1 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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.

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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

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 =

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

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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(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

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.

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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

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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

17 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

(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.

Prep & Cooking Details.

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,

18 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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.

19 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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.

20 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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. .

21 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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

22 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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.

23 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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.

.

24 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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.

Prep & Cooking Details.

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

25 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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

26 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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.

27 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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);

28 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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.

29 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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

specimen was 7-1/4 inches and

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).

30 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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

31 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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

32 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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,

33 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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 &

34 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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.

35 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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.

36 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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]

37 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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

38 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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

39 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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

40 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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.

41 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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

42 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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]

43 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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

44 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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.

45 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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

46 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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.

47 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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.

Prep & Cooking Details.

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

48 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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

49 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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.

50 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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.

51 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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

52 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

& 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]

This Indo-West Pacific fish is

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

53 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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)]

54 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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.

55 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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

56 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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

57 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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.

58 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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

specimen was 15-1/4 inches and

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

59 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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.

60 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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

61 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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 ]

This Indo-West Pacific fish is

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]

This Indo-West Pacific fish is

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

62 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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.

63 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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,

64 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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.

65 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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

66 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

"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

67 | P a g e V a r i e t y o f f i s h

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}

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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