$$ · filleting, skinning, and trimming whole fish
Fillet a whole fish without wasting half of it
Following the bones and contours of whole fish with a narrow, flexible blade.
Victorinox Fibrox 8-Inch Flexible Fillet Knife
Besugo in English is Blackspot seabream. It belongs to the Sparidae family; the names below show how the same fish is sold across international markets.
Also called
🇺🇸🇬🇧Blackspot seabream🇫🇷Dorade rose🇵🇹Goraz🇮🇹Occhialone🇩🇪Rotbrassen
Besugo is the blackspot seabream, and in Spain it is a Christmas fish before it is anything else — besugo a la espalda, split and roasted on the bone, is the Basque and Madrid festive centrepiece, and its price climbs accordingly in December. It is a deeper-water, slower-growing relative of the dorada, and the difference shows on the plate: the flesh is finer, sweeter and more delicate, with a distinct dark spot behind the gill that gives it its name in most languages. Because it grows slowly it is heavily fished and genuinely expensive; much of what is sold cheaply as besugo is a smaller Pagellus relative or imported goraz from the Azores and Madeira, where the fishery is better managed. Buy it whole, on the bone, and roast it simply — it is not a fish that rewards sauce.
Names by country
| Country | Name | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸United States | Blackspot seabream | |
| 🇬🇧United Kingdom | Blackspot seabream | Named for the dark spot behind the gill |
| 🇫🇷France | Dorade rose | Distinct from daurade royale, which is the gilt-head bream |
| 🇪🇸Spain | Besugoprimary | The Spanish Christmas fish — besugo a la espalda, roasted whole on the bone |
| 🇵🇹Portugal | Goraz | The Azores and Madeira fishery supplies much of the Iberian market |
| 🇮🇹Italy | Occhialone | |
| 🇩🇪Germany | Rotbrassen |
Culinary substitutes
Often confused with
Handling fish at home
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