Merluza and Peixe espada preto are different fish, but they're close enough in the kitchen to stand in for one another.
Merlucciidae
Hake is a mild, white-fleshed fish from the cod family, softer and more delicate than cod itself. It is the most consumed fish in Spain and one of the most popular in Argentina. In France it is known as colin and is a supermarket staple. Its gentle flavor and flaky texture make it suitable for frying, baking, and steaming. Argentine hake (Merluccius hubbsi) is a related but distinct species.
Full guide →Trichiuridae
Peixe-espada-preto is the black scabbardfish — a long, ribbon-thin, jet-black deep-water fish with enormous eyes and teeth, caught on longlines set 800 to 1,200 metres down off Madeira and the Azores. It looks alarming and tastes nothing like it looks: the flesh is white, soft, almost boneless and very mild, closer to a delicate white fish than to anything oily. In Madeira it is the local dish, espada com banana, fried in a light coating and served with fried banana and passionfruit, a combination that sounds implausible and works. It is also common in Lisbon fish markets. The name causes constant confusion in Portuguese: peixe-espada is not espadarte. Espadarte is swordfish — a large, meaty, steak-cut pelagic fish grilled like tuna — while this is a soft-fleshed deep-sea fish usually sold as thin fillets. They are not substitutes for one another.
Full guide →Both are soft, mild, white-fleshed fish sold as thin boneless fillets and suited to light frying — hake flakes in larger sheets, scabbardfish is finer and more delicate.
| Country | Merluza | Peixe-espada-preto |
|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸United States | Hake | Black scabbardfish |
| 🇬🇧United Kingdom | Hake | Black scabbardfish |
| 🇫🇷France | Colin | Sabre noir |
| 🇪🇸Spain | Merluza | Sable negro |
| 🇦🇷Argentina | Merluza | — |
| 🇲🇽Mexico | Merluza | — |
| 🇵🇹Portugal | Pescada | Peixe-espada-preto |
| 🇧🇷Brazil | Merluza | — |
| 🇮🇹Italy | Nasello | Pesce sciabola nero |
| 🇩🇪Germany | Seehecht | Schwarzer Degenfisch |
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