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Know your fish A work in progress providing an alphabetical list of common and alternative names of most of the common New Zealand marine and freshwater fish regarded as edible. Compiled by Heritage Foods director Mike Bradstock Many fish names are confusing because they are applied to several different kinds of fish, or different names are used between one region and another. Other names used are imprecise (e.g. “cod”) or inappropriate, eg. the fish most often called “herring” is in fact a type of mullet. And it gets more complicated than that. ‘flat’
-- fish that have a flattish body with both eyes on the same side, eg.
flounder. The NZ species of flatfish are usually prepared whole or in
long thin fillets. abalone See paua. albacore A dark blue tuna distinguished from other tunas by its long pectoral fins, which are about half as long as the body. A heavy, plump “round” medium-sized tuna. Premium quality with dark flesh that turns white when cooked or canned. Small albacore are known by commercial fishermen as ‘cokes’. alfonsino A ‘round’ red deep-sea fish with large eyes; to 60 cm and 2 kg. Often displayed whole in shop windows; looks rather like a big goldfish. Firm white flesh, medium fat. Often sold whole at a low price. Highly recommended. anchovy An 8-12 cm silvery fish with dark flesh, not caught commercially but very similar to the imported ones. If you can obtain them, salted and dried they are very good for recipes that call for small whole fish. angelfish, black A small black reef fish living in shallow northern waters. Best left strictly alone as a scenic attraction. Australian salmon see kahawai baby groper A name sometimes used in Wellington fish shops for bluenose and small groper. barracouta a ‘long’ silvery fish up to a metre long and 3 kg with long sharp teeth. Darkish low-fat flesh, sometimes infested with worms. Often canned. bass.
See groper blue cod A thick-set, ‘long’ grey-blue to dark grey fish with rough scales. White flesh, low fat, suitable for all cooking methods. Heads excellent for soup. A premium fish in the south. Highly recommended. blue mackerel Also called English or Pacific mackerel or slimey mackerel. A ‘long’ plump tuna-like fish reaching 45 cm and 2 kg. Silvery below with a pattern of wavy blue-green lines above. Dark flesh with a high fat content, but rather coarse and dense. This fish is closely related to the mackerel sold in cans. Usually very cheap; best smoked. blue maomao A small ‘round’ blue-grey fish found in the north. Fine flake, medium fat flesh, excellent for frying or grilling whole. Recommended. blue moki A ‘round’ fish reaching 80 cm and more than 10 kg, blue-grey above and silver below, more common in the south. Firm medium-fat flesh; an under-rated, often very cheap fish. Recommended, especially if you buy them whole: take fillets off for frying and use the head and backbone for fish soup. Fillets sometimes are patchily grey-and-white, but this is not a sign there is anything wrong: they turn evenly white when cooked. blue warehou. See warehou. blue whiting. Also called southern blue whiting or poutassou. A ‘long” small grey-bluish deep-sea fish caught in waters south of New Zealand; an abundant resource that is becoming more widely available. Usually has been frozen at sea.White, delicate flesh with low fat; average quality. bluenose A dark blue to grey or brownish, deep-sea ‘round’ fish with a large rounded head. Closely related to warehou but usually larger -- to 1 m and more than 20 kg. Medium texture, succulent and delicious. Very highly recommended. Bluenose heads are also my first choice for fish soup. Sometimes sold as groper; also known as bonita, wall-eye, stone eye, deep-sea trevalla and sometimes, baby groper. boof,
