This document provides information on various types of fish, including: - Anchovies, which swim in large schools and are important for fish food chains and producing fish sauce. - Barracudas, which are large predators that rarely attack swimmers. Pacific barracudas are generally safe to eat while others can be toxic. - Basses, which is a name applied to various fish incorrectly called bass, including black basses, striped basses, and white perches. - Bighead carp, an invasive Asian carp that has spread to many US states and grows over 5 feet long. - Carps, which have been domesticated as koi and are popular in Asian cuisine though not in

1. Fish
Anchovy- [family Engraulidae]
A family of tiny fish thatswim in large schoolsin temperate seas worldwide. They
are very importantto the fish food chain and also for production of fermented fish
sauce, as essential to the cuisines of Southeast Asia as it was to ImperialRoman.
Blue Anchovy - [Encrasicholina devisi]
This Indo-Pacific fish can grow to just over 3
inches butthe photo specimen, shown with
a toothpick for scale, was 2-1/2 inchesand
weighed .075 ounce (that'sover 200 to the
pound). They are found in the Persian Gulf, the Indian Ocean and the West-
CentralPacific as far southeast as Fiji and as far north as Taiwan.
California Anchovy - [Engraulismordax]
This anchovy is found from the Canadian
border to the tip of Baja California and can
grow to 9-3/4 inchesand weigh 2.4 ounces,
but the photo specimen was5-3/4 inches
and weighed 0.7 ounce. The Argentine Anchovy Engraulisanchoita from the
SouthwestAtlantic looksalmost exactly the same but only growsto 6.7 inches
and 0.9 ounce. The California anchovy isused mostly for fishmealand tuna bait
but is also sold fresh and justoccasionally canned. The Argentine is generally
sold fresh or canned..
European Anchovy - [Engraulisencrasicolus]
European anchoviesare found on the west coast
of South Africa allthe way up to Norway and in
the western Mediterranean. Live they look a lot
like the California anchovy butare a little more
elongated and a bit smaller, growing to just
under 9 inches. In Europe they are sold fresh,
frozen, dried and salted, butare familiar to Americansin cans from Morocco.
Unfortunately Morocco makesthe worstanchoviesin the world. Instead buy
Italian anchoviesputup in tiny jars - more expensive butwell worth it.

2. Barracuda - [Sphyraenusspecies]
This very elongated fish is a fearsome
predator with strong jawsand sharp
teeth but very rarely attacks
swimmers. It is found in tropicaland subtropicalseas. The photo is of a Pacific
Barracuda (Sphyraena argentea) 33 incheslong and weighing 4.4 pounds. This
species can grow to almost 60 inchesand 26 pounds. Florida barracuda can getup
to 72 inches and 100 pounds.
Caution: barracuda can be highly toxic in tropicalreef areaslike Florida and the
Indian Ocean, Hawaiiand northern Australia. Pacific Barracuda (S. argentea) is
generally safe.
Bangus- See Milkfish.
Basa - See Vietnamese Catfish.
BASS
"Bass" is a popular name applied to many fish that aren'treally bass but people
call them "Bass" anyway, particularly the Black Bass (Smallmouth and
Largemouth). Shown here are the realbass(even though one of them is called
"Perch") with linksto some others.

3. Black Bass - see Sunfish.
Chilean Sea Bass - see Patagonian Toothfish.
Largemouth Bass - see Sunfish.
Smallmouth Bass - see Sunfish.
Sand Bass - [family Serranidae (Sea Basses)
Paralabraxsp.]
The several varieties of Sand Bass available
in Southern California, Barred (P.nebulifer),
Spotted (P. maculatofasciatus),
Goldspotted (P. auroguttatus, Cabrilla Estranjero), are allaboutthe same as far
as cooking is concerned. The Goldspotted speciescan grow to 28 inchesand 6
pounds, butthe photo specimen is 16 inches long and weighing 2-1/4 pounds.
This is the only sandbassavailable commercially and is fished mainly in the Gulf
of California. 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. Ithas been introduced to other countriesand is now
farmed commercially. These fish can grow to 78 inchesand 125 poundsbutthe
one in the photo was 15-1/2 inchesand weighed 1-3/4 pounds, a typical
marketsize. This fish renewsits population fairly quickly, isnot listed as
threatened and is now being farmed. White
Bass - [Morone chrysops]
Native to the rivers of North America, this
bass looksa lot like the Striped Bass, butit
inhabits only fresh water and doesnot
venture to sea. These fish can grow to
almost 18 inches and 6-3/4 poundsbutthe
one in the photo was 13-1/4 inchesand weighed 1 pound 6 ounces, a little

4. larger than the average market size. This fish is now farmed on an
experimentalbasis and is not listed as threatened.
White Perch - [Morone americana]
Not actually a Perch buta Bass, this fish is
native to the North Atlantic coast, living in
salt, brackish and fresh water, and is an
invasive species in the GreatLakes. It is a
good eating fish and can be cooked in
variousways. The White Perch is not
considered threatened, in factit is considered a nuisance in some areas. It can
grow to a little over 19 inches and 4-3/4 pounds, butthe photo specimen was
10 inches long and weighed 11 ounces, toward the high end of typicalmarket
size.
Belt Fish - [Ribbon Fish, Cutlass Fish, Largehead Hairtail(FishBase), Scabbard Fish,
Trichiuruslepturus]
This fish is found worldwide and
growsto over 7 feet long, butthe photo specimen weighed 1-1/2 poundsand
would have been 44 inchesif the tip of its tail hadn'tbroken off. Thisis a highly
commercialfish, primarily for Asian marketsand is very common in Los Angeles.
Beltfish have no scales and make no effortwhatever to be kosher. Bigeye -
[Bullseye, Glasseye, family Priacanthidae
(Bigeyesor catalufas)]
Bigeyes are a family of small tropicalfish
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 marketbutI have identified it
as MoontailBullseye (Priacanthushamrur). Thisfish is found justabout
everywhere butthe Atlantic (except for a few off the southwesttip of Africa). It
can grow to almost 18 inches(large for a bigeye) butthe photo specimen was 7-
1/2 inches (notcounting a thread extending from the tail) and weighed 3.5
ounces. Bighead - see Carp.

5. Blue Runner - see Jacks.
Bluefish - [Pomatomussaltatrix]
This fish which is found justabouteverywhere
except in the Pacific Ocean can grow to 51
inches and 31 poundsbutthe photo specimen
was16-1/4 inchesand weighed 1.5 pounds.
Considered a good eating fish it's highly
commercialand now being farmed.
south to Peru. Atlantic Bumper is found in the West Atlantic from Massachusetts
south to Uruguay
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,
Pomfretand others. The ones listed here are realbutterfish even though they're
called something else.

6. Silver Pomfret- [Butterfish, White Pomfret,
Pampusargenteus]
This tropicalIndo-WestPacific fish is found
from the Red Sea to the South Pacific
islands and is not a pomfretbut a butterfish
It can grow to almost 24 inchesbut the
photo specimen is about9 inchesand
weighed 1/2 pound, a typicalmarketsize
here in Los Angeles.
Chinese Silver Pomfret - [White Pomfret,
Pampuschinensis]
This tropicalIndo-WestPacific fish is found
from the Persian Gulf to southern Japan
and is nota pomfretbuta butterfish. It can
grow to 15 inches but the photo specimen
is about9 inches and weighed 1/2 pound, a
typicalmarketsize here in Los Angeles.
Ca keo - See Gobies.
Ca bong cat - See Gobies
Carp - [Koi(Japanese), family Cyprinidae,order
Cypriniformes]
The modern Carp family hasbeen around for about
55 million yearsand the carp order (Cypriniforms)
since the Jurrassic 150 million yearsago. 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 brilliantcolorsand patterns and
happy to live in small freshwater ponds, carpisthe
primary fish displayed in decorative gardens. Calla fancy carp "Koi" and it can sell
for hundredsor even thousandsof dollars. Unprotected pondsneed big

7. submerged pipes for them to sleep in because they are definitely on the menu for
raccoons.

8. Bighead - [Speckled Amur, Tongsan, Noble Fish, Hypothalmichthysnobilis alt
Aristichthysnobilis]
This Asian (probably Chinese) carp hasbeen
introduced worldwide and escapeesfrom
pond clearing duty now populate watersin
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 marketsin Los Angeleswhere it is generally sold in
sections due to its large size. Split headsare sold for making soup. This fish can
grow to over 5 feet and 100 pounds, butthe photo specimen was 3 feet 6
inches and weighed 19.2 pounds, factory cleaned. That'sa full size dinner fork
in the picture for scale.
Black Carp - [Mylopharyngodonpiceus]
Black carp are highly commercialin China and
are the most prestigious of the native fish there
but have not become as widespread asother
Asian carp worldwide. They can growto 48
inches and 77 poundsand 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 controlmollusks. They are
considered a threatto native mollusksso sterile fish are generally used to
preventwild populations. Photo USFederalGovernment = public domain.
Carp Bream - [Common Bream, Bronze Bream, Abramisbrama]
Silver Bream - [Blicca bjoerkna altAbramis
bjoerkna]
The Carp Bream is a highly commercialfish
from CentralEurope to Middle Asia and
wasonce an importantfood for the poor in
Britain. The flesh has been described as
"bony, insipid and soft". It can grow to 32

9. inches and 13 poundsbutis 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 growsmuch 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
Viridiflavuscontributed to thepublic domain.
Common Carp - [Cyprinuscarpio 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
was25-3/4 inchesand weighed 7 pounds.
This is a highly commercialfish just abouteverywhere exceptNorth America,
where fancy varietiesare used mainly as a landscaping accent. Common Carp
prefer larger lakesand slow moving streamswith muddy bottomsand eat just
aboutanything. Wild carp and decorative koitend to be less deep of body and
withoutthe distinct hump typicalof farmed carp.
Crucian Carp - [Carassiuscarassius]
A highly commercialEuropean carp, both
wild and farmed, Crucianscan grow to 25
inches and 6.6 poundsbutare more
commonly between 1 and 3 pounds. They
are found throughoutEuropeanlakes,
streams and rivers, as far east as northern China and asfar north asFinland.
The Crucian Carp hasan amazing ability to survive for monthswith almost no
oxygen. This is an adaption to allow survival in pondsthat are frozen over and
covered with snow, ponds predatorscan'tsurvive in.

