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Dorada

Fish · Sparidae
Dorada — Sparidae fish

Roberto Pillon, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Also called
🇺🇸🇬🇧Sea bream🇫🇷Daurade🇵🇹🇧🇷Dourada🇮🇹Orata🇩🇪Dorade royale

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.

Names by country

CountryNameNotes
🇺🇸United StatesSea bream
🇬🇧United KingdomSea bream
🇲🇽MexicoDorada
🇦🇷ArgentinaDorada
🇫🇷FranceDauradeDaurade royale is the full name — a classic of Provençal cooking
🇪🇸SpainDoradaprimaryA la sal (baked in salt) is the most celebrated preparation in Spain
🇵🇹PortugalDourada
🇧🇷BrazilDourada
🇮🇹ItalyOrata
🇩🇪GermanyDorade royaleAlso 'Goldbrasse'.

Culinary substitutes

Loup de mer
Loup de mer

Both are farmed Mediterranean fish with mild white flesh, similar size, and best cooked whole — sea bass is slightly more delicate, bream slightly sweeter.

Mojarra
Mojarra

Both are mild, white, versatile farmed fish — tilapia is softer and more neutral in flavor, sea bream has more character and is better suited to whole cooking.

Pompano
Pompano

Both are small, prized whole-cooking fish with rich, sweet white flesh — pompano has a richer, butterier flavor, sea bream is more delicate and Mediterranean in character.

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