Bass - [Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides,Smallmouth
Bass Micropterus dolomieu]
These famous fresh water bass

are not actually bass at all but a
variety of Sunfish. The photo is
of a 13 inch Largemouth Bass
weighing 1-1/2 pounds. Details and Cooking
Swordfish - [Xiphias
gladius]
A large, ferocious predatory
fish that uses it's long sharp
beak as a weapon to spear prey, which includes even Orcas, and to defend
against Maco Sharks, the only predator big enough, fast enough and ferocious
enough to take on a swordfish. They grow to 14 feet and over 1000 pounds.
Swordfish have scales but not the kind that scrape off so they are not kosher.
Swordfish are not considered an endangered species. Prep & Cooking Details.
Illustration by U.S. National Oceanic and Atsmopheric Administration = public domain.
Tench - [Tinca tinca]

A Eurasian fish closely related to Carp and of similar habits and appearance
except with much smaller scales. It can grow to 25 inches and is an estemed
eating fish in Europe though largely unavailable in the U.S.. Substitute Carp.
Threadfin - [family Polynemidae]

A family of fish where several rays of the pectoral fins are detached and
elongated, sometimes greatly elongated. These "pectoral rays" are thought
useful for feeling out food. Threadfins are found in the Indo Pacific and the
Atlantic, several along the east coast of the U.S.. Most are salt water fish but a
few live in rivers and others may enter rivers at times.
Fourfinger Threadfin - [Blue Threadfin (Aust.), Giant Threadfin, Ca

Chet (Viet), Eleutheronema
tetradactylum ]
common from the Persian Gulf
to Papua New Guinea and along
the north coast Australia. It
enters freshwater during the
breeding season so it's sometimes listed as a freshwater fish. It can grow to
6-1/2 feet but the photo specimen was 13 inches and weighed 11 ounces.
This fish is highly commercial, both wild catch and aquaculture, and
frozen ones from Vietnam are found in Asian markets in Los Angeles.
Packages I've purchased were labeled "Threadfin Bream" which they
clearly are not. Prep & Cooking Details.
Paradise Threadfin -
[Polynemus paradiseus]
found from Pakistan to Vietnam.
It enters freshwater during the
breeding season so it's
sometimes listed as a freshwater
fish. It can get over 10 inches long but the photo specimen was 8-1/4
inches and weighed 3.3 ounces. Another in the package of frozen fish from
Vietnam was 10-1/2 inches and 7.9 ounces but was not photographed
because the tail fins had been clipped to fit the package. Prep & Cooking
Details.
Tigerfish - [Unidentified]
At first this fish looks a lot like the
common Tilapia, but you'll quickly
notice it's comparitively thick and
rather heavy. This fish was grown
in Taiwan and purchased at an
Asian market in Los Angeles
labeled "Tiger Fish". It was 12
inches long and weighed 1-1/2 pounds. Details and Cooking.
Tilapia - [Nile Tilapia,

Oreochromis niloticus niloticus]
This fish native to the Nile can
grow to 23 inches but is generally
marketed here at about 12 inches
and 1-1/4 pounds like the photo
specimen, Tilapia was already being
farm raised in Egypt probably over
4000 years ago. It has since been transported to fresh water rivers and lakes in
many countries. Tolerant of water quality, fast growing, cheap to feed and
tasty to eat, Tilapia is an ideal aquaculture fish for warmer climates and is
produced in great quantity in Southern California and Arizona, but most still
comes from Mexico and South America.. Details & Cooking.
Tilefish - [family Malacanthidae] A worldwide family that eats either

plankton or forages on the bottom for invertebrates. These fish live in burrows
of their own construction.
Mercury: A 1978 study of Gulf of Mexico tilefish conducted by the