boof-head see monkfish bream An ill-defined term: Snapper is a member of the bream family, and the derived name brim (q.v.) is sometimes used for this. Rig (q.v.) is sometimes sold as “deep-sea bream” but is actually a kind of dogfish. See also ray’s bream. The name bream is probably also used occasionally for other species. brill See turbot. brim. Name used in Nelson/Marlborough for snapper, especially small ones. Do not believe anyone who tries to say there is any difference other than size. broadbill The usual name used in New Zealand for swordfish, a large to very large, blue to brown fish with a distinctive sword. Superficially like marlin but not closely related to them; distinguyish by having a flat “sword” rather than a spike. Premium species with large flakes of firm white flesh, ideal for grilling. bronze-whaler shark see shark butterfish A ‘long’, dark green, rather thick-set fish with streaming long fins and green bones, hence the name greenbone which is used in the south. Very delicate, fine, rather soft white flesh; good for baking and frying. This fish feeds on seaweed, so has a high iodine content. cardinal fish A moderate-sized dark brown deepwater fish sometimes caught with orange roughy. Xxxxx clam. Although this is an American name for bivalve shellfish living in sand, like pipi, tuatua, cockle, etc, it is a useful general term. Such shellfish are often collectively called pipis, but this name best refers to a particular type. cockle Usually refers to the rather rounded, rough-textured bivalve shellfish that lives intertidally in muddy sand in sheltered harbours and estuaries throughout the country. Purple and white inside the shell; has a small “foot” or tongue. For two reasons this is arguably our best clam: firstly because of its fine flavour and secondly because the foot, which tends to toughen when cooked, is small compared to that of other clams. cod A real catch-all name -- includes blue cod, deepsea cod, red cod, and rock cod, and is also used by some fishmongers as a ‘non-committal’ name for other fish. coke see albacore conger eel A dark blue or grey marine eel growing to more than 10 kg. Not as oily as freshwater eel, therefore not as good, but still good, very firm white flesh. Cheap and under-rated; good smoked or for soup. A smaller species, the northern conger, with a pinkish hue and larger eyes, occurs in warmer NZ waters and is also very good. crab see rock crab, swimming crab, spider crab crayfish The most commonly used name for what is commercially known as rock lobster. Two species, packhorse crayfish (also called smooth-tailed or green rock lobster, occasionally growing up to 20 kg), and red or spiny crayfish (to 8 kg). The latter is far more abundant. Rock lobsters seen on sale are typically 500g to 5 kg in weight, and often sold after they have been cooked, which turns them uniformly reddish-orange. Both kinds are excellent eating, but a thriving export market has put the price beyond most people. creamfish Also called leatherjacket. Sold headed, gutted and skinned, with small yellow fins along the edges and the tail still on. Very tasty, firm white flesh, good for frying -- and cheap. Though a small fish, about 150g when prepared, they are not full of small bones and in fact quite manageable. Recommended. To prepare leatherjackets you have caught yourself, or bought whole, see p.00. cucumber
fish see smelt eel see freshwater eel, conger eel, blind eel escolar xxx elephant fish A silvery or silvery-brown fish with a short “trunk” for a mouth; closely related to the dogfishes and sharks and one of the best eating of the group. Not common in the north. Often used for fish and chips; also called silver trumpeter. English hake A ‘long’ grey fish up to a metre long and 6 kg. Much less common than formerly: a victim of the mad 1970s overfishing. Flesh moist, rather soft and delicate. Recommended. The name hake is often, inaccurately, used for gemfish. English mackerel. See blue mackerel filefish a name occasionally used for creamfish. flake A fishmonger’s name for school shark flatfish. See flounder, sole and turbot. flinger. See sea perch flounder Four types. Greenback flounder and yellowbelly flounder are very alike. They vary in colour from green to grey; yellowbelly flounder are by far the more common, and recognised by often having spots and yellowish colour on the underside. These are the best species for eating. The sand flounder or dab is distinctively diamond-shaped, brown to greenish grey, and probably the next best to eat. The black or river flounder is grey with red spots, lives mainly in brackish or fresh water, and is the least esteemed. All grow to about 40 cm and may reach perhaps 600g in weight. They tend to vary in condition -- look critically at them and select those that are thicker in the middle, rather than the “flatter” ones. Moist delicate