Chef John Ash

According to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, rockfish (genus Sebastes) includes more than 100 species and many different shapes, sizes and color patterns. Their name comes from the fact that they often are found near rocky reefs, like the Faralone Islands or at rest on rocks at the bottom of kelp forests. They primarily are a product of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. When I lived in North Beach and shopped regularly in Chinatown, fish markets would display the incredible rainbow of colors and shapes. Colors vary from black and drab green to bright orange and red, sometimes in splotches and stripes.  The most popular (and expensive) have great names like Yellow Eye, Vermillion, Canary, Chili Pepper, Quillback, Dark Blotched Widow, Ocean Perch and more. 

These “fancy” rockfishes tend to be loners so must be caught by hook and line rather than nets. This adds a bit to their price since it isn’t possible to catch them more efficiently.  It pays off however in the condition of the fish which don’t get beaten up as much as they would in nets.  Other and generally less expensive are the schooling varieties often caught in trawl nets. 

In an effort to give them more appeal (and increase the price) they have been purveyed under a variety of misleading and unrelated names like “Rock Cod” and “Pacific Red Snapper”.  The true Red Snapper is found only in the Gulf and the Atlantic and bears no resemblance to a Rockfish.  Although regulations were passed to ban this misnaming, you still find it used.

They remain popular fishes because of their delicate taste and relatively inexpensive price. Their flesh is tender, flakey and mild in flavor and are delicious cooked using any method that you like (except for grilling because they tend to stick). But therein lies a problem.  Many don’t breed until they are 20 years old and can live for upwards of 200 years and they have few young.  This makes them very vulnerable to overfishing.

You usually find them filleted in the market with skin on.  Less often will you find the whole fish. Whole fish must be handled carefully since they have sharp, venomous quills or spines on the dorsal fin. Good gloves are a must when filleting them. Whole fish are a staple steamed in Chinese cooking.

They are deep water fish and if you’ve ever fished for them, you’ll experience their tendency to blow up like a balloon when they hit the surface after their long ride up from the depths.

Most rockfish are excellent eating both whole and filleted and a great alternative in most recipes. If you are serving whole fish, be sure to cut off the very sharp spiny fins before cooking or cutting into the fish. If you get poked, it can be very painful.

Recipes included:

• Baked Rockfish with Tomatoes and Capers
• Fried Rockfish Agrodolce (Sweet and Sour)
• Rockfish with a Balsamic Vinegar Butter Sauce
• Fish Tacos with Citrus Salsa and Cabbage Slaw
• Rockfish And Asparagus Salad with Spicy Lime Dressing
• Panfried Rockfish with Tomatillo and Avocado Salsa
• Blackened Rockfish Fillets