National Marine Fisheries Service showed levels of mercury above the FDA's
recommended maximum (1.45 ppm vs. 1.00 ppm max) and this landed tilefish
on the FDA mercury warning list. The FDA's own 2002 figure for Atlantic
tilefish is 0.144 ppm, well within safe limits and I suspect the Pacific tilefish,
Ocean Whitefish, would be similar or lower. Evidence suggests the FDA
mercury warning level errs well to the safe side even for pregnant women, but
if you are concerned about tilefish watch for false names like "golden
snapper" or "golden bass" used to hide its true identity.
Ocean Whitefish -
[Caulolatilus princeps]
This East Pacific fish is found
from Vancouver Island, Canada
to Peru (though rare north from
Central California) and can grow
to over 40 inches and over 12
pounds. The photo specimen was 17-1/2 inches and 1-1/4 pounds but I
have bought them up to 21 inches and 4-1/2 pounds. The FDA tilefish
mercury warning (see above) does not apply to this fish, it is safe and an
excellent all around eating fish. Prep & Cooking Details.
Golden Tilefish - [Great Northern Tilefish (fishbase) Lopholatilus

chamaeleonticeps]
This fish, found in the West Atlantic from Nova
Scotia, Canada into the Gulf of Mexico and
Caribbean, can grow to over 49 inches and 66 pounds.
This fish is on the mercury warning list based on one
set of Gulf of Mexico samples, which may be suspect as tilefish do not fit
the high mercury profile. Prep & Cooking Details.
Grey Tilefish - [Blueline Tilefish, Caulolatilus

microps]
This fish, found in the West Atlantic from North
Carolina around Florida and into the Gulf of Mexico
can grow to over 35 inches and 15 pounds. Smaller
and much shorter lived than the Golden Tilefish it seems quite unlikely it
would have a high mercury levels. Prep & Cooking Details.
Trout - [family Salmonidae Genus Salmo (Atlantic), Oncorhynchus

(Pacific)]
Only fish of genus Salmo (Atlantic) and Oncorhynchus (Pacific) are officially
"Trout", but a number of related fish are popularly called "trout". For other
members of the Salmon family, see:
Char - Salvelinus - including brook trout, lake trout and others.called

"trout".
Graylings
Hucho - Huchen (Danube), Taimen (Russian rivers, Amur river).
These are often called Danube and Siberian Salmon from their size,
but they don't go to sea.
Salmon
Whitefish
Among Oncorhynchus are Pacific Salmon, Apache trout (Arizona), Cutthroat

trout (western North America), Gila trout (Arizona, New Mexico), Rainbow
trout / Steelhead (western North America, northeast Asia and introduced
everywhere).
Among Salmo are Atlantic Salmon, Adriatic trout, Brown trout (Europe and
Asia), Marble Trout (southeastern Europe), Ohrid trout (Macedonia, Albania),
Sevan trout (Armenia (native), Kyrgyzstan (introduced)).
Rainbow Trout / Steelhead

Trout - [Oncorhynchs mykiss]
Rainbow / Steelhead was

reclassified from Salmo to
Oncorhynchs in 1989, so is now
officially a Pacific Trout and considered identical with the Russian trout of
the same name. Rainbows are native to the west coast of North America
from the Mexican border north and around across the Aleutian Islands to
Russia, and as far south as northern Japan. All steelhead are hatched in
rivers as Rainbow Trout. Some remain rainbow trout all their lives but
others, even from the same batch of eggs, only for one or two years, then
lose their rainbow coloring and head out to sea. A year or more later they
return to the river of their birth to spawn and regain their rainbow color.
After spawning they turn silver gray again and head back out to sea.
Nobody knows why some rainbows join the Navy and others stay at home,
but those that do go to sea grow larger, live nearly twice as long (to 11
years) and spawn over twice as many times (to 8 times). Steelhead can
exceed 40 inches and 50 pounds but most are nearer 24 inches and 8 to 11
pounds, but are considered endangered from habitat destruction. Rainbows
can get quite large as well, but due to their smaller environment are
generally between 12 and 18 inches long. Their bright rainbow colors fade
quickly upon death.
Steelhead at sea eat a diet similar to what salmon eat so they take on the
same orange-red color. Fish farms have taken to feeding some of their
larger rainbows the same food they use to dye farmed salmon and market
these rainbows as "steelhead", even though they've never been to sea. The
farm raised rainbow in the photo was 18-1/2 inches long and weighed 2
pounds 5-1/4 ounces factory cleaned, rather larger than average market
size, and had flesh a bright salmon color. Details and Cooking.
Golden Trout
This is a color variant of the
Rainbow Trout developed by the
fish farms and is not to be
confused with the real Golden
Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss
aguabonita), the California State
Fish, which is found only in the Kern River drainage area of California.
Details and Cooking.
Brook Trout - [Salvelinus

