A Spanish fish counter can be a glorious sight until you realise you have no idea what half the fish are called back home.
Merluza, dorada, lubina, rape, gallo, rodaballo… even confident cooks can find themselves staring at the labels and wondering which fish to choose.
Then comes the next question: how do you want the fish prepared? Do you need filetes, rodajas or lomos? Would you like the head? And what exactly does the fishmonger mean when they wave a knife in your direction?
Our guide will help you navigate the pescadería without resorting to pointing and hoping for the best.
Merluza: Hake
Merluza means hake, one of the most common fish at Spanish counters.
Its delicate white flesh and mild flavour make it a good alternative to cod or haddock.
You might see whole merluza alongside individual cuts. Rodajas de merluza are steaks cut across the fish, while lomos are thicker portions of the fillet.
Don’t confuse merluza with pescadilla. Both names refer to hake, but fishmongers generally use pescadilla for smaller, younger fish.
Dorada: Gilthead sea bream
Dorada means gilthead sea bream. Look for the golden marking between its eyes, which gives the fish its Spanish name.
This popular Spanish fish suits simple cooking particularly well.
Bake a whole dorada in the oven or cook it on the barbecue. Restaurants also frequently serve it a la plancha, which means cooking it on a hot griddle.
If you prefer whole fish with a mild flavour, dorada makes an excellent starting point.
Lubina: European sea bass
Lubina means European sea bass.
Its firm white flesh and delicate flavour make it another favourite at Spanish fish counters. Fishmongers often sell it whole, just like dorada.
You’ll usually find both farmed and wild lubina. Wild fish generally cost considerably more.
Bake lubina whole, grill it or cook it a la plancha for a simple meal.
Rape: Monkfish
Ignore what the word might suggest to an English speaker. In a Spanish pescadería, rape means monkfish.
It might not win any beauty contests at the fish counter, but its firm, meaty flesh makes it incredibly versatile.
Monkfish holds its shape in stews, rice dishes and soups. You can also grill or roast it.
Look out for cola de rape, which means monkfish tail and contains most of the fish’s edible meat.
Bacalao: Cod
Bacalao means cod, but there’s an important catch.
Spanish fishmongers use the word for fresh cod and salted cod. If you specifically want fresh fish, look for bacalao fresco.
Bacalao salado means salted cod, which usually needs desalting before cooking. Labels such as desalado and al punto de sal indicate products that have already undergone some or all of this process.
Check the label before you buy, especially if you’re planning fish and chips rather than a traditional Spanish bacalao recipe.
Rodaballo: Turbot
Rodaballo means turbot, a large flatfish with firm white flesh.
Turbot usually sits towards the expensive end of the fish counter, where shoppers prize its texture and flavour.
Roast or grill a whole rodaballo when you’re feeding several people.
Its distinctive, almost diamond-shaped body also makes it easy to recognise, even before you decipher the label.
Lenguado: Sole
Lenguado means sole.
This flatfish has a more elongated body than turbot, along with delicate flesh and a mild flavour.
Fry it or cook it on a griddle. Lenguado also makes a good choice if you prefer fish without a particularly strong flavour.
Gallo: Megrim
Here’s a name that can catch you out. Gallo usually means rooster, but at a Spanish fish counter, it generally refers to megrim, another type of flatfish.
Its delicate flesh works well fried or cooked on a griddle.
Don’t confuse gallo with John Dory, despite the occasional loose translation on restaurant menus. In Spain, you’ll usually find John Dory under the name pez de San Pedro or simply San Pedro.
Boquerones or anchoas?
Welcome to one of Spain’s great fish-name traps.
Boquerón and anchoa both refer to the European anchovy, but the words usually indicate how someone has prepared the fish.
Fishmongers and restaurants generally use boquerones for fresh anchovies. Boquerones en vinagre are the familiar white anchovy fillets marinated in vinegar.
Anchoas usually refers to anchovies that producers have salt-cured and preserved in oil. This process creates the darker, intensely savoury fillets you’ll find in tins and jars.
Order boquerones or anchoas, and you could end up with two very different dishes.
Emperador: Swordfish
Emperador is a common Spanish name for swordfish.
Fishmongers usually sell it in thick steaks rather than whole. Unless your local supermarket has an unusually ambitious display cabinet, that’s hardly surprising.
Its firm, meaty flesh makes swordfish ideal for grilling or cooking a la plancha.
You may also see the name pez espada, which literally means “sword fish”.
Atún, bonito and ventresca
Atún means tuna, but Spanish fish labels often provide more specific information.
Atún rojo means bluefin tuna, while bonito del norte refers to albacore tuna associated with northern waters.
Ventresca isn’t a separate species of fish. Instead, the word describes the prized belly section of the tuna, which has a rich flavour and higher fat content.
You can buy fresh ventresca, but producers also use this cut in premium tinned and jarred preserves.
What should you ask the fishmonger?
Knowing your fish names solves only half the problem. You also need to explain how you want the fish prepared.
Limpio means cleaned. Sin cabeza means without the head, while sin espinas means without bones.
Filetes are fillets, rodajas are steaks cut across the fish, and lomos are thick portions of the fillet.
Buying a whole fish for the oven? Ask for it limpio para el horno. The fishmonger will understand that you want the fish cleaned and ready to bake.
Use para la plancha if you plan to cook it on a griddle.
And if you want the head and bones to make stock, ask for con la cabeza y las espinas.
They might not make the prettiest journey home from the supermarket, but they’ll help you make an excellent fumet.
A few words worth remembering
Pescado means fish, while pescadería refers to a fishmonger’s shop or a supermarket fish counter.
Pescado blanco means white fish, while pescado azul means oily fish.
Fresco means fresh, congelado means frozen and descongelado means defrosted. Pay particular attention to descongelado because fishmongers sometimes display previously frozen fish alongside fresh fish.
Salvaje means wild, while de acuicultura indicates farmed fish.
And if the handwritten signs, gleaming eyes and unfamiliar names still leave you completely defeated, one phrase can rescue dinner:
Bridging the Gap’s recap
- Merluza means hake, while pescadilla generally refers to smaller, younger hake.
- Dorada is gilthead sea bream, while lubina is European sea bass.
- Rape means monkfish, and rodaballo means turbot.
- Lenguado is sole, while gallo usually means megrim at the fish counter.
- Boquerones generally refers to fresh anchovies, while anchoas usually means salt-cured anchovies.
- Bacalao can mean fresh or salted cod, so check the label before buying.
- Atún means tuna, while ventresca describes its prized belly cut.
- Ask for limpio para el horno when you want a whole fish cleaned and prepared for baking.
