Seafood Handbook Finfish Page

The Seafood Handbook is the most comprehensive seafood directory available online. Featuring more than 100 of the most common seafood species in the U.S. market, the Seafood Handbook is the ultimate guide to seafood sourcing and preparation, brought to you by the editors of SeaFood Business magazine. And it’s free!

For each type of seafood species, there is a comprehensive overview of the item, its origin, history, availability, product attributes, nutritional value and cooking tips, along with an original hand-drawn depiction.

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A premium whitefish, haddock is a member of the cod family, though smaller than Atlantic cod, generally weighing 2 to 5 pounds. The haddock bears a distinguishing black mark, often referred to as the “devil’s thumbprint” or “St. Peter’s mark,” in the “shoulder” area, and its skin is… Read More
The name “whitefish” can be confusing, because it is often used as a generic marketing term for many saltwater species of mild-flavored, white-fleshed fish. Further, it describes at least seven distinct species of related fish, all found in Arctic and sub-Arctic fresh and salt water. The most… Read More
The slender kingklip, a member of the cusk eel family, comprises four species: red (G. chilensis), golden (G. blacodes), South African (G. capensis) and black (G. maculatus). Depending on the species, kingklip can reach 5 to 6 feet long and 50 pounds, but most found on the market average 10 pounds.… Read More
American shad, the largest member of the herring family, is widely con­sidered the tastiest of the world’s 31 shad species; the species name (sapidissima) means “most delicious.” Shad is a seasonal novelty on restaurant menus, and shad bakes are a rite of spring in many Mid-Atlantic… Read More
Hoki is no looker, but a rather homely, tapered, rat-tailed specimen. It’s blue-green above and silvery on the sides and belly. Hoki belongs to the hake family Merluccidae. This deepwater species is harvested year-round from depths of from 600 to 2,500 feet by trawlers working waters off New… Read More
When trade with Vietnam resumed in 1994, U.S. seafood importers started shipping fillets from a Vietnamese catfish called basa, or bocourti. But most of what’s sold in the market today as basa isn’t basa. Real basa, P. bocourti, is one of 21 species in the Pagasiidae family of catfish found… Read More
Tracing its origin to the Nile River, tilapia has been farm raised for decades and is cultivated in warm waters the world over. It is the second-most cultured group of fish in the world, exceeded only by carp. Domestically, tilapia are cultured in the southern and western states. Costa Rica and… Read More
Trout represents the oldest aquaculture industry in North America, dating back to the first trout hatchery in the 1880s. Today, Idaho accounts for 70 percent of the rainbow trout raised in the United States. All rainbow trout sold domestically are farmed, either in concrete raceways or earthen… Read More
Bluefish are voracious feeders and fierce fighters, earning them the name “chopper” among fishermen. Blues can weigh up to 30 pounds; fish bigger than 10 pounds are called “horses,” while youngsters of 1 to 2 pounds are known as “snappers.” Average market size is 3 to 5 pounds. Bluefish… Read More
You’d be hard pressed to find a group of fish with more harvest methods, real names and aliases than the Sebastes genus. The 70 or so fish in this family range from the Bering Sea to Baja California. Many take their common names and nicknames from their skin color: green, brown, dusky, blue,… Read More