fontinalis]
This trout is famous among fly
fishermen in eastern North
America. Brook Trout live along
most of the east coast of Canada
and down to Georgia in the
United States, including the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River
drainage basin. They can grow to 34 inches and 20 pounds but are more
commonly around 10 inches. Brook trout are now being farmed to some
extent, and sold fresh, frozen and smoked. They are also raised in
hatcheries for restocking streams and lakes, and have been introduced to
other parts of the world. They are environmentally sensitive so are much
used for envronmental research. Photo by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service = public
domain. Details and Cooking.
Steelhead - see Rainbow Trout.
Smoked Trout
Trout is a very oily fish so
is suitable for smoking.
Smoked trout can be eaten
skin-on, unlike smoked
Whitefish (heavy scales)
or smoked Mackerel
(tough skin). The hot smoked photo specimen was 14-1/4 inches long and
weighted 1 pound 3-3/8 ounces. Rainbow Trout, salt, brown sugar, natural
wood smoke.
Tuna
Tuna include the largest members of the Mackerel family. Unlike those called
"Mackerel", tunas have deep flattened bodies. Most have scales only in a few
places but that's enough to be kosher. Bluefin Tuna (all varieties) is to be
avoided as all Bluefins are critically endangered. Yellowfin, Bonito, Tongal,
Skipjack, Bigeye and Albacore are acceptable for eating.
Bonito / Tongal Tuna -

[Katsuwonus pelamis]
This small Indo Pacific tuna is
found from the east coast of
Africa to Hawaii and is an
important commercial fish.
Unlike the Skipjack proper (Katsuwonus pelamis) it stays fairly close to
shore. It can grow to 39 inches and over 30 pounds, but the photo
specimen was 19-1/2 inches and 3-1/4 pounds, about typical for Southern
California markets. This fish is listed as having just enough scales to be
kosher but I haven't found them. This fish is not currently considered
endangered, IUCN Red List status is NE (Not Evaluated). The Monterey
Bay Aquarium rates this fish as "Good Alternative" if it comes from
Malaysia, or pole / troll caught anywhere, otherwise "Avoid" due to
uncontrolled bycatch problems. Details and Cooking.
Bonito / Skipjack Tuna -

[Katsuwonus pelamis]
These small tuna can grow to
over 43 inches and over 76
pounds, but the photo specimen
was 18 inches and 3 pounds,
about average in Southern California markets. Skipjack is found
worldwide in tropical and warm-temperate seas but not in the Estern
Mediterranean and Black Sea.
Commercially Skipjack is sold fresh, frozen and canned, with a small

amount sold smoked and dried. This fish is not considered endangered.
IUCN Red List status NE (Not Evaluated). Monterey Bay Aquarium lists
pole and troll taken as "Best Choice", purse seine and US Longlin "Good
Alternative" but imported longline as "Avoid". Details and Cooking.
Bluefin Tuna - [Kuromaguro,

Hon Maguro, Toro (Japan);
Thunnus thynnus (Northern /
Atlantic) | Thunnus maccoyii
(Southern) | Thunnus orientalis
(Pacific)]
Bluefin Tuna is the most
prestigious sushi / sashimi fish in Japan, and the Japanese are eating them
to extinction. Bluefins are listed as Critically Endangered in all
conservation lists, but the Japanese simply don't care - the scarcer they are
the more they'll pay, because the higher the cost of a fish the better it tastes
to the Japanese. It has been reported that a single large Atlantic Bluefin
can now fetch as much as US $100,000 in the Japanese fish markets. Do
not eat this fish, and strongly discourage others from eating it.
Note that "farmed" is not an acceptable alternative, in fact for Atlantic

Bluefin (the most threatened) farming, which depends on wild fish
captured before reproductive maturity, is a major cause of depletion. For
Pacific and Southern Bluefin, there has recently been some success in
captive breeding, but this is still in early experimental stages and is in no
way able to impact the market at this time. Drawing from U.S. National
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration = public domain.
Walleye - see Perch.
Whitebait - see Herring.
Whitefish - [genus Coregonus C. clupeaformis. C. lavaretus (Europe) and