flesh, ideal for frying. Sole and turbot (q.v.) are other types of flatfish. flyingfish xxx frostfish A slender, silvery fish up to 2m long and 3 kg. Not very common. So-called because it is said to be often washed up on frosty mornings. Delicate white flesh. Recommended. garfish Also called piper. Slender silvery fish about 25 cm long with a beak-like lower jaw. Excellent firm white flesh. Best fried whole. Highly recommended. gemfish Also called southern kingfish, silver kingfish, and (incorrectly) southern hake or hake. A ‘long’ silvery fish, bluish above, up to a metre long and 6 kg. Has smooth skin and two distinct lines running along the side, one near the top and one in the middle. One of the finest fish in the sea, with moist, white, high-fat, succulent flesh, perfect for smoking or baking. Often sold smoked, but be sure it has not just been “painted” with smoke flavouring (this process is sometimes fraudulently called “kippering”.) Not usually available fresh; best bought in the headed and gutted form which has been frozen at sea -- it keeps well this way, and can be filleted after thawing with little loss of quality. Very highly recommended. ghost shark xxx globefish also called pufferfish. Poisonous, though related species in japan, called fugu, are a famous delicacy. goatfish
see red mullet grey mullet Small (usually less than 1 kg) silvery fish, blueish or greenish grey above, with a thick body and broad head and snout. Large scales in rows. Firm white flesh, high in fat. Excellent smoked or baked. groper. See hapuka. gurnard Same as red gurnard. An orange-coloured fish, white underneath, with a bony pointed head, leg-like “feelers” and beautifully coloured fins that spread out like butterfly wings. Firm, low-fat, fine-flake flesh with a lovely fresh smell. This once underrated fish is becoming more popular. Recommended. See also spotted gurnard hagfish Also called blind eel, and a number of vulgar names hake. See gemfish and English hake. This name is confusing, as it most often is applied to gemfish and ocasionally to hoki, but strictly speaking the only true hake is English hake. Anything sold as “smoked hake” is most probably gemfish. hapuka The names hapuka (or hapuku) and groper are used interchangeably. A big thick-set grey fish, white below with a large head and undershot jaw, usually sold as fillets or steaks. Firm, white flesh with a high fat content, suitable for all cooking methods. Groper heads are excellent for soup (though the copious oil should be skimmed off), or for eating steamed or smoked. If you have the good fortune to see groper cheeks on sale, buy them and fry them for a wonderful, succulent treat. Smoked roe, if the whole roe is larger than your hand, is usually groper roe. Two other fish also sold as hapuka/groper are bluenose (sometimes called “baby” groper) and bass, a close relative of the groper but larger and from deeper water. herring See yellow-eyed mullet Highlander. See sea perch hoki Also called blue hake and sometimes whiting. A slender silvery-blue fish whose body tapers back to a sharp point rather than a tail; to 1.2 metres and 3 kg. If you see hoki whole, they often look grey, damaged and unattractive, as they are often rather knocked about when caught in trawl nets; but the flesh still seems to remain sound. Delicate white moist rather soft flesh of average flavour; recognisable by a thin yellowish-white strip of fat running along the outer middle of the fillet. Our most abundant fish resource, caught by deep-sea trawlers and used commercially to make fish fingers, fishburgers, fish cakes, surimi (the raw ingredient of “crabsticks”), in fish and chips, etc. Related, smaller hoki-like fishes are called grenadiers. horse
mackerel. See jack mackerel jack mackerel Also called horse mackerel and, in the north, yellowtail. Two very similar species of ‘long’ small rather plump fish. Blue or greenish brown above; silvery white below, with a distinct row of large sharpish scales running along the middle of the body. Not a true mackerel, but a member of the scad family, related to trevally. Medium fat, dark, rather firm flesh which whitens when cooked. Excellent smoked or grilled; highly under-rated -- often available dirt cheap, but they deteriorate in quality rapidly if not well cared for, so check freshness before buying.