10. Goldfish - [Gold Crucian, Carassiusauratusauratus]
An Asian carp introduced throughoutthe world,
generally pictured in a small bowlwith a cat trying
to get at it. This fish can grow to 23 inchesand 6.6
poundsbutwill stay small if keptin a small
aquarium, often around 2 to 4 inches. It's ability to
survive in low oxygen environmentsmade it
possible to keep goldfish in fishbowlsbefore the advent of areated acquariums.
Goldfish are highly variable in color and have been bred in numerousvariations
as a decorative. They are edible butis not generally eaten exceptby cats and
raccoons. Swallowing live goldfish was once a popular passtime among college
frat-bratsbuthaslong been out of style. Not Red Listed.
Grass Carp - [Rehu (India);
Ctenopharyngodonidella]
A silver bodied fresh water fish
imported from Asia, the grass carp
can grow to 59 inchesand nearly 100
pounds, butthe photo specimen was27 inchesand 8.4 pounds. Grasscarp are
voraciouseatersof underwater vegetation and are an importantfood fish in
Asia, both farmed and caughtwild.
Use of triploid (sterile) grass carp to controlinvasive aquatic weedswas
pioneered in the ImperialValley of California. Triploidsare created by slightly
damaging eggsimmediately after fertilization. They grow to only 40 poundsin
the irrigation channelsand live half as long as diploid carp butthey eat about
90% as much and won'testablish wild populationswhere they are notwanted.
The California hatchery hasbeen studied by teams from many states and
countries.
Silver Carp - [Hypophthalmichthysmolitrix]
An Asian carp that has been introduced
worldwide for food and for cleaning algae
out of lakes and reservoirs- though it often

11. becomes a pest. This fish, like the closely related Bighead Carp, is a plankton
eating filter feeder, butit feeds a little deeper than the Bighead. It's the worlds
most importantfarmed fish but I haven'tseen any for sale in Southern
California.
This fish is a major pestin the Mississippi, Illinois, Ohio and Missouri rivers
where it can grow to well over 40 poundsand leap 10 feet outof the water
when startled. Many recreationalboatershave been injured and even killed by
leaping fish and contests are held to catch as many aspossible, but there is no
effective controlmethod.
.
Tinfoil Barb - [Barbonymusaltus (Red Tailed Tinfoil (photo)), B. schwanenfeldii
(Tinfoil Barb), Poropuntiusmalcolmi
(Goldfin Tinfoil)]
Found in the rivers of SoutheastAsia these
are very small carp. The photo specimen (B.
altus) is 10 inchesand weighed 1 pound but
most are smaller, while B. schwanenfeldii
(black edgeson the tail) can get 13 inches.
The Goldfin doesn'ttolerate aquaculture
and is only sold locally in SoutheastAsia..
Catfish- [order Siluriformes]
There are some 2200 speciesof catfish in as many as40 families and many
genera. The greatestnumber of species is found Centraland 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

12. not have scales but some species are covered with overlapping armor plates. For
more detail see
ChannelCatfish - [ChannelCatfish Ictalurus
punctatus]
Catfish farming is a sizeable industry in the
U.S. where the ChannelCat dominates.
Most catfish are grown (and consumed) in
the Southern Statesbutthey are widely
available in the rest of North America. The photo specimen weighed 4-3/4
pounds(factory cleaned) and was23-1/2 incheslong.
Sheatfish - [family Siluridae
(Sheatfishes)]
There are many genera and speciesin
this catfish family, but only a few are
fished and farmed commercially. Mostlive in the rivers and lakes of Southeast
Asia and China, though by far the largest, Silurusglanis, is found in the Baltic
region of Europe and the Black and AralSea regions. The photo shows
Micronema bleekeri which can grow to nearly 24 inchesbutthe photo
specimen was 16 inches and weighed 14 ounces.
Swai- Vietnamese Catfish - [Basa, Shark Catfish, Pangasiusbocourti |
Swai, Tra, IridescentShark, Striper(TraderJoe's), China Sole (marketing - no
longer used), P. hypophthalmus]
Vietnam has recently become a serious
competitor to U.S. catfish growers, shipping
large amountsof frozen fillets to the US.
These may range from 2 ouncesto over 11
ounces, butin the Mekong River these fish may grow to over 3 feet long.
The two varieties commonly farmed are Basa and Swai(Tra), butwhatis
shipped to the U.S. is mostly Swai. Basa is preferred in Vietnam but, since North
American. buyersdon'tseem to care, the faster growing Swaiisshipped..

13. Walking Catfish - [Clariasbatrachus - also C. gareipinus North African catfish
and hybridsof the two]
This air breathing catfish quickly becomesa pest
in subtropicalregions, especially since it can
travel fairly long distances over land from one
body of water to another. Broughtto Florida for fish farming, itescaped and is
now notoriousfor invading fish farmsand eating all the fish. Native to
SoutheastAsia it can grow to over 18 inchesand over 2-1/2 poundsbutthe
photo specimen was 17 inchesand 1-1/2 pounds. Hybridswith the North
African variety can be much larger, and thatvariety itself can grow to 120
pounds
Flathead Catfish - [Mississippi Catfish, Yellow Catfish, Opelousa Catfish, Mud
Catfish, Shovelhead Catfish, Pylodictis
olivaris]
A very large Mississippi catfish noted
mainly as a sportfish but pretty good
eating too.
Blue Catfish - [Ictalurusfurcatus]
The largestMississippi catfish and the
second best North American catfish for
eating, after the closely related Channel
Catfish.
Char- [Family Salmonidae GenusSalvelinus]
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 Vardentrout(northern

14. California around to Russia), and Lake trout (Alaska, Canada, northeastern U.S.
and introduced to northern Europe and Asia). The lake troutis the largest char,
growing to just over 100 pound.
Arctic / Alpine Char - [Salvelinus alpinus
alpinus]
Circumpolar in both freshwater and
saltwater, the Arctic Char can live farther
north and in colder watersthan any other
fish. It can grow to 33 poundsand 42 inches
but is usually marketed atbetween 2 and 5
pounds. In color it can range from gray to
gray above and red below. The photo specimen is from Südtirol, in Alpine Italy.
This fish is now farmed in Canada, Iceland, Norway, Ireland and WestVirginia.
In the wild it is listed as "LC" (least concern) by the IUCN, and farming is
approved by the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Rötel - [Storröding (Sweeden); Salvelinusumbla]
This trout-like char is native to the alpine regionsof Germany, Switzerland,
Austria and Italy, and hasbeen reported from Sweden. Itcan grow to 29 inches,
but there are dwarf populationsin many high Alpine lakes. I have seen Rötel
described as a "perch" in cookbooks, butcookbookstend to call a lot of things
"perch". IUCNrated 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 - [Anabastestudineus]
Not actually a perch, this fish is a member of
family Anabantidae (Climbing gouramies - a
differentfamily from gouramiesproper). Itcan
grow to over 9 inches but the photo specimen
was5-1/2 inches and weighed 2.3. ounces.
Able to tolerate extremely bad water

15. conditions, it's an air breathing fish that can survive for weeks out of the water if
it's kept damp. Itcan't actually climb trees though - individuals found in trees were
probably leftby birds. Most climbing gouramispecieslive in Africa and are too
small to eat, but this large one is found from India to China and considered a
delicacy in SoutheastAsia. It's both caughtwild and farmed.
Cod, Haddock & Hake- [family Gadidae (Codsand haddocks)]
Cod fisheries have been so economically importanton both sides of the Atlantic
warshave been foughtover 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" thataren'tcod at all.
Black Cod - see Sablefish.
Lingcod - see Lingcod.
Rock Cod (Red) - see Vermillion Rockfish.
Atlantic Cod - [Gadusmorhua]
This highly commercialNorth Atlantic fish
can grow to 78 inchesand over 200
pounds. Populationsare found off North
America from Cape Hatterasto northern
Canada, off Europe from Northern France
through the BarentsSea and off Greenland and Iceland. Atlantic Cod
populationshave been over-fished and are rated "Vulnerable". Effortsare
underway in Norwayto develop methodsfor farming this fish.
Cod produceswhite, mild flavored, low fatflesh that holds together wellwhen
cooked butflakeseasily. 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 popularin the Basque country and Portugal. Photo by
Bartlomiej Stroinski
Pacific Cod - [Arctic Cod, Alaskan Cod, Gray
Cod, Gadusmacrocephalus]
This species hasa distribution in the North
Pacific similar to that of Atlantic Cod in the
Atlantic. It is found asfar south as the

16. Yellow Sea and the coast of Southern California. This fish can grow to about 4
feet and 50 poundsbutthe photo specimen, from Canada, was6.9 poundsand
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 Councilas
responsible and sustainable.
Haddock - [Offshore Hake,
Melanogrammusaeglefinus]
A highly commercialNorth Atlantic fish
closely related to cod, found from the Arctic
Circle to as far south as New Jersey and the
north coastof France. They can getas large
as 39 inches and 37 pounds.
Haddock flesh is much like cod, white, firm, low fat and holdstogether well
when cooked. Itis much used for British Fish and Chips. Haddock are sold fresh,
dried and smoked, but, unlike cod, it doesn't take salting well.
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, thisis the "whiting" called for in European
cookbooks. Itwasformerly considereda fish for the poor, butdue to general
overfishing of European watersit is now valued more highly. This fish can grow
to 27 inches and over 6-1/2 pounds, but is commonly caughtat9-1/2 inches.

17. 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.Thisfish is highly commercial, butmost
of the catch is exported to Europe where hake is in demand. Thisfish can grow
to 30 inches and over 5 pounds, butare 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.
Whiting - Pacific - [Pacific Hake, North Pacific Hake, Merlucciusproductus]
This cod relative is native to the eastern North Pacific from southern Mexico to
Vancouver Island, Canada, and isvery similar to the Silver Hake found on the
Atlantic side. Our photo example was, unfortunately, headlessand 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, dorsaland ventral.
This fish can grow to 35 inches and over 2-1/2 pounds, butthe headlessphoto
specimen was 12 inches (probably 17 incheshead-on) and weighed8-1/4
ounces(probably 14 ounceshead-on).
Croakers & Drums - Corvina - [family Sciaenidae]
Croakersand Drumsgettheir name from soundsthey make underwater. Corvina
is a Spanish name for many fish in this family.
Freshwater Drum - [Gaspergou, Sheepshead, Lake/River drum, Grunt, Croaker,
Aplodinotusgrunniens]
This fish waspurchased in an Asian market
in Southern California labeled "Sheephead"
with a subscriptof "Bacoco". It'snot a
Bacoco which are ocean fish but it is called
"Sheepshead" in some regions, butin
California a Sheepshead is a totally

18. differentfish. This is a pretty big fish at 20 inchesand 4.82 pounds but they can
grow to over 3 feet and 50 pounds. Found in large non-freezing lakesand rivers
in North and CentralAmerica, this is a minor commercialfish and not
considered threatened.
Yellow Croaker
This is confusing. There are two fish called Yellow Croaker in Southern
California, often sold in the same market. Some authoritiesclearly assign them
as Larimichthyspolyactis and Pseudosciaena manchurica butFishbase
considersthose two names to be for the same fish. They are probably right, but
their photo is so bad it's hard to tell whatfish they think it is. L. polyactis seems
reasonably clear, butthe other fish wasa problem. A bunch of croakerslooking
quite similar - but based on tail shape and stripe pattern in Fishbase I settled on
M. undulatus, confirmed by the Smithsonian EnvronmentalResearch Center.
Their photo of M. undulatisis very good, and a dead ringer for my boy.
Corvina / Yellow Croaker - [Yellowfish, Yellow Corvina, Larimichthyspolyactis
alt Pseudosciaena manchurica]
Native to the northwestPacific, particularly
the Yellow Sea and East China Sea, this fish
is highly prized among Asiansin Los Angeles, especially the Koreans. In Korean
marketsthey are sold frozen, dried, salted cooked and sometimesfresh, 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 hasa pointy face. This fish can grow to about
18 inches, but the photo specimen, purchased from a LosAngeles market
serving mostly Vietnamese and Chinese, was13-1/4 incheslong and weighed 1
pound 2-1/2 ounces, IUCNstatus NE (Not Evaluated).

