Fish & Seafood Glossary

DAURADE

The French name for any of several freshwater or saltwater fish, including the American porgy and the Japanese sea bream. In general, bream can be grilled, baked or fried. Not to be confused with dorado, another name for mahi-mahi.

Not a fish, but rather a general name for several species of smaller sharks, some of which run in schools. The most famous of these sharks are the spiny dogfish and the smooth dogfish. The dogfish name refers to the size and shape of the fish, and the young are even called “pups.” Dogfish can found in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans as well as the Mediterranean Sea.

A name for a large family of fish, as well as of several members of that family. A large subclass of drums is the croaker. The name arises from a strange drumming or deep croaking noise they make, chiefly during breeding season. Carnivorous, spiny-finned fish, the drum are found in both the Atlantic and Pacific, with one, the freshwater drum, found in mid-North American freshwater. The drum have a firm, low fat flesh. Croakers, the smallest of the drum family, average only a pound and are usually sold whole.

Typically associated with the Pacific Northwest, this crab was first commercially harvested in the town of Dungeness, Washington. Dungeness crab can be found from Alaska to Mexico. A large crab, it can range from one to four pounds, and yields excellent meat that is sweet, yet slightly marine in flavor—one of the most flavorful of all crabs. Typically, it is steamed, and eaten with fingers by removing the top, breaking it in half, and removing the viscera and the “dead man’s fingers,” or gills, then serving with drawn butter and a nutcracker or mallet. It can be served chilled or hot.  See also Crab.

Not a popular fish in the U.S. except as unagi sushi, eel is enjoyed in Europe and Japan, where it is treated as a delicacy. This long, snakelike fish can be found in both fresh water and salt water. All species have a smooth skin with minute scales. The most interesting culinarily are the common eel and conger eel. The common eel is small and sold live.

In the U.S., English sole is rarely found. Rather, the “filet of sole” found here is a species of flounder, also commonly called lemon sole. In Europe, this flatfish is a true sole that has a fine textured, low fat flesh. True English sole is a small fish, ranging from 1/4 to 2 pounds, and when it can be found, it is usually already filleted and labeled “Fillet of Sole.” (Americans use the French word filet rather than the English word fillet.) English sole is usually prepared in ways to protect its fine texture, such as baking, broiling, poaching and sautéing.