kina. Xxxxx kingfish
A big strong fish, very popular with sport anglers but not very
common in the shops. Grows to 2 m and 60 kg, blueish green above and silvery
below. Dark, medium fat, excellent for grilling, baking and frying, and
for sashimi. Recommended. Small kingfish are sometimes called yellowtail
but this name is used for jack mackerel too. Not to be confused with southern
kingfish. koheru xxx kokopu Adults of certain kinds of fish which are more familiar, when small, as whitebait. kopapa
see kahawai lemon
fish Usually rig (q.v.) or school shark (q.v.), but also applied
to the filleted and skinned flesh of other dogfish and sharks. Somewhat
variable in quality depending on the type and size of the fish it came
from. Lemon fish is firm, white, low in fat and has a good flavour though
sometimes it has an ammonia taint, which can be removed by briefly soaking
in water with vinegar or lemon juice added. Being dependably free of bones,
lemon fish is much used in the fish-and-chip trade. oyster Three kinds. Beginning with the best, we have dredge oysters which are caught in coastal waters, mainly in Foveaux Strait (the famous Bluff oysters) and off Nelson. No words of praise are adequate for these. The smaller oysters growing on the shore in the north are (native) rock oysters -- also very good, but not generally on sale. The third type are Pacific oysters, large frilly-edged shellfish grown on oyster farms in the north and now found widely on shores throughout New Zealand, having first appeared here as recently as the 1970s. New Zealanders are spoiled by Bluff oysters, which set the standard by which Pacific oysters are judged. This is to say the least an unequal contest: Pacific oysters are somewhat slimy in texture and less tasty, but still good. Pacific mackerel or Pacific blue mackerel. See blue mackerel. Packhorse rock lobster see crayfish paddle crabs. Greyish-shelled crabs that live off sandy beaches and grow to 8 cm across the shell. Only buy them if they are still alive. The back pair of legs are flat “paddles” used to swim backwards. Excellent sweet white flesh, even better than crayfish; rather hard to get at but worth the effort. Highly recommended. parore
Also called black snapper, blackfish, mangrove fish, and (in
Australia) luderick A ‘round’ fish found in the north, dark
brown with vertical bands; up to 3 kg. feeds mainly on seaweed. A somewhat
controversial fish: some people esteem it and others despise it. Probably
the quality varies with condition of individual fish, what they have recently
been eating, and how they were prepared. The general view is that a parore
in good condition, filleted and skinned soon after being caught, yields
excellent firm white flesh suitable for baking, frying, and making fish
cakes. paua Two species of limpet-shaped shellfish related to snails, common subtidally in rocky places. In some places they can still be found easily at low tide. Closely related to abalone (North America and Australia) and ormer (UK) and very highly regarded the world over -- a couple of years ago paua was worth $128/kg on export markets. Black or “ordinary” paua grow to 16 cm and the shells have the famous iridescent green/blue colour inside and are usually encrusted with marine life on the outside. The meat is white or pale greenish grey under the black skin, and delicious fried. Yellow-footed paua grows to about 10 cm and the meat is yellowish in colour, perhaps not as good eating. The shell is silvery inside and not encrusted. perch An ill-defined name which includes sea perch xxx as well as thr true perch, a freshwater fish common in some NZ lakes and rivers and good eating. pigfish see southern pigfish, red pigfish pilchard Same as sardine, though the New Zealand type is a different species, usually larger than the ones bought in tins. Pilchards make excellent bait and are usually sold for this purpose, at such a high price few people would buy them to eat. Excellent canned or bottled -- the flesh is dark, rich and oily. pink maomao Not often seen on sale, but a reasonably common schooling fish over rocky reefs in the north. A ‘round’ pink fish usually less than 1 kg, related to groper. Good quality white fillets. pioke
see rig pipi This Maori name is widely used for all kinds of burrowing bivalve shellfish or clams. The type most commonly called pipi grows to 7 cm long, burrowing in clean sand of sheltered harbours and bays, and in the outer reaches of estuaries, usually just above low tide mark. It is roughly oval in shape and varies greatly in colour and pattern, but can always be recognised by the thin skin-like strip around the edge of the shell and the oval shape without any straight edges. The meat is tasty but the main part, the foot or “tongue”, is usually rather tough. See also cockle, tuatua and toheroa pomfret see Ray’s bream porae xxx Not to be confused with parore. Poutassou/putassu see blue whiting prawn Small transparent prawns occur in rock pools and are tasty raw or cooked if you can be bothered. Otherwise you must buy imported prawns, usually from Australia. See also scampi quinnat
