Fish
Fish tend to be the first animals considered when people think about or discuss seafood, but the average omnivore seems to have little understanding of this massive group with over 33,000 described species. But in today's culinary climate many consumers want to know about these aquatic animals. You don't have to know an Ichthyologist to learn more about fish. If your local fishmonger is worth his salt, he'll have good information, and that information should check out and stand up to scrutiny. But here's some information on a few fish species for you to educate yourself on until your next trip to the fish market.
(For an alphabetical list, click here)
Yellowfin Tuna
Thunnus Albacares
A species of Scombridae, Yellowfin Tuna are found in pelagic waters of tropical and subtropical oceans worldwide. They are a valuable Tuna species, and are considered less threatened than the more commercially valuable Atlantic Bluefin Tuna. Yellowfin Tuna are a highly prized sport fishing species....
Boston Mackerel
Scomber Scombrus
Also called Atlantic Mackerel, this species is found in the temperate waters of both the Eastern and Western North Atlantic, The Mediterranean, and the Black Sea. It is considered of "Least Concern" to the International Union for The Conservation of Nature. Their North-South distribution ranges from Iceland to Northwest Africa. The U.K. and Norway have the largest com....
Butterfish
Peprilus Triacanthus (American Butterfish)
The family Stromateidae, the Butterfishes, contains 15 species in three genera. The most relevant one here is the American Butterfish, or Atlantic Butterfish. These are small fish, generally 6-9 inches, some reaching....
Pompano
Trachinotus Carolinus (Florida Pompano)
Globally Pompano can refer to about 20 different types of Jack from the Carangidae family. In the United States the name Pompano is generally used to refer to the Florida Pompano. Adult Pompano tend to weigh around three pounds when caught, but fish weighing up to 9 pounds have been caught. A good fish for....
Sea Robin
Prionotus Carolinus
Sea Robin is a Scorpaeniforme fish in the Triglidae family. They are closely related to, and resemble, the Gurnards. Sea Robins have only recently seen much use as a food fish in the United States. For years they have been used for lobster bait, or simply thrown ba....
Blowfish
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Tautog
Tautoga Onitis
Also called Blackfish, Tautog are a species of Wrasse native to the Western Atlantic from Nova Scotia to North Carolina. Tautog have and average catch weight of about 1-5 pounds, but much larger fish have been caught weighing well over 20 pounds and measurin....
Black Mullet
Mugil Cephalus
Black Mullet, or Flathead Mullet, or Grey Mullet is a species within the family Mugilidae. These fish are found throughout the world in tropical, sub-tropical, and at times temperate coastal waters and estuaries.
Pink Porgy
Pagrus Pagrus
The Pink Porgy goes by many names: Pinky, Porgy Pink Snapper, Red Sea Bream, Red Porgy, White Snapper and more. The species is found on both sides of the Atlantic ocean from the Caribbean to the sout....
Grunt
Haemulon Plumierii (Common Grunt)
Grunt is the common name for fish within the family Haemulidae. There are over 100 species of fish within this family. The "Common Grunt" is one of the more commonly eaten species of Grunt in the Western Atlantic, and has a distribution ranging from The Che....
Vermillion Snapper
Rhomboplites Aurorubens
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American Eel
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Grey Tilefish
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Golden Tilefish
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Grey Triggerfish
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Acadian Redfish
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Spanish Mackerel
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Bronzino
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Black Sea Bass
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American Red Snapper
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Sardine
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Anchovy
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Lane Snapper
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King Salmon
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Atlantic Salmon
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Chilean Sea Bass
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Monkfish
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Skate
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Steelhead
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Halibut
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Mahi Mahi
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Bonito
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Fluke
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Swordfish
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Striped Bass
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California Sheepshead
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Haddock
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Codfish
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Yellowtail Flounder
Limanda ferruginea or Pleuronectes ferruginea
Yellowtail Flounder are found throughout the Northwest Atlantic ranging from Labrador, Canada down to Delaware. The primary stocks of this fish occur around Southern New England, George's Bank, Nova Scotia, and Grand Bank. Yellowtail Flounder are fished commercially by bottom trawling, usually otter trawling to be exact. Yellowtail Flounder are a right-e...
Black Back Flounder
Pseudopleuronectes americanus
Also called Winter Flounder, Black Back Flounder is a right-eyed flatfish native to the Western Atlantic ranging from Newfoundland and Labrador down to Georgia, but is uncommon south of Delaware. They tend to grow largest, and be most abundant around George's Bank. Summer Flounder, or Fluke, migrations tend to overlap with that of these fish, and they are c...