19. 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 thisfish and
others. I had previously followed the FDA photo and called this fish
Pseudoscianena manchurica butI'm pretty sure now thatis wrong (see Corvina
above).
This fish is native to the West Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean. Itranges
from Massachusetts to Argentina and is considered a very good eating fish.
This fish can grow to 22 inches and 5 pounds11 ounces, butthe photo
specimen was 14 inches long and weighing 1 pound 3/4 oz. This fish is currently
caughtwild and not farmed.
Red Drum - [Redfish, Sciaenopsocellatus]
Strangely, thisdrum is not alwaysred, 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 Massachusettsto northern Mexico and can grow to 61 inches
and 99 pounds, butthe photo specimen was 16-1/2 inchesand 2 pounds. The
photo specimen, farm raised in Taiwan, showsan extra black spot on this side
and had two on the other side. Red drum wasbadly depleted to supply
restaurantsduring the "Blackened Redfish" craze of a few yearsback butis now
farmed and in good supply.
Dace - [Dart, Dare, Leuciscusleuciscus]
A common fish in fast moving fresh (or
sometimes brackish) waterswith a worldwide
distribution in temperate climates. Pictured is
one 12 inches long and weighing 10 ounces

20. (cleaned). Dace is commonly categorized asa "course" fish and not used much for
food in the U.S. or Europe. Itcan be treated much as carp and in Asia it is often
used to make fish balls. Whole fish can be found in Asian markets
Dollar Fish - see Pompano.
Dolphin (fish) - see Mahi-Mahi.
Dover Sole - There are two fish marketed asDover Sole, Microstomuspacificus
(fishbase: Dover Sole), actally a flounder, and Solea solea (fishbase: Common
sole). Woe betide s/he who attempts to use pacificusin a recipe for real sole.
Drum - see Croakers& Drums.
Eel- [order AnguilliformesfamiliesAnguillidae (freshwater), Congridae
(saltwater), Muraenidae (Morays), others, and order Synbranchiformes (Swamp
Eels)]
Anguilliformsis a large order of fish that have become very elongated to the point
of resembling snakesand worms. While related to other modern ray-finnedfish
they tend to be rather primitive and a bit simplified. Freshwater eelsspawn at sea
and die there. Their offspring enter riversas juveniles and live there until time to
spawn. Lacking scalesin most cases and scales that can be scraped off without
tearing the skin in all cases, eels are notkosher.
American Eel - [Anguilla rostrata]
This freshwater eelis found in riversand
streams along the West Atlantic from
Greenland to the tip of South America butis
most common in the temperate zonesof that range. Female eels can grow to
60 inches and 16 poundsbutmales 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 dependson capturing returning
juveniles. There is a big marketin Asia for these juveniles because of an eel
shortfallthere butpopulationsare declining and protectionsare being

21. considered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Illustration fromU.S.National Oceanic
and AtmosphericAdministration =publicdomain.
European Eel - [Anguilla anguilla]
This freshwater eelis found in riversand
streams along the East Atlantic from
Morocco to northern Norwayand in the
Mediterranean, Baltic and Black seas.
These eels can grow to 52 inches and 14
poundsbutmarketsize 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
dependson capturing returning juvenilesbutthe runshave been scantrecently
and this eel is listed as CR "Critically Endangered". Do notcatch or eat this eel.
Photo by Ron Offermans distributed underlicenseCreativeCommonsAttribution-ShareAlike3.0.
Japanese Eel - [Unagi(sushi), Anguilla japonica]
This freshwater eel, native to Japan, China and SoutheastAsia including the
Philippines, is caughtwild and farmed. japonica spawnsfar outto sea and then
dies, so aquaculture dependson capturing returningjuveniles. They can grow
to nearly 60 inchesbut are generally marketed much smaller. Thisfish 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), Congermyriaster
(Japanese) and othersof family Congridae]
This strictly ocean eel is much larger than
the freshwater eelsand much more robust
in its reproduction habits. The European
Conger can grow to nearly 10 feetand 350 pounds. They are found worldwide
and there isn't a lot of difference from one speciesto another. Illustration of
CongercongerfromU.S.NationalOceanicand AtmosphericAdministration =publicdomain. .

22. Spiny Eel - see Spiny Eel
Swamp Eel
- [Rice Eel,
Asian
Swamp Eel,
Monopterusalbus of family Synbranchidae]
This eel is native to SoutheastAsia, China and Japan, and possibly Bangladesh
(a very similar but smaller eel, M. cuchia is found from Pakistan through
Bangladesh and Burma). M. albuscan grow to a little over 39 inches but the
photo specimen, boughtfresh at an Asian marketin California, was32 inches
and weighed 1.1 pound factory cleaned. Thiseel is in no way endangered and
can be a pest..
Emperor- [family Lethrinidae]
A moderate size family of Indo Pacific fish (only one species ventures into the
Atlantic). Most are under 24 incheslong and most supportatleast minor fisheries.
Pink Ear Emperor
An Indo - West Pacific fish found from the
eastern coast of Africa through the South
Pacific islands. Some reportsshow them
also along the coast of Baja and Central
America. The most commercialof the
Emperors, this fish can grow to 20 inches
but the photo specimen was10-3/4 inchesand weighed 12 ounces. This fish is
not listed as threatened.
Flathead - [BartailFlathead, Platycephalus
indicus]
Flatheadsare a fairly large family of fish but
only this one is commercially significant. The
Bartail Flathead can grow to 39 inches and 7.7

23. 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 coastof
southern Africa around through the Indian Ocean allthe way to the mid Pacific
islands and has been introduced into the eastern Mediterranean. Itrangesfrom
from southern Australia north to Korea and Japan and is now also being farmed,
particularly in Japan.
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 raysit's nearly impossible to eat
whole or as fillets. It is, however, the preferred fish for fish cakes, fish balls and
some kindsof pickled fish and fish sauce in Thailand and Vietnam.
This fish growsup to 39 inchesand 11 poundsbut the photo specimen was17-1/2
inches long and weighed 1 pound 6-1/8 ounces, purchased from the freezer case
of an Asian marketin Los Angeles.
Flounders- [families: Achiropsettidae (southern flounders), Bothidae (lefteye
flounders), Paralichthyidae (large-tooth flounders), Pleuronectidae (righteye
flounders)]
Floundersinclude a number of families of fish that have evolved to lie flat on the
bottom. Their eyeshave 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, butsome of them also leave the bottom and huntlike regular
fish.
In Europe "Sole" meansfish of family Soleidae. In North America the name is
applied haphazardly to variousfloundersthatare notmembersof the Soleidae
family - probably because "sole" soundsmore European and sophisticated.

24. Dover Sole / Slime Fish - [Slime Sole, Slippery
Sole; Microstomuspacificus]
Not the "real" Dover Sole (Solea solea) - this one
is used mainly for mink food, butis also
sometimes passed off to unsuspecting
consumersas edible. It is native to coasts of the
North Pacific, from San Diego, California up
around and down to southern Japan. Thisfish
can grow to nearly 15 inches and 7.7 poundsbut
is more commonly around 13 inches.
Actually dover sole is edible, though insipid, but used in recipes intended for
realSolea soles it is an unmitigated disaster, turning to mush.
Solea solea which is a true sole, nota flounder, is notfound 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.
.
Halibut- [Hippoglossusstenolepis (Pacific), Hippoglossushippoglossus
(Atlantic)]
A large righteye flounder growing to almost
9 feet and 500 pounds. Pacific Halibutare
found from centralCalifornia through the
Bearing Sea to the Sea of Japan. They are a
prized eating fish and well known, so other
flounder are sometimeslabeled "Halibut" in
markets. I have seen Petrale Sole labeled as
"Baby Halibut". Atlantic Halibut is rated "EN" (endangered) and should notbe
fished or eaten.
Halibutis a white fleshed fish that holds up well to most methods of cooking. It

25. is a large fish so it is most often sold as partial fillets. Petrale Sole, while much
smaller, has similar cooking propertiesand can be used as a substitute. If you
live on the East Coast or in Europe you can use Sole.
.
Petrale Sole - [Eopsetta jordani]
A righteye flounder which can grow to 27
inches long and 8 poundsbutthe photo
specimen was 20.5 inchesand 3.6 pounds,
a typicalmarketsize, mainly an incidental
catch off the the Pacific coastfrom
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 coastso fetches a high price. It is not
considered threatened.
Plaice - [family Pleuronectidae, Pleuronectesplatessa (European)
Hippoglossoidesplatessoides (American), Pleuronectesquadrituberculatus
(Alaska)]
A group of medium size righteye flounders.
The European can getup to 39 inches and is
found in the East North Atlantic and Baltic
Sea. The American getsto 32 inchesand is
found in the West Atlantic as far south as
Rhode Island and around Greenland. The Alaskan growsto about24 inches.
Plaice is very popular in European recipesand 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 Plaiceby HansHillewaert
distributed underlicense
Rex Sole - [Glyptocephaluszachirus]
This righteye flounder is caughtin the
North Pacific from Southern California to
the Russian coast of the Bering Sea. The can

26. 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, typicalin the marketshere - though fish up
to 1 pound are frequently seen. The population isnot considered threatened
and there hasn't been a lot of interest in farming this fish because it matures
too slowly.
Sanddab - [Citharichthyssordidus(pacific),
C. xanthostigma (long fin)]
This lefteye flounder washugely popular in
eateries in the San Francisco Bay area of
California butis now in shortsupply
because of fishery laws designed to protect
shallow water rockfish. The sand dab itself is not considered threatened. Rex
Sole is a perfectsubstitute (even though it is a righteye flounder from deeper
water), similar in size, flavor and cooking properties. Sanddabsgrowto 16
inches butare mostly under 1 pound
Starry Flounder- [Platichthysstellatus]
A very common fish from Santa Barbara California to Arctic Alaska and the Sea
of Japan. Strangely, itis a righteye flounder butmosthave 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 butalso Diodon]
A family of fish that puff up to several times
their normalsize when threatened, common in
tropicalseas, particularly near reefs. Fugu is
considered a greatdelicacy in Japan (and
Korea) where itis extremely expensive and
served raw in highly decorative arrangements.
It's prepared only by trained and licensed fugu
chefs- because the eyes and internalsare so toxic one fish can kill 30 people.

27. 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 - withoutthe risk of death it's just another fish. Puffers
have long been eaten in Florida butare now banned taken from some waters due
to a differentbacterialtoxin. Fugu is notconsidered threatened butis not
generally marketed in North America. .
Fusiliers- [family Caesionidae]
Fusiliers are generally non-migratoryreef fish found in tropicalseas.
Redbelly Yellowtail Fusilier - [Caesio cuning
]
This Indo-WestPacific fish can grow to
nearly 24 inchesbut is generally marketed
much smaller. The pictured fish was12-1/2
inches and weighed 14 ounces. A popular
eating fish in the Philippinesit can be found in fish marketscatering to that
community. Prep & Cooking Details.
Twinstripe Fusilier - [Pterocaesio marri]
This Indo-WestPacific fish can grow to
nearly 14 inchesbut is generally marketed
smaller. The pictured fish was10 inches
and weighed 8 ounces. A popular eating
fish in the Philippines, it can be found in fish
marketscatering to that community.
Apparently Twinstripe Fusiliersvary in color. The ones available at a Philippine
marketin Los Angelesare very red and marked "RedtailFusilier", butFishbase
and other sourceslist no such name. Prep & Cooking Details.
Goatfish - [Mullet; Red Mullets; family Mullidae]
A family of tropicaland temperate marine fish, Goatfish, often called "Mulllet",
have alwaysbeen a very popular eating fish in Western and Mediterranean

28. Europe but are little known in North America. Confusingly, they are not related to
the Mullet family.
Striped Red Mullet - [Mullus surmuletus]
This temperate and sub tropicalGoatfish 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 cookbooksbutyou're
unlikely to find any in North America. They can grow to 15 inchesand 2 pounds
but are usually marketed atbetween 2-1/2 and 8 ounces. Red list status: Not
Evaluated. Details and Cooking.
Indian Goatfish / Red Mullet - [Yellow Spot
Goatfish, Parupeneusindicus]
This tropicalIndo/Pacific Goatfish is found
from the east coast of Africa to the
southwestcoast of Mexico and as far south
as the northern coastof Australia. It adopts
a number of color schemesbut is often
marketd in its red form as"Red Mullet". All have the round dark spotatthe tail
and a large yellow spot at the lateralline between the two dorsalfins - but in
the red form that spot is only faintly visible.
This is a supurb eating fish, butnot common here in Southern Califronia. They
can grow to nearly 18 inches butfish in my test batch were about12-1/2 inches
long weighing 1 pound. The photo specimen is a bit smaller because the idiots
at the markethad broken the tails of all the larger fish to fit them in a foam
tray that wastoo small - an outrage thatwould never happen in the Philippine
and SoutheastAsian marketshere. Red list status: Not Evaluated. Details and
Cooking.