salmon see salmon Ray's bream Also called Jim Beams. A type of pomfret -- fish which are much esteemed in other countries -- but not well known here. A ‘round’ silvery grey fish, silvery on the sides and under; narrow in cross-section with a big eye and soft fins. To 3 kg and 60 cm long. Very firm, rich flesh -- excellent eating, suitable for all cooking methods; highly recommended. red bait xxx Dark, rich flesh, good smoked. red cod Also cod, Akaroa cod. Soft white moist low-fat flesh, tends to fall apart easily. Much used for fish cakes, fish fingers and fish and chips. Cheap. red
crayfish see crayfish rig A dogfish with beautiful bright blue spots and no spines in its dorsal fins (thi distinguishes it from the inferior spiney or spikey dogfish). Very good, firm, tasty flesh; much used for fish and chips, and heavily overfished commercially in the past. It also has rather a lot of alternative names including spotted smooth-hound, smooth-hound dogfish, spotted dogfish, doggie (sometimes spelt “dogi”), pioke and deep-sea bream. It is also one of the various fish sold as lemon fish (q.v.). River
flounder. See flounder. rubyfish. A small slender silvery-red fish occasionally offered for sale. Firm rather dark flesh, very good smoked. rudderfish
139xxx salmon The main species here is quinnat salmon, also called spring, chinook or king salmon in its native environment of the Pacific coast of north America. A large fish that occurs wild around the South Island and is widely farmed. Closely related to rainbow trout. Dense firm flesh, high in fat, suitable for all cooking methods but particularly good smoked or grilled. Atlantic salmon, similar in quality, is also farmed in NZ and Australia. sardine
See pilchard scampi Small lobster-like crustaceans (body length to 20 cm) with long thin claws and very long antennae. Pinkish white with reddish bands; caught in very deep water and not very abundant. Absolutely delicious dense white flesh in the tail. Closely related animals in other countries are called Norway lobsters or Dublin Bay prawns. scarpee
See sea perch scorpion fish see red scorpionfish. Scorpion fish is also the name of a family of fishes including the sea perch. sea cucumber xxx sea perch A big-headed, spiny fish of variable red to orange colour, living in a wide range of depths around New Zealand. Belongs to the scorpionfish family but is not poisonous and in fact good eating. Often sold as small firm white fillets suitable for all cooking methods. Known by numerous other names eg. scarpee, Jock Stuart, highlander; and fishermen in Northland call then flingers because they “fling” them straight back over the side! sea urchin see kina shark Most species of sharks are sometimes sold for food when they are caught, as long as they are not so large and old that the flesh is likely to be coarse or high in mercury. The most common is school shark (see lemon fish), and others include mako and thresher (both of which have excellent reddish flesh), blue shark, hammerhead, bronze-whaler, and a number of more obscure types. shellfish Includes molluscs (paua, cockles, clams, mussels, scallops, pipis, tuatuas, octopus and squid), crustaceans (rock crabs, paddle crabs, rock lobster or crayfish, scampi) and echinoderms (kina or sea urchins). silverside xxx silver
trumpeter. See elephant fish skate Two types, rough and smooth skate. These kite-shaped fish are related to sharks and stingrays, and like all members of the group do not have hard bones. Skinned ‘wings’ are very moist, delicate, white flesh suitable for grilling, frying and baking. Some people don’t like the flavour, but others rate it very highly, and it is usually quite cheap. Worth trying. There is a network of cartilaginous strands in the middle of each portion but these are not a hassle to deal with. Also called jelly fish. skipjack
tuna xxx slut Vulgar and thankfully archaic commercial fisherman’s term for a female crayfish carrying external eggs, which he (and I say he advisedly) is therefore obliged to throw back. smelt a very small silvery, partly transparent fish often caught in whitebait nets. Found in the sea, in rivers and in some lakes. Can be dried or salted; perfectly edible but not very tasty. smooth-hound dogfish see rig snapper When anyone goes fishing in the North Island, and in parts of the South Island, this is probably the fish they are most hoping to catch. A beautiful-looking silvery ‘round’ fish with a large head, blue spots and flushed with red and gold. White to grey flesh, medium texture, suitable for all cooking methods; excellent also for sashimi and marinated fish dishes. Few parts of a snapper should ever be discarded: the head is excellent for fish soup and stock; the ‘wings’ are superb fried and should never be thrown away when filleting the fish; even the liver is a delectable morsel. See also red snapper snoek see barracouta sole. Two kinds of flatfish, basically similar to flounders, with rather rough scales. Lemon sole, the better of the two, is a dark grey-brown oval fish with a rather pointed head; the New Zealand sole (also called the English sole or common sole) is greenish-grey and oval with a round head. Both yield delicate white fillets, suitable for frying and much used in fish-and-chip trade. Both fish are also sometimes sold whole. southern