Hake
Merluccius bilinearis
The name "Hake" can refer to a few fish in the taxonomic order Gadiformes. In the Northwest Atlantic the name is usually used in reference to either the Offshore Hake (Merluccius albidus), or the Silver Hake (Merluccius bilinearis). Silver Hake is the Hake most commonly found in U.S. fish markets labeled as such. Not surprisingly, European Hake (Merluccius merlucci...
Channel Catfish
Ictalurus punctatus
Channel Catfish is the most abundant species of catfish in North America, and as a result is one of the most caught recreational freshwater fishing species. This species is native to a large part of eastern and central North America, including parts of Canada and Mexico. Channel Catfish will eat just about anything including insects, fish, crustaceans, amphibians, hot ...
Blue Catfish
Ictalurus furcatus
Capable of reaching weights of up to 150 pounds, Blue Catfish is the largest species of Catfish found in North America. This fish is native to the Mississippi River, and many of its tributaries, but has been introduced in several other areas. Blue Catfish is considered invasive, and destructive to ecosystems in most of its non-native range. Tolerant of brackish wat...
Arctic Char
Salvelinus alpinus
Arctic Char can live out their lives entirely in freshwater, or can exhibit an anadromous lifecycle. This species has the northernmost distribution of any freshwater fish, being found above the Arctic Circle in several parts of the world in both freshwater and ocean environments. Arctic Char are in the family Salmonidae, the common family of both Sal...
American Dab
Hippoglossoides platessoides
This species is also known by the names American Plaice, Canadian Plaice, and Long Rough Dab. American Dab are a right-eyed flatfish in the Pleuronectidae family. Adult fish of this species range in size from 12-24 inches, with a few fish growing over two feet long. The largest of this species caught in North American was caught off of Sable Island in 193...
Pollock
Pollachius pollachius or Pollachius virens
Pollachius virens is the more common species of Pollock found in fish markets in the Northeastern United States, although Pollachius pollachius is not uncommon, and is also sold as Pollock, or as European Pollock. Pollachius virens is typically marketed as "Coley" in European markets. A third species, that is from another genus, is found in the N...
Yellowtail Snapper
Ocyurus chrysurus
The only member of the genus Ocyurus, Yellowtail Snapper is an abundant, and commercially important fish species native to the Western Mid-Atlantic. The native range of this type of Snapper stretches primarily from Florida to Brazil, with this distribution including all of the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea. Yellowtail Snapper feed on small crustaceans, w...
Opah
Lampris guttatus
Opah are a pelagic lampriform fish with a near-global distribution, but are most commonly caught in the Eastern portion of the Central Pacific as bycatch from the Tuna fishery. Opah are rare in several parts of their potential range, but are becoming more common in certain parts, such as the Mediterranean Sea. A unique trait possessed by the Opah its whole-body ...
Sockeye Salmon
Oncorhynchus nerka
Sockeye Salmon is a commercially important Salmon species with a range from the Northwestern United States up to, and above, the Arctic Circle in the Eastern Pacific. In the Western Pacific Sockeye are commonly distributed from Hokkaido to the Anadyr River in Siberia. Certain populations of this fish are considered threatened and endangered, whereas ot...
Coho Salmon
Oncorhynchus kisutch
Coho Salmon have a similar distribution to that of other Pacific Salmon species, and have been introduced into all of the Great lakes and other freshwater bodies throughout the United States. This species is aquacultured in multiple locations throughout Europe. Coho Salmon account for less of the Alaskan Salmon fishery than other species, but ar...
Rainbow Trout
Oncorhynchus mykiss
Rainbow Trout have been introduced for either food or sport on all continents, besides Antarctica. In some places where the Rainbow Trout has been introduced, it has become invasive and damaging to native fish species. On the other hand some populations throughout its natural distribution have become threatened or endangered. The Rainbow Trout's nati...
Lemon Sole
Microstomus kitt
Lemon Sole is a difficult species to define. As is the case with many species of fish, the common name "Lemon Sole" is shared by multiple species. Microstomus kitt is probably the truest Lemon Sole, especially if you ask a European. In the United States, especially the Northeastern United States, Lemon Sole is often used to refer to large Black Back/Winter Flou...