29. Gobies - [family Gobiidae]
Gobies constitute one of the largestfmailies of fish, butare among the smallest
fish, ranging from 3/8 incheslong to 12 inches long, butonly a very few giant
gobiesare over 4 inches. Because of there size few gobiesare food fish, buta few
are popular aquarium fish.
Sand Goby - [Tank Goby (Fishbase), Flathead Goby; Ca bong cat, Ca bong da
(Viet); Glossogobiusgiuris]
This fish is found in tropicalfresh and
brackish watersfrom the east coast of
Africa to the South Pacific islands. Caught
wild and farmed. Itis 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 atabout9 inchesand 3.2 oz.
Details and Cooking.
Keo Fish / Ca Keo - [Ca Keo (Viet), Pseudapocrypteselongatus altP.
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 inchesand weighed 0.77 ounces. Itwas
harvested wild in Vietnam where this fish is quite popular for a hot-potsoup
named after it. Details and Cooking
Golden Thread - [Golden threadfin bream, Pla
Sai Dang (thai) Nemipterusvirgatus]
This small fish is commercially importantin
the East and South China Seas and is common

30. 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 marketPrep & Cooking Details.
Gouramies- [Osphronemidae (Gouramies)]
A family of generally very small fish (most1 to 3 inches), most living in Africa, but
with a couple exceptionsof edible size living in SoutheastAsia. Many gouramies
have a leading ray of the pelvic fins elongated into a tentacle which may extend
beyond the tail.
Giant Gourami- [Osphronemusgoramy]
Found in the rivers of SoutheastAsia this fish can grow to over
27 inches. An air breathing fish it can stay alive for daysout of
the water if keptmoist. 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 SoutheastAsia this
fish can grow to nearly 10 inches butthe
photo specimen was 7-1/4 inchesand
weighted 3.9 ounces. Note that the pelvic
fins have become long threadsextending
from well below the pectoralfinsextending back (visible in the larger photo).
Able to breath air, this fish can stay alive for daysout of the water if keptmoist.
Considered a good eating fish it is both fished and farmed and is not
threatened. Prep & Cooking Details.
Graylings- [GenusThymallus]
These fish belong to the Salmon family along
with Trout, Char and Whitefish. They inhabit
fresh watersin the far north and are easy to

31. tell from trout by their large scales and a very large and showy dorsal fin. The
longest and most commercialized (wild and farmed) isthe Arctic Grayling (T.
arcticusarcticus) which may grow to 30 inches and over 8 pounds. The grayling
proper (T. thymallus,) is a European speciesthatmay grow to 24 inchesand 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 famousare the Giant and Goliath Grouperswhich can
grow to around 1000 pounds - pretty big bass. All groupersmeetkosher
requirementsbutmany species are Red Listed as VU (vulnerable) or EN
(Endangered).
Areolate Grouper - [Epinephelusareolatus]
An Indo West-Pacific fish found from South
Africa to Fiji and north asfar as Japan. It
can grow to 18 inchesand 3 poundsbutthe
photo specimen was 13-1/2 inchesand
weighed 1 pound. This fish is both caught
wild and farmed. Thisfish is not Red Listed. Prep & Cooking Details.
Goliath Grouper - [Epinephelusitajara]
This fish which growsto 98 inches and near
1000 poundsoccasionally attemptsto eat
scuba divers. It is found in warmer waters
on both coasts of North and South America
and particularly likesto live in caves and
shipwrecks. Thisfish has been greatly
depleted, mainly by sport spear fishing -
this fish is Red Listed CR (Critically Endangered) - do notcatch, do not spear, do
not eat (severe Federalfines for posession).
Giant Grouper - [Epinephelus lanceolatus]
This Indo-WestPacific fish growsto over 100 inches and 880 poundsand is

32. 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 hasbeen
established.
Red Grouper - [Pink Grouper (restaurants), Brown Grouper, Deer Grouper
(Bahamas), Epinephelusmorio]
This West Atlantic fish is found from North
Carolina to Southern Braziland all around
the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean. Itcan
grow to 49 inches and 50 poundsbutthe
photo specimen was 16-1/2 inchesand
weighed 1-1/2 pound. Thisfish is Red Listed as NT (Near Threatened). Prep &
Cooking Details.
Strawberry Grouper/Golden Hind - [Golden Hind (fb), Cephalopholisaurantia |
Strawberry Hind (fb), Strawberry Grouper,
Cephalopholisspiloparaea]
Fishbase ascribes "strawberry grouper" to
C. spiloparaea butthe photo specimen is a
half inch longer than that fish gets.
Consequently I'm assigning "Strawberry
Grouper" to both these nearly identicalfish. 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 butthe photo specimen was12-1/2 inchesand
weighed 1.4 pounds. Neither fish is Red Listed. Prep & Cooking Details.
Haddock - See Cod & Haddock.
Hake - [family Phycidae, family Merlucciidae, others]
Severalfamilies of long narrow fish of the same order ascod. Hake are popular in
Europe butnot widely in the U.S. where much of the New England catch is shipped
to Europe. The main commercialspeciesgrow to about39 inches. European hake)
appearsto be over-fished butis not yeton the threatened lists.

33. Herring - [Family Clupeidae, various genera and species]
A family of generally small oily fish, Herring can grow to over 18 inches and 1.5
poundsbutis generally caughtand harvested much smaller. See also Sardine
Atlantic Herring - [Clupea harengus
harengus]
The most abundantand economically
importantherring, thisround bodied fish
can grow to nearly 18 inches and 1.5
poundsbutthe photo specimen was 13-1/2 inchesand 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 herringsand generally eaten whole. Sild are small
immature herringscanned like Sardinesin Norway. Marine ecologistsclassify
Atlantic herring asa sustainable harvest. Details, Prep & Cooking.
Blue Herring - [Skipjack Shad,Alosa
chrysochloris]
While most herring are found in cold ocean
watersthis one likes subtropical
temperaturesand venturesfar up rivers,
having been found asfar north as Minnesota in the Mississippi and Ohio rivers.
This fish can grow to 19 inches and 3-3/4 poundsthe photo specimen, caught
wild off Florida, was9-1/2 inchesand 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 Seasand nearby lakesand rivers.
Grimmi and engrauliformislive in central

34. and southern Caspian only. All can grow to just over 5-1/2 inches,
engrauliformisa little longer, and are major fish for canning in the region. I
have also seen some cans of Latvian Baltic spratslabeled Kilka.
Caspian stocks have recently dropped 50% due to an American comb jelly
named Mnemiopsisleidyi eating all their food and the fishery is now
endangered. Thisalso happened to the Black Sea butanother 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
disappearswhen they are all eaten. Prep & Cooking Details
Herring Pickled, Canned, Kippered & Dried
Herring is an oily fish that preserveswell in
variousways, and all these waysare
exploited. The photo showstwo varieties of
pickled herring from Poland, a major
herring eating country. Yummm! More on
Preserved Herring
Kelee Shad - [Tenualosa kelee or Hilsa kelee]
Hilsa Shad - [Tenualosa ilisha]
Toli Shad - [Chinese Herring, Tenualosa toli]
These three fish are all but
indistinguishable one from another. They
are highly commercialIndo-WestPacific
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 was10
inches and weighed 6 ounces. These shad are marketed fresh and dried and are
not considered threatened. Some Hilsa shad hasbeen successfully farmed in
India. Prep & Cooking Details
Tunsoy - [GenusSardinella variousspecies
and Dussumieria acuta]
Tunsoy is the Philippine name for various

35. Indo-Pacific herring. The photo example was rehydrated from a package of
salted and dried herring obtained from a Philippine grocery. These fish are
about5-1/2 incheslong and weigh about1/2 ounce (after a 5 hour soak). Prep
& Cooking Details
Idiot Fish - See Rock Fish - Idiot.
Jacks- [GenusCaranx, variousspecies]
A family of deep bodied fish related to Pompanosand Scads.
Blue Runner - [Bluestripe Jack, Hardtail
Jack, Caranxcrysos]
Belonging to the same family as Pompanos,
Blue Runnersare found on both sides of the
Atlantic and in the Mediterranean,
generally near reefs, They can grow to 27
inches and 11 pounds, butthe photo specimen, caughtwild off Alabama, was
13 inches and weighed 1#2 oz. Prep & Cooking Details
Crevalle Jack - [Jackfish Caranxcaninus
(Pacific) Caranxhippos (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 inchesand 11 ounces. Atlantic fish are found from
Nova Scotia to Uruguay and have grown to over 48 inchesand 70 pounds. Prep
& Cooking Details
Yellowtail Amberjack - [California
Yellowtail, Seriola lalandi]
This large jack is found in warm watersall
around the Pacific, the Pacific Islandsand

36. 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 poundsbutthe photo
specimen was 27 inches and 7.44 pounds. Prep & Cooking Details
Kilka - see Herring.
Lapu-Lapu - Philippine word for justaboutany 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
MagnusKjaergaard distributed under CreativeCommons
Attribution ShareAlike v2.5.
Mackerel- [family Scombridae (Mackerels, tunas, bonitos)]
Mackerelsare a large family including several genera of economically important
fish ranging from a few ouncesto nearly 100 pounds. Mackerelare in generaloval
fish, meaty, oily and strongly flavored. Tuna, which are flatter in shape, are
technically mackerelbutare treated separately.
Atlantic Mackerel - [Scomber scombrus]
This North Atlantic mackerelis most
commonly found off the European coast
and in Japanese sushi bars - large
quantities are exported to Japan from
Norway. There are also strong populationsoff the U.S. Atlantic coast and also
found in the Mediterranean, the Black Sea and off the coast of Morocco. The
pictured specimen was15 incheslong and weighed 1-1/4 poundsbefore being
cleaned, stuffed and baked. Prep & Cooking Details

37. Chub Mackerel - see Japanese Mackerel
Hasa Hasa (Philippine) - [ShortMackerel(fb) Rastrelliger brachysoma] Fish I
have seen labeled "Hasa Hasa" marketed in Los Angeles wasactually Bigeye
Scad.
Indian Mackerel - [Rastrelliger kanagurta ]
A highly commercialIndo-WestPacific
mackerelfound from the Red Sea and
Madagascar to Samoa, these fish can grow
to over 13 inchesbut the specimen in the
photo was8-1/2 inches and weighed 4-1/2
ounces. This fish is not considered threatened and issold fresh, frozen, canned,
dried-salted, smoked and made into fish sauce. Prep & Cooking Details
Japanese Mackerel - [Blue Mackerel, Pacific Mackerel, Chub Mackerel, Aji
(Japanese), Scomberjaponicus]
A truly worldwide fish, this mackerelis
found in temperate and tropicalwatersjust
abouteverywhere - unlessyou subscribe to
division into three species: S. japonicus in
the Indo Pacific, S. colias in the Atlantic and
S. australasicus around Australia and Indonesia. Itgrowsto 25 inches and over
6 poundsbutthe photo specimen is 16-1/4 inchesand 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 Mackerelis still considered better eating).
Sold fresh, frozen, salted, smoked and canned. Itis kosher and notthreatened.
Prep & Cooking Details
King Mackerel - [Scomberomoruscavalla]
Largestof the fish called mackerel, the king mackerelcan 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 Americasfrom the U.S. / Canada boarder almostto
Argentina. Sportsfishing bringsin well over twice the catch of commercial
fishing.

