Dorada and Saint pierre are different fish, but they're close enough in the kitchen to stand in for one another.
Sparidae
Gilthead sea bream is recognizable by its golden spot between its eyes. It has firm white flesh with a sweet, delicate flavor and is farmed extensively across the Mediterranean. In Spain it is called dorada, in France daurade royale, in Portugal dourada. It is typically cooked whole — baked in salt, grilled over charcoal, or roasted with vegetables — and is a fixture of Mediterranean restaurant menus.
Full guide →Zeidae
Saint-Pierre is one of the most valuable fish in European kitchens and one of the strangest looking: a flat, oval, olive-grey body with a dark thumbprint on each flank. Nearly every language names it after that mark and the legend attached to it — the apostle Peter's thumb, hence Saint-Pierre in France, pez de San Pedro in Spain, pesce San Pietro in Italy, Petersfisch in Germany. The English name John Dory is thought to come from the French jaune doré. Yield is poor — the head and frame are more than half its weight — but the four thick fillets are firm, pearly white and sweet, closer to turbot than to sea bass, and they hold together under a hard sear. The frame makes an excellent stock, so buy it whole if the kitchen can use both. Portuguese peixe-galo is the same fish; it should not be confused with the unrelated tropical galo species.
Full guide →Both are whole-cooking white fish suited to roasting on the bone — sea bream is milder and much cheaper, Saint-Pierre firmer with a cleaner, sweeter flavour.
| Country | Dorada | Saint-Pierre |
|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸United States | Sea bream | John Dory |
| 🇬🇧United Kingdom | Sea bream | John Dory |
| 🇫🇷France | Daurade | Saint-Pierre |
| 🇪🇸Spain | Dorada | Pez de San Pedro |
| 🇦🇷Argentina | Dorada | — |
| 🇲🇽Mexico | Dorada | — |
| 🇵🇹Portugal | Dourada | Peixe-galo |
| 🇧🇷Brazil | Dourada | — |
| 🇮🇹Italy | Orata | Pesce San Pietro |
| 🇩🇪Germany | Dorade royale | Petersfisch |
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