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Huachinango

Fish · Lutjanidae

Huachinango in English is Red snapper. It belongs to the Lutjanidae family; the names below show how the same fish is sold across international markets.
Huachinango is Mexican Spanish for red snapper, especially northern red snapper—not a generic name for every red-colored fish.

Also called
🇺🇸🇬🇧Red snapper🇦🇷Pargo colorado🇫🇷Vivaneau rouge🇪🇸Pargo rojo🇵🇹Pargo🇧🇷Vermelho🇮🇹Lutiano rosso🇩🇪Roter Schnapper
→ How it's cooked: Huachinango a la Veracruzana (Veracruz-Style Red Snapper)
Huachinango — Lutjanidae fish

NOAA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Have a photo of Huachinango from your fishmonger? and we'll credit you.

Red snapper is a prized firm-fleshed fish from the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean, with distinctive red skin and sweet, nutty white flesh. In Mexico it is called huachinango and is one of the most iconic fish in the cuisine — most famously prepared a la veracruzana with tomatoes, olives, and chiles. It is also popular grilled whole, deep-fried, and in ceviches across Latin America.

Names by country

CountryNameNotes
🇺🇸United StatesRed snapper
🇬🇧United KingdomRed snapper
🇲🇽MexicoHuachinangoprimaryThe most iconic fish in Mexican cuisine — huachinango a la veracruzana is a national dish
🇦🇷ArgentinaPargo colorado
🇫🇷FranceVivaneau rouge
🇪🇸SpainPargo rojo
🇵🇹PortugalPargo
🇧🇷BrazilVermelhoVery popular in Brazilian coastal cuisine
🇮🇹ItalyLutiano rossoNot native to the Mediterranean; sold under this name when imported, sometimes confused with 'dentice rosso' (a related Mediterranean species).
🇩🇪GermanyRoter SchnapperImported; not native to German waters.

Does your butcher call it something else?

A fish you can order instead

Alaska Rockfish Fillets from Alaska Gold Seafood

$245.00–$395.00 · Free US shipping (except Hawaii) · Alaska Gold Seafood

The fish US counters sell as "Pacific red snapper", under its real name

  • Wild Alaskan Sebastes, longline-caught
  • Skinless fillets, lean and firm
  • Vacuum-sealed and frozen
  • 10 or 20 lb box

Alaska Rockfish Fillets

View at Alaska Gold Seafood →

Affiliate link — CarneAtlas may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Price checked 31 Aug 2026.

Classic recipe

Huachinango a la Veracruzana (Veracruz-Style Red Snapper)45 min

Red snapper baked in the sauce of the port of Veracruz: tomato, onion and garlic with green olives, capers and pickled c…

Culinary substitutes

Loup de mer
Loup de mer

Monkfish tail is used as a substitute for sea bass in stews and roasts due to its firm texture — monkfish is denser and more robust, sea bass more delicate.

Corvina
Corvina

Both are firm white fish popular in Latin American ceviches and grilled preparations — red snapper has a sweeter flavor, corvina is milder.

Grouper
Grouper

Both are firm, white, mild-flavored fish from the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean — grouper is meatier and thicker-fleshed, red snapper is sweeter with more character.

Rabirrubia
Rabirrubia

Both are Lutjanidae snappers from the same Gulf and Caribbean waters — yellowtail snapper is more delicate and lighter-fleshed, red snapper is firmer and more intensely flavored.

Rockfish
Rockfish

Pacific rockfish is routinely sold in the US as "Pacific red snapper", but true red snapper is a Gulf and Caribbean Lutjanidae — sweeter, firmer, and considerably more expensive. Rockfish is the honest budget stand-in for snapper preparations, not the same fish.

Besugo
Besugo

Both are premium red-skinned whole-roasting fish with sweet white flesh — red snapper is firmer and more tropical, besugo finer and more delicate.

Often confused with

Huachinango vs Red snappersame fishHuachinango vs Loup de merHuachinango vs CorvinaHuachinango vs GrouperHuachinango vs Rabirrubia

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