38. 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 inchesbut
the photo specimen was 12-1/2 incheslong 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,
Scomberemorussierra]
This prized eating mackerelis found along
the East Central Pacific from Southern
California to the northern tip of Chili. It can
grow to 39 inches and 18 poundsbutthe one in the photo was18-3/4 inches
long and weighed 1 pound 4-3/4 ounces. Marketsize around here isbetween
15 and 22 inches. Details and Cooking
Smoked Mackerel - [Scomber spp.]
Mackerelis an oily fish with robustflavor
which makesit an excellent candidate for
smoking. Atlantic mackerelis preferred but
Pacific mackerelis also used. Prep & Cooking Details
Mahi-Mahi- [Dolphin, Dolphin-fish, Dorado Coryphaena hippurus]
This large fish is unrelated to the sea mammalalso called "Dolphin" so the
Hawaiian name Mahi-Mahiis now widely used to avoid confusion. Thisfish is
found in tropicaland subtropicalseas the world around, including the deep ociean
where few other fish venture. They are a shortlived fish and are usually caughtat
about20 pounds, though they can grow to 90 pounds. The flesh is firm and fine
grained, and generally cutinto steaks or fillets. It is often used as a kosher
substitute for swordfish,

39. Milkfish - [Bangus(Philippine), Chanoschanos]
This Indo-Pacific warm water fish is an
importantfood fish in India, SoutheastAsia
and the Pacific, particularly the Philippines.
Milkfish are extremely suspicious, strong and very fast so are difficult to catch in
the wild butare a major farm fish in many tropicalcounties. While they can grow
to almost 6 feet and over 30 pounds, farmed milkfish is generally marketed at18
inches and smaller The fish in the photo was 18 inches and 2-1/4 pounds. The
milkfish is durable, having survived the Cretaceousextinction that did in the
dinosaurs, the ammonitesand perhaps50% of other marine species. Prep &
Cooking Details
Monkfish - [Angler, Lophiusamericanus (North America), Lophiuspiscatorius
(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'llnever 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 poundsbutthese
figuresare meaninglesssince most of the fish is inedible. The European Monkfish
is considered heavily over-fished though notyeton the official endangered lists.
Monkfish is not kosher. Prep & Cooking Details
Moonfish - [Mene maculata family Menidae]
This Indo - Pacific fish is found from the
eastern coast of Africa through the South
Pacific islands and as far north asthe southern
tip of Japan. This species, the only member of
the Menidae (Moonfish) family, can grow to
nearly 12 inchesbut the photo specimen was
8-1/4 inchesand weighed 7.4 ounces. In its
home range moonfish is often dried and can
be dried withoutsalt. Having no scales it is not

40. kosher and is not listed as threatened. Prep & Cooking Details.
Moonfish, Mexican - [Selene orstedii]
Related to Pompanos, thisfish is found on the
East Pacific coastfrom Baja California to
Columbia in South America. They can grow to
13 inches long but the onesavailable
commercially here are about10 inchesand
weigh about9 ounces. Notlisted as
threatened. Prep & Cooking Details.
Mullet- [Family Mugilidae]
A fairly large family of salt water fish, Mullets have alwaysbeen very popular in
the Mediterranean area and costalEurope butis little used in North America.
Confusingly, the best know "mullet", the Red Mullet, is not a mullet at all but a
Goatfish.

41. Grey Mullet - [Flathead Mullet, Mugil
cephalus]
Found world wide in coastal waters, this
fish can grow to 47 inchesand 26 pounds
but the photo specimen was15-1/2 inches,
weighing 1 pound 6-1/2 ounces. They are
caughtwild and farmed and are notconsidered threatened. They are not
common in North American marketsexceptalong the SoutheastCoast, butare
a very importantcommercialfish in many partsof the world. Itis a good eating
fish - look for it in Philippine and SoutheastAsian fish markets. Details and
Cooking.
Red Mullet
These famousmullets are notmullets at all - see Goatfish.
Orange Roughy - [Hoplostethusatlanticus]
A member of the Slimehead family, this fish is
caughtin extremely deep cold waters, mainly
off New Zealand. The fishery started in 1979
when gear wasmade available that could
locate and catch them at such depth. They are extremely long lived (to 150 years)
slow breeding fish and even at currentreduced ratesthe fishery is probably not
sustainable. Rated Do Not Eat by marine environmentalistsand listed as
threatened by the governmentof Australia. Average marketsize is about2-1/4
poundsand they are so ugly they're alwayssold as fillets. The flesh is mild, almost
shellfish like and hasbeen compared to sole. Drawing by RobbieCada contributed to the
public domain.
Parrotfish - [Big Belly Parrotfish, Forsten'sParrotfish, Rainbow Parrotfish, Scarus

42. forsteni]
Parrotfish are a large family but this is the only
representative I've found yetso it's stand-
alone for now. This West Pacific fish, found
from the East edge of the Indian Ocean to the
Pitcairn Islands, growsto 21 inches and 5.5
poundsbutthe photo specimen was 12-3/4 inchesand 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 greatdepthsin the southern oceans
from Uruguay to the Antarctic Circle. It hasvery white flesh with a high fat
contentbut rather little flavor. A single large fish can sell for $1000 in Japan.
Though marketed as"Chilean Sea Bass" in the U.S. it is not a bass at all nor is it
specific to Chile. This fish is endangered by pirate fishing and it's slow rate of
maturing. While there is some properly licensed commercialfishing, the pirate
take is thoughtto be five times as large. It is notpossible to tell legalfrom pirated
fish so consuming this fish should be avoided. Photo by US FederalGovernment= public
domain.
Perch [GenusPerca species; also Latidae (Lates perches)]
"Perch" isthe prototype for Order Perciformes(Perch-like fishes) to which mostof
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" butnone are actually perch. I am, though, including Latesperches
(Latidae) here for convenience.
Climbing Perch - not a perch, see Climbing Perch.
Barramundi- [GiantPerch, Asian seabass, White seabass, Barra; Siakap
(Malay); Latescalcarifer]
This Indo-Pacific fish is very importantin
SoutheastAsia and northern Australia both

43. wild and farmed - a sought after fish that fetches a premium price. It can grow
to 78 inches and 132 poundsbutthe photo specimen was17 incheslong,
weighed 2 pounds14 ounces. It probably came from from a fish farm in
Thailand, buta growing number are farmed in the US. They are also farmed in
Indonesia, Malaysia and Australia with smaller operationsin the UK and
Holland. Details and Cooking.
Walleye - [Yellow Pike, American Zander, Sander vitreus| similar Sandre
Canadien, Sand pickerel; Sander
canadensis]
Pronounced "Wally", thislargestmember
of the true perch family can grow to 42 inches and 25 poundsbutthe photo
specimen was 18-1/2 inchesand 2-3/4 pounds. Thisfreshwater fish is found in
the greatlakes and in most major riversin the Northeastof the U.S. and
Canada. Itis found in the Mississippi river basin as far south as Arkansas.
Commercialaquaculture isin the developmentstages but large numbersare
hatched for restocking lakesand rivers. Red List status "Not Evaluated". Details
and Cooking.
Ocean Perch is nota 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 lakesand rivers, but a few are found as
far south as South Carolina. Itcan grow to nearly
20 inches and 4-1/4 pounds, butis commonly
quite a bit smaller. Red List status "Not
Evaluated". Photo by U.S.Departmentof Agriculture= public domain.

44. Egli / European Perch - [Perca flaviatilis]
Very similar to the North American Yellow Perch,
but notyet proven to be the same species. This
perch infests the ponds, riversand streams of
Europe and most of Siberia, exceptSpain and
Italy which are too warm for it. In Europe they
grow to about10 pounds, butthey have been introduced to New Zealand and
Australia where the record is23 pounds. They are commonly marketed at
around 10 inches. Considered an excellenteating fish, caughtwild and farmed.
IUCN rated LC (LeastConcern). Photo by Dgp.martin distributed underlicenseCreative
CommonsAttribution 3.0Unported..
Zander - [Pike Perch, Sander lucioperca| similar Volga Pikeperch Sander
volgensis]
This elongated perch is native to Eastern an
CentralEurope, Sweden, Finland and
Western Asia, but hasbeen introduced into
England and other countriesas a popular angling fish. It can grow to 39 inches
and 44 pounds, butis commonly around20 inchesand is considered a very
good eating fish. Red List status is "LeastConcern". Restaurantsin 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] isthe largest fish harvestin

45. the world at 3 million tons per year. Most is made into sirimi, artificial crab meat,
and McDonald'sfish sticks. Alaskan Pollock is in the same family (Gadidae) asCod
and is considered a sustainable catch by marine ecologists. Prep & Cooking
Details.
Pomfret - [family Bramidae]
Yes, there actually are realpomfret, butthe fish called "Pomfret" in the market
aren't, they're Butterfish and Pompano. Black Pomfret Taractesrubescens,
Atlantic Pomfret Brama brama and Pacific Pomfret Brama japonica are real
pomfretsbutI have yet to find any in the markets.
Pomfret, Black (Gray) - see under Pompanos Black Pomfret. There is actually a
Black Pomfretthat'sa real Pomfret(Taractesrubescens), butthe pompano is
whatyou'llfind called "black pomfret" in the markets.
Silver Pomfret- see under Butterfish Silver Pomfret and Chinese Silver Pomfret.
White Pomfret - see Silver Pomfretand Chinese Silver Pomfret.
Pompanos- [GenusTrachinotus, Parastromateus and others]
Deep bodied ocean fish of family Carangidae (Jacksand Pompanos). Pompanos
are prized eating fish worldwide, though some of them are commonly known as
Butterfish and Pomfret.
Black Pomfret - [C. Parastromateusniger]
Actually not a Pomfretbuta Pompano (the
two families look a lot alike) and a very
good eating fish. This Indo-WestPacific fish
can grow to 29 inchesbut the photo
specimen was 10 inches and weighed 12
ounces. Though highly commercialthisis a
fast breeding fish and not considered
threatened, Prep & Cooking Details.

