Dorado and Wahoo are different fish, but they're close enough in the kitchen to stand in for one another.
Coryphaenidae
Mahi-mahi is a spectacular, fast-swimming ocean fish with vivid blue-green and gold coloring that fades quickly after death. Its flesh is firm, moist, and mildly sweet with large flakes. In Latin America it is universally called dorado (golden). It is excellent grilled as steaks or fillets, and is a popular fish taco filling in Baja California. Not to be confused with the Argentine freshwater golden dorado.
Full guide →Scombridae
Wahoo is a large, fast-swimming pelagic fish — one of the fastest in the ocean — prized across the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and Hawaii. Unlike most Scombridae, its flesh is white, mild, and firm rather than dark and oily, making it accessible to those who avoid mackerel or tuna. In the Caribbean it is called peto in Spanish-speaking islands. In Hawaii it is known as ono, meaning 'delicious' in Hawaiian. It is excellent grilled as steaks, seared, or used in ceviches, and is one of the most sought-after sportfish in tropical waters.
Full guide →Both are fast-swimming tropical pelagic fish prized by sportfishers and suited to grilling and ceviches — wahoo is firmer and more delicate, mahi-mahi is moister and sweeter.
| Country | Dorado | Wahoo |
|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸United States | Mahi-mahi | Wahoo |
| 🇬🇧United Kingdom | Mahi-mahi | Wahoo |
| 🇫🇷France | Mahi-mahi | Thazard-bâtard |
| 🇪🇸Spain | Lampuga | Peto |
| 🇦🇷Argentina | Dorado | Peto |
| 🇲🇽Mexico | Dorado | Peto |
| 🇵🇹Portugal | Dourado | Cavala-da-índia |
| 🇧🇷Brazil | Dourado | Wahoo |
| 🇮🇹Italy | Lampuga | Wahoo |
| 🇩🇪Germany | Goldmakrele | Wahoo |
Browse every species in the atlas on the fish index, or identify one from a photo with Identify my cut.