other species]
Arctic and subarctic estuary, river
and lake fish related to the salmon,
whitefish can grow to about 30
inches and about 20 pounds but the
one in the photo is 19-3/4 inches
and weighed 2-1/2 pounds factory
cleaned. They are generally caught
wild but are also farmed.
Whitefish are often smoked but are also an important fresh fish in the Frozen
North, particularly in Russia, Alaska, Canada and the U.S. Great Lakes area.
The roe is valued as a pretty good caviar. Prep & Cooking Details
Whitefish - Ocean Whitefish - see Tilefish.
Whiting Atlantic and Pacific - see Cod.
Whiting Indo Pacific & Australia - Smelt Whitings - see Sillago
Wrasses - [family Labridae}
Wrasses are generally tropical and subtropical fish that appeared about 65
million years ago just after extinction of the dinosaurs. Many smaller wrasses
are "cleaner fish" which establish "cleaning stations" larger fish stop at to get
parasites removed from inside their mouths and gills and from their skins.
Some other "cleaner wrasses" make house calls to service shy fish or fish that
don't travel much. Larger wrasses live on sea urchins, mollusks, lobsters,
crabs and other hard shelled bottom creatures.
California Sheephead -
[Semicossyphus pulcher ]
Found only from Monterey,
California south to mid Baja
California, this fish can grow to
almost 36 inches and 35 pounds
but the photo specimen was 16-
1/2 inches and 2-1/2 pounds.
The black coloration of the head and darkening tail indicates this fish was
completing the transition from female to male (females are mostly red)
which happens when a female reaches a length of 12 inches. This long
lived slow reproducing fish is IUCN red listed as VU (Vulnerable) due to
declining population. Prep & Cooking Details

Varieties of Fish

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Varieties of Fish

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Varieties of Fish

General - Buying, Storing, Preparation, Cooking Methods.

Click on pictures for larger version and cooking info

Anchovy - [family Engraulidae]

1|P ag e V arie ty o f fish

European Anchovy - [Engraulis

2|P ag e V arie ty o f fish

Basa - See Vietnamese Catfish.

Black Bass - see Sunfish.

Chilean Sea Bass - see Patagonian Toothfish.

Largemouth Bass - see Sunfish.

Smallmouth Bass - see Sunfish.

Sand Bass - [family Serranidae

The several varieties of Sand

Striped Bass - [Striped Sea-

This sea bass is found mainly in

3|P ag e V arie ty o f fish

White Bass - [Morone

White Perch - [Morone

Belt Fish - [Ribbon Fish, Cutlass Fish, Largehead Hairtail (FishBase),

4|P ag e V arie ty o f fish

Bighead - see Carp.

Blue Runner - see Jacks.

Bluefish - [Pomatomus saltatrix]

Bonito - see Skipjack Tuna.

Bream - not a useful term - generally describes a moderately deep bodied

Yellowfin Seabream - see Porgy.

Bumalo / Bombay Duck - [Bummalow, Bumla (India); Lutia (Bengal);

A member of the lizzardfish family

5|P ag e V arie ty o f fish

This fish is considered a delicacy, particularly in India and parts of

Bumper - [Pacific Bumper, Yellowtail Bumper, Chloroscombrus orqueta |

Butterfish - [family Stromateidae]

Silver Pomfret - [Butterfish,

6|P ag e V arie ty o f fish

Chinese Silver Pomfret -

Ca keo - See Gobies.

Ca bong cat - See Gobies

Carp - [Koi (Japanese), family

Coming in many brilliant colors and

7|P ag e V arie ty o f fish

Bighead - [Speckled Amur, Tongsan, Noble Fish, Hypothalmichthys

This fish is common in Asian markets in Los Angeles where it is generally

Black Carp - [Mylopharyngodon

Carp Bream - [Common

The Carp Bream is a highly

8|P ag e V arie ty o f fish

Common Carp - [Cyprinus

This is a highly commercial fish just about everywhere except North

Crucian Carp - [Carassius

9|P ag e V arie ty o f fish

An Asian carp introduced throughout the

Grass Carp - [Rehu

Tinfoil Barb - [Barbonymus altus (Red Tailed Tinfoil (photo)), B.

Catfish - [order Siluriformes]

Channel Catfish - [Channel

Swai - Vietnamese Catfish - [Basa, Shark Catfish, Pangasius bocourti

Vietnam has recently become a

Walking Catfish - [Clarias batrachus - also C. gareipinus North African

This air breathing catfish quickly

Flathead Catfish - [Mississippi Catfish, Yellow Catfish, Opelousa

Blue Catfish - [Ictalurus

Char - [Family Salmonidae Genus Salvelinus]