46. Pompano - [Trachinotus blochii (Golden Pompano, Asian Pompano),
Trachinotuscarolinus (Florida Pompano,
Common Pompano)]
Pompano isa highly preferred eating fish.
The specimen in the photo was marketed as
"Golden Pompano" whichissupposed to be
T. Blochii but from photosin Fishbase he
looksmore like the very similar Florida
Pompano T. carolinus. Florida wild caught
pompanosare very expensive (actually this fish is found from Massachusettsto
Brazil). Both species are farmed commercially and I wouldn'tbe at all surprised
at hybridsof the two. Carolinuscan grow to 25 inches and Blochii to 43 inches
but the photo specimen was12 inches and weighed 1 pound 6 ounces, toward
the high end of marketsize here. Prep & Cooking Details.
Pony Fish - [Sap Sap (Philippine), Leiognathus
equulus]
This tropicalIndo-Pacific fish is found from the
east coast of Africa to the Pacific Islandsand
as far south as the north coastof 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 butthe photo specimen was9-1/2 inchesand
weighed 8.1 oz, caughtwild off Thailand. Living near river mouthsand in
mangrove areasthey are both farmed and caughtwild and sold both fresh and
dried. They have no scales I could find so they probably aren'tkosher, butthey're
not considered threatened. Prep & Cooking Details.
Porgy- [family Sparidae]
Variousdeep bodied fish that subsist mainly by crushing shellfish. Familiar on the
U.S. east coast are Pagruspagrus, caughtmostly off New England and
Sheepshead Porgy caughtsouth of the Chesapeake Bay. Mostfamiliar in Europe is

47. 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 coastof
the Gulf of Mexico this fish can get to
almost 36 inches and 21 poundsbutthe
photo specimen was 12-1/2 inchesand
weighed 1-1/2 pounds. It'san ocean fish
but it freely enters brackish water and sometimeseven 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 thisfish is in the experimentalstages 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 - [Acanthopagruslatus]
This Indo-WestPacific fish is found from the
Persian Gulf to the Philippines and from the
north coastof Australia to Japan. It can
grow to 19 inches and 3 poundsbutthe
photo specimen was 10-1/2 inchesand
weighed 12 ounces. It is both caughtwild
and farmed. Prep & Cooking Details.

48. Pufferfish - see FUGU.
Rabbitfish / Spinefoot - [family Siganidae] Rabbitfish are tropicalreef
dwelling fish that, unlike most fish, are vegetarian, living on seaweeds(algae).
Incidentally to their diet the eat bacteria and other organismsadhering to the
seaweed, and some of these contain ciguatera toxins. Predatory fish thateat
Rabbitfish can concentrate these toxins to a dangerousdegree, butRabbitfish
themselves contain only low, non-dangerouslevels.
Java Rabbitfish - [Streaked Spinefoot(Fishbase /FDA), Java Rabbitfish,
Bluespotted spinefoot; Siganusjavus]
Found in tropic seas from the east coastof
Africa to the South Pacific islands, the Java
Rabbitfish is a vegetarian living on algae. It
can grow to 20 inchesbut the photo
specimen was 14 inches and 1.9 pounds, near the high end for marketfish.
Rabbitfish reproducesquickly and isnot listed as endangered (IUCNNE(Not
Evaluated). They have no conventionalscales so are not kosher. Details and
Cooking.
Virgate Rabbitfish / Barred Spinefoot - [Barhead Spinefoot(Fishbase), Virgate
Rabbitfish; Siganusvirgatus | 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 rangesfrom the east
coast of Africa to the South Pacific islands
while the Barred rangesfrom southern India acrossthe Pacific to the coast of

49. CentralAmerica and northern South America. They both go as far south as the
northern coastof 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 inchesand the Barred to almost 10 inches. Rabbitfish
reproduce quickly and are notlisted as endangered (IUCNNE(Not Evaluated).
They have no conventionalscales 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]
Membersof 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 atallby the first
group. They are mostly venomous(poisoned spines) ranging from extremely to not
much. Fortunately those off the Pacific coastof California fallin the "not much"
range.
Popularly, rockfish are called nameslike "Sculpin" and "Rock Cod" butnone are
membersof 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 itis not),
this fish is found from the central coastof
California to the centralcost of Baja

50. California and the northern half of the Gulf of California, a rather short range
as fish go. It can grow to 17 inches butthe photo specimen was14 inches and
weighed justunder 2 pounds2 ounces. Details and Cooking.
Canary Rockfish - [Orange Rockfish,
Rockcod, Sebastespinniger]
One of the many varieties of deep water
rockfish caughtallalong the Pacific coast,
Canary Rockfish isfound from Baja
California to the Gulf of Alaska. They can
grow to 29 inches and 10 poundsbutthe photo specimen is normalmarketsize
at 20 inches and 4 pounds. Thisfish is sometimes more orange than the one in
the photo. Prep & Cooking Details.
Idiot Fish - [Shortspine Thornyhead,
Sebastolobusalascanus]
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 butmostly Northern California, Washington State, Canada
and Russia, but as far south as northern Japan. Thisfish can grow to 31 inches
and 20 poundsbutthe photo specimen was21 inches and 4-3/4 pounds,
towardsthe large end of marketsize.
Living under very sub-optimalconditionsthe IdiotFish growsslowly and has a
slow propagation rate. The U.S. fishery istightly regulated under Federal
fisheries programsto avoid overfishing, consequently it's notfound far from the
Pacific coast. Of course it's strange spiny appearance issortof off-putting for
many people anyway,which isjust as it should be because there will be more
for me. Outside the U.S. Pacific coast regulation may be defficientand the IUCN
Red List status is EN (Endangered). Detailsand Cooking.
Redbanded Rockfish - [Red Bandit (Asian markets); Sebastesbabcocki]

51. This Pacific rockfish is found from the
northern tip of Japan all the way around
and down to San Diego, California butis
most populousalong the south coast and
islands of Alaska. It can grow to 25 inches and almost 10 pounds, butthe photo
specimen was 17 inches and 3 pounds. It is sold in Asian groceriesin Southern
California labeled "Red Bandit". Colorsmay be lighter than on the photo
specimen. A slow growing fish of moderate population, it'smainly an incidental
catch and unlikely to be found in marketsfar from the Pacific Coast. Details and
Cooking.
Rougheye Rockfish - [Blacktip Rockcod;
Sebastesaleutianus]
. .This Pacific rockfish is found from the
northern tip of Japan all the way around
and down to San Diego, California butis most populousalong 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 rightunder the eyes. This fish can live for over
140 yearsand can grow to 38 inches and 19 pounds, butthe photo specimen
was19 inchesand 3 pounds4 ounces. It can occasionally be found in Asian
groceriesin Southern California. Fishing regulationsfor rockfish are quite strict,
limiting supply, so they are unlikely to be found in marketsfar 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, Sebastesmarinus) which growsup to 15 poundsand
lives acrossthe subarctic Atlantic, and a smaller (to 3 pounds) Australian Ocean
Perch (Red Gurnard Perch, Helicolenuspercoides alt. Sebastespercoides) which
lives on the west and southern coastsof Australia and around New Zealand.
Both of these are rockfish closely related to the Pacific Ocean Perch butmay
vary in culinary details. Spines on the Australian fish are toxic.

52. Ocean Perch - Pacific - [Longjaw Rockfish, Pacific Ocean Perch; ; Sebastes
alutus]
This Pacific rockfish, easily recognized by
the nubby protrusion on it'slower lip (no, it
isn't a cold sore) is found from the northern
tip of Japan all the way around and downto San Diego, California butis most
populousalong the south coastand islands of Alaska and around the
Kamchatka Peninsula. Thisfish can live for about100 yearsand can grow to 21
inches and 4.6 pounds, butthe photo specimen was16-1/4 inchesand weighed
1 pounds15 ounces.
This fish can occasionally be found in Asian fish marketsin Southern California.
As with all rockfish it is wild caughtand this fish is currently considered
overfished. IUCNRed List status is "Not Evaluated". Details and Cooking.
Vermillion Rockfish - [Red Rock Cod,
Sebastesminiatus]
One of the many varieties of deep water
rockfish caughtallalong the Pacific coast
from Baja to Vancouver Island. They can
grow to 30 inches and 15 poundsbutthe
individual in the photo is normalmarketsize 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'sonly one other fish in the entire
Anoplopomatidae family. Sablefish are found off the North Pacific coast in deep

53. water with sandy bottoms. They range from mid Baja California all the way
around to mid China, though they're scarce south of LosAngeles and Korea. Most
of the catch on this side of the Pacific is sold to Japan. Thisfish can grow to 47
inches and 125 pounds, butthe photo specimen was 23 inches and weighed 3
pounds6 ounces, aboutnormalfor marketsize.
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 "BestChoice" and from California, Washington
and Oregon "Good Alternative". Detailsand Cooking.
Salay Salay - Philippine - a number of small deep bodied Scad varieties - see
Yellowstripe Scad Alepes melanoptera, Blackfin Scad Alepesmelanoptera, Herring
Scad Alepes vari, Shrimp Scad Alepesdjedaba,
SALMON- [Family Salmonidae, GenusOncorhynchus (Pacific) and Salmo
(Atlantic) species]
Salmon are large seagoing Trout.
Actually all Troutare Salmonidae but
we've broken outthose not called
Salmon to other headings(See Trout) for a list.
Salmon live most of their lives in the deep oceansbutreturn 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 butsome survive.
Salmon Details
 Wild Salmon
 Varieties of Salmon
 Farmed Salmon
 Prep & Cooking Details

54. Sand Dab - See Flounders.
Sandfish - [Sailfin Sandfish, Arctoscopus
japonicus]
This fish is found in sandy-muddy bottom
areasof 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 inchesand 7 ounces. The
photo specimen was by far the largestfrom a tray of frozen fish purchased from a
Korean groceryand was10 incheslong and just over 4 oz. Prep & Cooking Details.
Sardines- [Herring family Clupeidae]
There are many varieties of Sardine, all
membersof 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, SoutheastAsia and
Morocco.
My preference isfor Canadian, followed by Polish and SoutheastAsian - with
Moroccan a distantlast place. Morrocco isby far the largest canner of both
sardinesand anchovies - you'd think they could figure outhow to make them taste
decent. The photo showsa shortstubby variety from Thailand canned in tomato
sauce.
California Sardine - [South American
Pilchard, Sardinopssagax]
California is fortunate in having a good
supply of these sardinessold fresh, butthey
are also found along both Pacific coasts, in
the Indian Ocean and on the Atlantic side of
South Africa. The photo specimens are

55. about 7 inches long and weigh about 2 ounces each. Prep & Cooking Details.
Spanish Sardine - [Sardinella aurita (fb Round Sardninella), Sardinella
maderensis(fb MaderensisSardinella)]
Spanish Sardine issupposed to be S. aurita,
but the photo specimen, sold as such, looks
more like S. maderensisto me. aurita lives
all along both Atlantic coasts, the
Caribbean and the Mediterranean in both
tropicaland temperate zones. Maderensisis an East Atlantic and
Mediterranean fish. While both species can grow to over 12 inches, the photo
specimen was 10-1/2 incheslong, 3 inches high, 1-1/4 inchesthick and
weighing 7-1/2 ounces. These fish are doing well and do not have an at-risk
rating. Prep & Cooking Details
Saury, Pacific Saury - see MackerelPike.
Scad - [family Carangidae] Scad belong to the same family as the mild and
delectable Pompanosand the stronger flavored Jacks. They resemble mackerelin
flavor, buta little milder and withoutso much oil.
Bigeye Scad - [Selar crumenophthalmus]
This is a "circumtropical" fish found allthe
way around the world above and below the
equator, butit's interpretation of the
"tropical" partis a bit loose since it's found
as far north as Nova Scotia. It's a nocturnal
fish traveling in schoolsof hundredsof thousandsand can grow to 27 inches,
but the photo specimen was10 inches and weighed 7.1 ounces. I have seen this
fish marketed in Los Angeles labeled "Hasa Hasa" which is properly the
unrelated (butsimilar looking) ShortMackerel. Thisfish is kosher and is not
threatened. Prep & Cooking Details.