Porgy/Scup
Stenotomus chrysops
A member of the family Sparidae, along with other types of Porgies, Scup are an important species to both commercial and recreational fisheries in the Western Atlantic, primarily ranging from Massachusetts to North Carolina. Scup catch size is variously regulated depending on the state, but they tend to average around a pound in weight when caught. Scu...
Blue Marlin
Makaira nigricans
There is some debate as to whether the Blue Marlin genus (Makaira) is composed of two species, or just one. Many scientists suggest that the Atlantic Blue Marlin (Makaira nigricans), and the Indo-Pacific Blue Marlin (Makaira mazara), are in fact the same species. Genetic data seem to suggest this, although the two groups of Blue Marlin are essentially isolated from o...
Pink Salmon
Oncorhynchus gorbuscha
Pink Salmon, also called Humpback Salmon, is the smallest and most abundant of the Pacific salmon species. In the U.S. market Pink Salmon are widely used in the canning, smoking, fish-salting, and other preserved fish industries. Pink Salmon are found on both sides of the North Pacific. In the Eastern Pacific, the Southern reaches of the species' range is North...
Striped Marlin
Kajikia audax
Striped Marlin are caught both commercially and recreationally, although some groups consider them at risk of overfishing, whereas others consider it "near threatened" although not yet overfished. Striped Marlin exist in tropical, sub-tropical, and some temperate habitats in the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Striped marlin tend to hunt near the surface in daylig...
White Marlin
Kajikia albida
White Marlin are a billfish native to the tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Although frequently caught as bycatch in various Atlantic fisheries, the commercial fishing of White Marlin is outlawed in the United States. The recreational fishing of this species however is legal, but regulated. White Marlin has a tasty flesh similar to Blue Marlin, or Swor...
Mako
Isurus oxyrinchus
There are two similar species of shark known by the name Mako, the Shortfin Mako (Isurus oxyrinchus) and the Longfin Mako (Isurus paucus). Although both species have a similar near-global distribution, the Shortfin Mako is far more common and abundant. Shortfin Mako is the fastest species of shark, one of the reasons that it is such a popular species for spor...
John Dory
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Bluefish
Pomatomus saltatrix
Bluefish is the only surviving species in the family Pomatomidae. Bluefish are a popular gamefish on the East Coast of North America, but have a wider range than that. They can be found in temperate, sub-tropical, and occasionally tropical waters in various distributions throughout the world. The only regions where they are generally never found are the Caribb...
Silver Scabbardfish
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Black Scabbardfish
Aphanopus carbo
The Black Scabbardfish is found in much of the Northeastern Atlantic, and is of particular economic and culinary importance in the Portuguese islands of the Azores and Madeira. Like other fish in the family Trichiuridae, the Black Scabbardfish has an elongated body similar to that of an eel. Black Scabbardfish are most often caught with mixed species deepwater fish...
Wahoo
Acanthocybium solandri
Wahoo is both a highly sought after game fish, and an increasingly valuable species commercially. It's appearance, speed, and fight lead to the fish's prized game status, and the subsequent awareness of its high-quality flesh lead to its commercial importance. Wahoo are found globally in tropical and sub-tropical waters, and are typically targeted by trolling, but are ...
Dogfish
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Hamachi
Seriola quinqueradiata
Although there are few species of Jacks that are sometimes sold as Hamachi, the only true Hamachi is the Japanese Amberjack. Although frequently called "Yellowtail Tuna" in many U.S. markets, the Japanese Amberjack is not a Tuna, which is in the Scombridae family, whereas Hamachi is in the Carangidae family. The majority of the world's global supply of Hamachi...
Cusk
Brosme brosme
Cusk is a North Atlantic fish in the Lotidae family. It is found on both sides of the North Atlantic from Massachusetts up to and throughout the Canadian Maritimes in its western distribution, from the British Isles to above the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia, and around Iceland and Southern Greenland in the Mid-Atlantic. A large portion of the global commercial c...
Bluefin Tuna
Thunnus thynnus (and others)
There are four species called Bluefin Tuna throughout the world's oceans. The Atlantic Bluefin is of course the fish commonly marketed as Bluefin in Atlantic fish markets, and the fish targeted in the TV show "Wicked Tuna." The other species called Bluefin Tuna are the Southern Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus maccoyii), the Pacific Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus orientalis), and the Longtail/N...
Blackfin Tuna
Thunnus atlanticus
Blackfin Tuna is the smallest species in the Thunnus genus. The Blackfin Tuna is found in the Western Atlantic from Cape Cod to Brazil, and they typically feed on fish and cephalopods. They are a generally short-lived Tuna species. Blackfin Tuna usually reach sexual maturity at around two years of age, and tend to spawn in the open ocean during the summer mo...