blue whiting see blue whiting squid A type of shellfish related to octopuses and cuttlefishes, which swims in open waters and is excellent eating. Usually bought as “squid tubes”, the front part of the animal which is shaped like a hollow cone, skinned and ready to cut up (or stuff) and cook. For most people buying squid tubes is the best option and well worth the extra cost, as preparing whole squid is time-consuming and messy. However, whole squid are cheap and come with the ink sac, an essential, very tasty ingredient in certain sauces (eg. see p. 00 and 00). The tentacles are also good eating, and trimmings and guts can be used in stock or for fishing bait. Skinning squid is the hardest part of preparation, and best done after blanching or parboiling, though this is not permitted in all recipes. stargazer. See monkfish stingray A much-maligned fish similar to the skate; it feeds on shellfish and is quite unaggressive, even shy. However, it has a very sharp, serrated spine (sometimes two spines) set in the base of its tail, which makes it potentially dangerous. People have been badly injured after accidentally diving or stepping on top of one that is lying on the bottom. The tail is also covered with small spines that can injure if the ray lashes about when caught on a line. Distinguish it from the skate (grey, without a barb on the tail) and the eagleray (with a blue pattern on the back and small spine). Stingrays grow to a large size, more than 2 metres long, are dark grey above and white or mottled underneath, and may reach more than 100 kg in weight. There are two similar species, long- and short-tailed. The wings contain good quality, boneless flesh of similar composition to that of the skate (q.v.) but denser. Small ones are best; well worth trying. sunfish
xxx swordfish see broadbill. Marlin are also sometimes erroneously called by this name. tarakihi xxx throats
An ill-defined term for certain offcuts; usually applied to the wings
(q.v.) of a groper toheroa trevalla Misspelling of trevally (q.v.); also deep-sea trevalla is the Tasmanian name for bluenose (q.v.) trevally
A northern fish trumpeter Not to be confused with silver trumpeter, an unrelated fish. tuatua
xxx turbot Also called brill. A round dark-mottled flatfish with apricot-coloured flesh; more common in the south. Probably the best flatfish of all -- and the largest, reaching nearly a metre long. Often used for fish and chips. Recommended. urchin see kina warehou Three types -- blue, silver and white warehou -- which are all excellent and under-rated. Blue warehou is the largest and by far the most common, and not without good reason is it sometimes nicknamed “southern snapper”. Blue warehou is a rather slender round-headed fish, plump and silvery blue with a dark patch behind the head. The rather pink flesh whitens and firms on cooking; medium fat content. Warehou are mainly caught in the south, moderately priced and considerably under-rated. The heads are excellent for soup. Blue warehou is also called common warehou and sometimes, inappropriately, trevally. Silver warehou is smaller, greyer, spotted, and is similar but perhaps has a higher fat content. White warehou is paler still in colour, as the name suggests, and probably not distinguished as such when offered for sale. All the warehous are very highly recommended. weever
see blue cod whiting. See southern blue whiting, also hoki. wings Term used for the chest and throat area of a fish, i.e. the lower part of the body immediately behind the head, which has the pectoral fins attached (these are the fish’s equivalent of arms.) Because it is bony, the wing area is usually left attached to the head when a fillet is taken off a whole fish, or it is trimmed off the fillet afterwards. But the wings of the large or better-quality fish are too good to waste, and are often sold as a cheap cut. They also normally have skin and any scales attached too. But the wing meat is a particularly firm and tasty portion, and the bones are mostly large and flat and not as difficult to deal with as pin bones. Groper and snapper wings are particularly good. ‘Wings’ also refers to the parts of skate (q.v.) that are eaten, though these are quite different and unbony. witch see flounders wrasses Also called parrotfishes; a large family which includes the spotty, banded parrotfish, scarlet parrotfish, girdled parrotfish, red pigfish and a number of smaller fishes. Most are not usually eaten, but the spotties children proudly bring home from fishing excursions are excellent eating when fried after removing the head, guts and scales, though care is needed with the bones. If you can be bothered, spotty fillets are excellent soused or marinated. Spotties need to be scaled, which is much easier to do when they are freshly caught. All wrasses are good smoked, but otherwise most are rather dull and lacking in flavour. yellow-belly
flounder. See flounder. Feedback? Comments? Any questions: info@heritagefoods.co.nz
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