56. Hardtail Scad - [Torpedo Scad, Megalaspis
cordyla]
This Indo-WestPacific fish is found from
East Africa to Japan and very common
around Indonesia. Itcan grow to 31 inches
and nearly 9 poundsbutthe photo specimen was 11-1/2 inchesand weighed 10
ounces. This is a highly commercialfish in SoutheastAsia. Kosher and not
threatened. Prep & Cooking Details.
MackerelScad - [Cigarfish, Cigarminow (small), Galunggong (Philippine), Round
Scad, Decapterusmacarellus]
This fish, found worldwide, isnot
related to Mackerel, butcan be
treated similarly except when the
Mackerel'soiliness is important
(smoking, pickling). Thisfish can grow
to 18 inches but the photo specimen was15 inches long and weighed 1# 3oz.
These fish have just enough scalesto be kosher. Prep & Cooking Details.
Round Scad - a group of mackerelshaped scads, all of the genus Decapterus,
including MackerelScad (D. macarellus), Japanese Scad (D. maruadsi), Shortfin
Scad (D. macrosoma), RoundScad (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 about6-1/2 inchesand weigh 2 ounces.
Prep & Cooking Details.
Yellowstripe Scad - [Yellowstripe Trevally,
Salay Salay, Selaroidesleptolepis ]
One of a number of similar small deep

57. bodied Scad called "Salay Salay" in the Philippines. These Indo-WestPacific fish,
found from the Persian Gulf to the Philippines, can reach 8 inches but are
marketed here much smaller. The photo specimen was6-1/4 incheslong,
weighed 1.6 ounce and hasa 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 was11 inches and weighed 9
ounces. Prep & Cooking Details.
Scorpionfish - see Rockfish.
Sculpin - [family Cottidae (Sculpins)]
Sculpinsare 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) thatlooksrather like a very fat sculpin.
Sea Bream - [family Sparidae (most), family Lethrinidae, others]
A catch-allname for a number of deep bodied fish of various namesthat resemble
fresh water bream. Mostof them are Sparidae (Porgies) or Lethrinidae (Emperors)
but other families are represented.
Shark- [class Chondrichthyes subclassElasmobranchii superorder
Selachimorpha]
Sharksare very differentfrom other fish.
When the modern fish (teleosts - bony
fish) came on the scene they rapidly
pushed their predecessorstoward
extinction. Under severe stress these
older fish back evolved some featuresof
their own primitive ancestorswhile adding some very advanced featuresaswell.
So successful were these adaptionsthe following era is called "The Age of Sharks"

58. and modern fish had to struggle to survive.
Sharkshave much larger brainsthan 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
flakeson modern fish (thus shark is not kosher). In the U.S. shark is generally
marketed assteaks about1-1/2 inch thick.
Some sharksare now on the conservation lists. Do not buy shark fin or order
sharkfin soup - havesting methodsare inhumane, very wasteful, and some of the
sharksused are rated "vulnerable" or "threatened". Prep& Cooking Details.
Sheephead /Sheepshead a name applied to an number of unrelated fish. See:
California Sheephead - see Wrasse
Sheepshead Seabream - see Porgies
Sild - see Herring.
Sillago - [family Sillaginidae (smelt-whitings)]
A modest size family of Indo - West Pacific fish, very slender and most under 15
inches long.
Silver Sillago - [Whiting, Common Whiting, Northern Whiting, Sand Whiting,
Silago-whiting, Silver Whiting (Australia);
Sillago sihama]
An Indo - West Pacific fish found from the
east coast of Africa to the Pacific islands
and from the southern tip of Japan to the
north and west coasts of Australia. A few have gotten into the eastern
Mediterranean through the Red Sea. They can grow to 13 inchesbut the photo
specimen was 5-1/4 inchesand weighed 0.6 ounce. Both caughtwild and
farmed, this is considered a good eating fish and is not endangered. Prep&
Cooking Details

59. Silver Fish - []
These appear to be juveniles, and may be of a
variety of fresh water herring, butI'm not sure.
They're sold in Asian marketsas frozen blocksof
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", butI
don'tknow 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 pectoralfins so enlarged they are referred to as
"wings". Like sharksskates have no bonesbut a skeleton
of cartilage. Skate is generally sold as cuts from the
wingsand is prepared quite differently from other fish. I
haven't seen ray for sale anywhere butskate wing, and
sometimes whole skate can be found in Asian fish markets.
For how to tell Skatesfrom Rayssee Note F21. Note: I acceptthe FishBase
taxonomy so I can lump skates and raysinto the same paragraph, notfrom malice
againstbiologists who supportthe "alternate" taxonomy. Some skatesare listed
as endangered (Common Skate, Thornback and Roker) butit's impossible to tell in
the marketwhatskate they are selling if it's just wings. No skate or ray is kosher.
Buying & Preparing Skate Wings.

60. DipturusSkate - [genusDipturusvar. species]
Fishbase has a number of skates thatlook "almost
exactly like" this one and they're all so similar butjust
a touch differentthatI'm going to chicken out and just
call this one a "DipturusSkate". Thisspecies 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, wasquite
small at 14-1/2 inchesacross, 18 inchestotal length
and 1.6 pounds. Some Dipturusspeciescan get as large as 100 inches long and
200 poundsbut48 inches and 24 poundsis 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). Variousspecies are
native to Atlantic and Pacific coasts of
the U.S. and Canada, some as far south as Southern California butmostin
northern waters. Smeltare also found along the coasts of Europe and the western
Pacific. A variety native to the U.S. northeastcoastwas introduced to the U.S.
GreatLakes in about1918 and became an importantcatch there, butthe
population is currently in decline.
Smelt form large schoolsand are harvested in both open watersand in spawning
streams. They are generally marketed at6 to 8 inches, most being frozen and
bagged. Brightorange smeltroe is collected from fish caughtin 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 importantfood fish in
Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia, both wild
and farmed, and is also popular in the

61. 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 poundsbutthe photo specimen was 17 inches and 1-1/2 pounds. A fresh water
fish preferring muddywater, like the walking catifish it can survive extreme
conditionsand take off over land to exploit new pondsand rivers. Like the walking
catfish It's a voraciouspredator butcan survive in colder climates. Prep & Cooking
Details.
Snappers- [family Lutjanidae (Snappers)]
Red Snapper
Lots of fish are marketed under the name "Red Snapper",butsome aren'teven
in the family Lutjanidae and some aren'teven red. Listed below you'llfind some
with a legitimate claim to the name.
Crimson Snapper - [Lutjanuserythropterus]
This is whatan Australian would probably have in mind as a Red Snapper. This
species inhabits the Indo-Pacific region and isboth caughtcommercially and
farmed. to 32 inches. Not considered threatened.
Jordan'sSnapper - [Lutjanusjordani]
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 isactually 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. Itcan grow to 39 inchesand 48
pounds. There have been reportsof
ciguatera poisoning from eating this fish from tropicalreef environments. The

62. 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, butthe fishery is now better
managed and populationshave been recovering. We presume the culinary
characteristicsof this fish are very similar to its close relative, the Pacific Red
Snapper, so refer to Details and Cooking for thatfish. Drawing fromFishbase
distributed underlicense Creative CommonsAttribution 3.0Unported.
Pacific Red Snapper - [Lutjanusperu]
This true Red Snapper isfound from Mexico
to Peru in the Eastern Pacific. It can get up
to 37 inches long and up to almost 13
poundsbutthe photo specimen was 15-1/4
inches and weighed 1 pound 14 ounces, a
bit larger than average marketsize. This
snapper is a premium fish and fetchesa premium price. Pacific Red Snapper is
IUCN rated NE (Not Evaluated) and is not considered threatened. Detailsand
Cooking.
Southern Red Snapper - [Lutjanuspurpureus]
This snapper is native to the Caribbean to asfar south as northern Brazilbut
doesn't extend north into the Gulf of Mexico. It can grow to about39 inches 22
pounds. In appearance itis similar to the Northern Red Snapper buthasan oval
darker spoton the lateral line near the tail, which may fade in maturity. There
have been reportsof ciguatera poisoning from eating this fish from tropicalreef
environmentsNot considered threatened.
Snook - [Robalo, Black Snook Centropomusnigrescens (westcoast), Common
Snook C. undecimalis (east coast), family
Centropomidae (Snooks)]
The Common Snook, found on the eastern
coast of the Americasfrom North Carolina to
Brazil, growsto 4-1/2 feet and 53 pounds.
Black Snook, foundon the western coastof the Americasfrom southern Baja
California to northern Columbia, growsto 4 feet and 57 pounds, butthe photo
specimen was 16-3/4 inchesand 1-1/4 pounds(factorycleaned).These two

63. snooks look very similar except the Black is darker above the centerline. Prep &
Cooking Details.
Sole - [Common Sole, Dover Sole; Solea solea]
"Sole" withouta qualifier means Common
Sole, a fish also known as"Dover Sole" that's
very popular in Europe. Unfortunately there's
another by thatname - see Dover Sole for an
explanation of the confusion and subterfuge created by thatname. This fish is
native to the North Atlantic from Norway to the northwestcoastof Africa, and is
most numerousaround the British Isles, the north coast of Germany and the coast
of France. To a lesser extent it inhabits the Mediterranean and partsof the Black
Sea. This fish can grow to 27 inches and 6.6 poundsbutis more commonly about
12 inches.
In North America a number of floundersare 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. Asa Pacific Coast
substitute use Petrale Sole (actually a flounder). Detailsand Cooking. Photo by Hans
Hillewaert distributed underlicense CreativeCommonsAttribution-ShareAlike3.0.
Spiny Eel - [Ca Chach (Viet), Peacock Eel
(fishbase) Macrognathussiamensis]
Spiny Eels are a separate order
(Synbranchiformes) from eelsproper and eels
improper ( Anguilliformes). There are a fair number of spiny eel species butthis
one, found in the rivers of Vietnam and Southeastern Thailand, iscommercially
significant(and a popular aquarium fish). Infesting freshwater rivers, streams, rice
paddiesand flooded foreststhey can grow to almost 12 inches but the photo
specimen was 7.5 inchesand weighed 1.1 ounces, the largest in a tray of frozen
eels from Vietnam. The "spiny" partis tiny sharp stickers along the back and a
couple on the bottom in frontof the fins. Prep & Cooking Details.

64. Sprats- [family Clupeidae (herring family) Spratusspratus]
This small fish is a little slimmer than the herring and is
particularly importantto the economiesof Poland,
Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia.
Spratsare 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 enjoymentof personsof taste. Definitely
not for the baby spinach set, they go exceptionally well with ice cold vodka and
strong Russian tea. Fortunately plenty are now exported to the U.S. and I have a
good stock stashed away.
Sturgeon - [family Acipenseridae]
Sturgeon isan ancientfish, highly
successful and little changed for
something like 200 million years. Today
most species face extinction due to the absurd pricesshow-offsand "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 poundswhile the more slender Pacific White Sturgeon
(A. Acipenser transmontanus) reaches20 feetand 1800 pounds. The photo
specimen (smoked, notyet positively identified but possibly Atlantic (A. Acipenser
oxyrinchusoxyrinchus)) was27 inchesand 1.6 pounds, typicalfor whole smoked
sturgeon found in marketsserving Russian communities.
Russian caviar, particularly Beluga, should be avoided - the fish are critically
endangered and the trade largely controlled by Russia'smurderousorganized
crime syndicates. Purchasing or eating it makes you an accessory to crime and
contributesmaterially to species extinction. Pacific White Sturgeon and Lake
Sturgeon (A. Acipenser fulvescens) are the only commercially importantsturgeon
not listed as "Threatened" or "Endangered". Top grade "chef approved" caviar is
produced in California where the white sturgeon is heavily farmed (the meatis
sold through marketsserving Russian communities). Lake Sturgeon are caught
wild, mostly in Canada, and also produce marketable caviar. Prep & Cooking
Details.