Bigeye Tuna
Thunnus obesus
Bigeye Tuna are found in almost all of the world's tropical and temperate waters. The global catch for Bigeye Tuna yearly is in the several hundreds of thousands of tons, obviously making it a commercially important species. Bigeye is one of the species colloquially referred to as "Ahi" in Hawaii, although many species are referred to by this name...
Tongol Tuna
Thunnus tonggol
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Dover Sole
Solea solea
Dover Sole, also called Common Sole or Black Sole, is a species of flatfish in the Soleidae family, and is of particular culinary and commercial importance in various global markets. Because of this importance, another flatfish, often referred to as Pacific Dover Sole (Microstomus pacificus), is marketed as Dover Sole. The true Dover Sole has a distribution in the Eastern ...
Whitebait
Several species
Whitebait is a generic term for several species of juvenile fish, and the species referred to as Whitebait varies depending on where in the world it's being caught and served. All forms of Whitebait are eaten whole head, guts, gills, scales, and all. Most Whitebait are eaten deep fried individually, or as pan fried or deep fried fritters. In New Zealand the small fish fry...
Turbot
Scophthalmus maximus
Turbot are a left-eyed flatfish native to the North Atlantic, the Baltic Sea, and the Mediterranean Sea. Although not as large as Halibut, Turbot can grow to be relatively large compared to other flatfish species, sometimes reaching weights of over 50 pounds. Turbot are a prized food fish, and are widely farmed throughout the world. In the wild Turbot are typically...
Blackbelly Rosefish
Helicolenus dactylopterus
Blackbelly Rosefish, or "Boca Negra" as it's known throughout much of the Portuguese diaspora, is an Atlantic Ocean species in the Sebastidae family. The Blackbelly Rosefish has a wide maximum distribution throughout the Atlantic. In the Western Atlantic it can be found from Nova Scotia to Venezuela, and in the Eastern Atlantic it can range from Norway to South Af...
Jack Crevalle
Caranx hippos
Jack Crevalle, also know as Crevalle Jack and Black-Tailed Trevally, is a fish of the Carangidae family. Being in the Caranx genus, it is related to other Jacks and Trevallies. Crevalle Jack is found in mostly tropical, but also some temperate waters within the Atlantic Ocean. It has been found as far North as Nova Scotia, but it it fails to migrate back south before temperatures decr...
Dorade
Sparus aurata
Dorade, also commonly known as Gilthead Bream, is among the most valuable species of Sparidae (the Bream family) in Europe. This species is most abundant in the Mediterranean, but is also found in Northeastern Atlantic waters from the British Isles down to the Northwestern coast of Africa. There is still a fairly widespread commercial and recreational fis...
Amberjack
Seriola dumerili (and others)
The various Amberjacks can be found in both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, depending on the species. All Amberjacks are of the Carangidae family, and within the genus Seriola. The Greater Amberjack [Seriola dumerili (pictured)] is found primarily in the Atlantic, but is also found throughout the Pacific. It is a popular game fish with some commercial importanc...
Sablefish
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Orange Roughy
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Smelt
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Plaice
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Dorade/Gilthead Bream
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Yellowtail Kingfish
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Weakfish
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Yellowtail Snapper
Ocyurus chrysurus
Yellowtail Snapper is an abundant, delicious, and commercially important species of fish native to the Western Atlantic, most prevalent in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean. The normal range for this species is from Florida to Brazil, but they have been found as far north as Massachusetts. Yellowtail Snapper feed on shrimp, crabs, worms, and other fish. They have a li...
Albacore Tuna
Thunnus alalunga
Albacore Tuna is found throughout the world in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, as well as in the Mediterranean Sea. Globally Albacore is considered "Near Threatened", but the Northeastern Pacific stock is considered very stable, and the Marine Stewardship Council has certified it as sustainable, along with Sea Choice, which ranks it as a "Best Choice" seafood. Al...
Cobia
Rachycentron canadum
Cobia is the only fish in the genus Rachycentron, and the only fish in the family Rachycentridae. Cobia are found throughout most of the world's oceans, besides the Eastern Pacific, in tropical waters and seasonally in warm temperate waters. Cobia feed on crabs, squid, and smaller fish. Cobia can grow to weights well in excess of 100 pounds, and have a quick growth rate...