65. Sunfish - Freshwater- [family Centrarchidae (Sunfishes)]
Black Bass - [Largemouth BassMicropterussalmoides,Smallmouth Bass
Micropterusdolomieu]
These famousfresh 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. Detailsand Cooking
Swordfish - [Xiphiasgladius]
A large, ferociouspredatory fish that
uses it's long sharp beak asa weapon to
spear prey, which includeseven Orcas,
and to defend againstMaco Sharks, the
only predator big enough, fastenough
and ferociousenough to take on a swordfish. They grow to 14 feet and over 1000
pounds. Swordfish have scales butnot the kind that scrape off so they are not
kosher. Swordfish are notconsidered an endangered species. Prep & Cooking
Details. Illustration by U.S.NationalOceanicand AtsmophericAdministration =publicdomain.
<>
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.

66. Threadfin - [family Polynemidae]
A family of fish where severalraysof the pectoralfinsare detached and
elongated, sometimes greatly elongated. These "pectoralrays" are thoughtuseful
for feeling out food. Threadfinsare 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 othersmay enter rivers at times.
Fourfinger Threadfin - [Blue Threadfin (Aust.), GiantThreadfin, Ca Chet(Viet),
Eleutheronema tetradactylum ]
This Indo-WestPacific fish is common from
the Persian Gulf to Papua New Guinea and
along the north coastAustralia. 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 was13 inches and weighed 11
ounces. This fish is highly commercial, both wild catch and aquaculture, and
frozen onesfrom Vietnam are found in Asian marketsin Los Angeles. Packages
I've purchased were labeled "Threadfin Bream"which they clearly are not. Prep
& Cooking Details.
Paradise Threadfin - [Polynemus
paradiseus]
This Indo-WestPacific 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 incheslong butthe photo specimen was 8-1/4 inchesand weighed
3.3 ounces. Another in the package of frozen fish from Vietnam was 10-1/2
inches and 7.9 ouncesbutwas notphotographed 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, butyou'll quickly notice it's

67. comparitively thick and rather heavy. This fish was grown in Taiwan and
purchased atan Asian marketin Los Angeleslabeled "Tiger Fish". It was12 inches
long and weighed 1-1/2 pounds. Details and Cooking.
Tilapia - [Nile Tilapia, Oreochromisniloticus
niloticus]
This fish native to the Nile can grow to 23
inches butis generally marketed here atabout
12 inches and 1-1/4 poundslike the photo
specimen, Tilapia wasalready being farm
raised in Egypt probably over 4000yearsago.
It has since been transported to fresh water rivers and lakesin many countries.
Tolerantof water quality, fast growing, cheap to feed and tasty to eat, Tilapia is
an ideal aquaculture fish for warmer climatesand is produced in greatquantity in
Southern California and Arizona, butmoststill comesfrom Mexico and South
America.. Details & Cooking.
Tilefish - [family Malacanthidae] A worldwide family thateatseither plankton
or forageson the bottom for invertebrates. These fish live in burrowsof 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'srecommended
maximum (1.45 ppm vs. 1.00 ppm max) and this landed tilefish on the FDA
mercury warning list. The FDA'sown 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 levelerrswell to the
safe side even for pregnantwomen, butif you are concerned abouttilefish watch
for false nameslike "golden snapper" or "golden bass" used to hide its true
identity.
Ocean Whitefish - [Caulolatilusprinceps]
This East Pacific fish is found from
Vancouver Island, Canada to Peru (though
rare north from CentralCalifornia) and can

68. grow to over 40 inches and over 12 pounds. The photo specimen was 17-1/2
inches and 1-1/4 poundsbutI have boughtthem up to 21 inches and 4-1/2
pounds. The FDA tilefish mercury warning (see above) doesnotapply to this
fish, it is safe and an excellent all around eating fish. Prep & Cooking Details.
Golden Tilefish - [GreatNorthern 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, Caulolatilusmicrops]
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 GenusSalmo (Atlantic), Oncorhynchus (Pacific)]
Only fish of genus Salmo (Atlantic) and Oncorhynchus (Pacific) are officially
"Trout", buta number of related fish are popularly called "trout". For other
membersof the Salmon family, see:
 Char - Salvelinus- including brook trout, lake troutand others.called "trout".
 Graylings
 Hucho - Huchen (Danube), Taimen (Russian rivers, Amur river). These are
often called Danube and Siberian Salmon from their size, butthey don'tgo
to sea.
 Salmon
 Whitefish

69. Among Oncorhynchus are Pacific Salmon, Apache trout (Arizona), Cutthroat trout
(western North America), Gila trout(Arizona, New Mexico), Rainbow trout/
Steelhead (western North America, northeastAsia 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 -
[Oncorhynchsmykiss]
Rainbow / Steelhead wasreclassified from
Salmo to Oncorhynchs in 1989, so is now
officially a Pacific Troutand considered identicalwith the Russian troutof the
same name. Rainbowsare native to the west coastof North America from the
Mexican border north and around acrossthe Aleutian Islands to Russia, and as
far south as northern Japan.Allsteelhead are hatched in rivers as Rainbow
Trout. Some remain rainbow troutalltheir 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 outto sea.
Nobody knowswhy some rainbowsjoin 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 poundsbutmost are nearer 24 inchesand 8 to 11 pounds, butare
considered endangered from habitatdestruction. Rainbowscan getquite large
as well, butdue to their smaller environmentare generally between 12 and 18
inches long. Their brightrainbow colorsfade quickly upon death.
Steelhead at sea eat a diet similar to whatsalmon eat so they take on the same
orange-red color. Fish farmshave taken to feeding some of their larger
rainbowsthe same food they use to dye farmed salmon and marketthese
rainbowsas"steelhead", even though they've never been to sea. The farm
raised rainbow in the photo was18-1/2 incheslong and weighed 2 pounds5-
1/4 ouncesfactory cleaned, rather larger than average marketsize, and had
flesh a brightsalmon color. Details and Cooking.

70. Golden Trout
This is a color variantof the Rainbow Trout
developed by the fish farmsand is not to be
confused with the realGolden Trout
(Oncorhynchusmykissaguabonita), the
California State Fish, which is found only in
the Kern River drainage area of California. Detailsand Cooking.
Brook Trout - [Salvelinusfontinalis]
This trout is famousamong fly fishermen in
eastern North America. Brook Troutlive
along most of the east coastof Canada and
down to Georgia in the United States,
including the GreatLakes and the
Mississippi River drainage basin. They can grow to 34 inchesand 20 poundsbut
are more commonly around 10 inches. Brook troutare now being farmed to
some extent, and sold fresh, frozen and smoked. They are also raised in
hatcheriesfor restocking streamsand lakes, and have been introduced to other
partsof the world. They are environmentally sensitive so are much used for
envronmentalresearch. Photo by U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service = public domain. Details
and Cooking.
Steelhead - see Rainbow Trout.
Smoked Trout
Troutis a very oily fish so is suitable
for smoking. Smoked troutcan be
eaten skin-on, unlike smoked
Whitefish (heavy scales) or smoked
Mackerel(tough skin). The hot
smoked photo specimen was 14-1/4 incheslong and weighted 1 pound 3-3/8
ounces. Rainbow Trout, salt, brown sugar, naturalwood smoke.

71. Tuna
Tuna include the largest membersof the Mackerelfamily. Unlike those called
"Mackerel", tunashave deep flattened bodies. Most have scales only in a few
places butthat'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 / TongalTuna - [Katsuwonus
pelamis]
This small Indo Pacific tuna is found from
the east coast of Africa to Hawaii and is an
importantcommercialfish. Unlike the
Skipjack proper (Katsuwonuspelamis) it stays fairly close to shore. It can grow
to 39 inches and over 30 pounds, butthe photo specimen was19-1/2 inches
and 3-1/4 pounds, abouttypicalfor Southern California markets. Thisfish is
listed as having just enough scalesto be kosher butI haven't found them. This
fish is not currently considered endangered, IUCNRed List status is NE (Not
Evaluated). The Monterey Bay Aquarium ratesthis fish as "Good Alternative" if
it comesfrom Malaysia, or pole / troll caughtanywhere,otherwise "Avoid" due
to uncontrolled bycatch problems. Detailsand Cooking.
Bonito / Skipjack Tuna - [Katsuwonus
pelamis]
These small tuna can grow to over 43
inches and over 76 pounds, butthe photo
specimen was 18 inches and 3 pounds,
aboutaverage in Southern California markets. Skipjack isfound worldwide in
tropical and warm-temperate seasbut notin the Estern Mediterranean and
Black Sea.
Commercially Skipjackissold fresh, frozen and canned, with a small amount
sold smoked and dried. This fish is not considered endangered.IUCNRed List
status NE (Not Evaluated). Monterey Bay Aquarium lists pole and troll taken as
"Best Choice", purse seine and US Longlin "Good Alternative" butimported
longline as "Avoid". Details and Cooking.

72. Bluefin Tuna - [Kuromaguro, Hon Maguro, Toro (Japan); Thunnusthynnus
(Northern /Atlantic) | Thunnusmaccoyii (Southern) | Thunnusorientalis
(Pacific)]
Bluefin Tuna is the most prestigioussushi /
sashimi fish in Japan, and the Japanese are
eating them to extinction. Bluefins are
listed as Critically Endangered in all
conservation lists, butthe Japanese simply
don'tcare - 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 hasbeen reported thata single large Atlantic Bluefin can now
fetch as much as US $100,000in the Japanese fish markets. Do not eat this fish,
and strongly discourage othersfrom eating it.
Note that "farmed" isnot an acceptable alternative, in fact for Atlantic Bluefin
(the most threatened) farming, whichdependson wild fish captured before
reproductive maturity, isa major cause of depletion. For Pacific and Southern
Bluefin, there hasrecently been some success in captive breeding, butthis is
still in early experimentalstages and is in no way able to impact the marketat
this time. Drawing fromU.S.NationalOceanicand AtmosphericAdministration =publicdomain.
Walleye - see Perch.
Whitebait - see Herring.
Whitefish - [genusCoregonus C. clupeaformis. C. lavaretus (Europe) and other
species]
Arctic and subarctic estuary, river and lake fish
related to the salmon, whitefish can grow to
about30 inches and about20 poundsbutthe
one in the photo is 19-3/4 inchesand weighed
2-1/2 poundsfactory cleaned. They are
generally caughtwild butare also farmed.

73. Whitefish are often smoked but are also an important fresh fish in the Frozen
North, particularly in Russia, Alaska, Canada and the U.S. GreatLakesarea. The
roe is valued as a pretty good caviar. Prep & Cooking Details
Whitefish - Ocean Whitefish - see Tilefish.
Whiting Atlantic and Pacific - see Cod.
Whiting Indo Pacific & Australia - Smelt Whitings- see Sillago
Wrasses- [family Labridae}
Wrasses are generally tropicaland subtropicalfish thatappeared about65 million
yearsago just after extinction of the dinosaurs. Many smaller wrassesare "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'ttravel
much. Larger wrasseslive on sea urchins, mollusks, lobsters, crabsand 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 poundsbutthe
photo specimen was 16-1/2 inchesand 2-
1/2 pounds. The black coloration of the head and darkening tailindicates this
fish was completing the transition from female to male (femalesare mostly
red) which happenswhen a female reachesa length of 12 inches. This long
lived slow reproducing fish is IUCN red listed as VU(Vulnerable) due to
declining population. Prep & Cooking Details