What the Hell is a "Butterfish?"
 

Every restaurant seems to be serving butterfish. I've eaten several specimens at a variety of establishments and every time I ask what it is, I get a different answer? The dishes taste differently at different restaurants so I'm wondering if it is a method of preparation. There ain't no butterfish swimming in the sea.

A Stromateidae.

Stromateidae - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

.

They swim in Butter!!!

And goldfish swim in gold, and moonfish swim on the moon?

this was a big thread awhile ago...fish mongers says resturant will call many different fish a butterfish...

Cod.

I remember having something in Key West called Butterfish. It was delicious and over-priced.

lighthouse has good butterfish or whatever it is

What a great response.

I really enjoy the "butterfish" at Lighthouse but noted the fish filet was nothing like the little shiny butterfish available to us in eastern NC. I wanted to replicate the Lighthouse dish and have come very close using Swai found frozen at WalMart.

It sounds like what New England does, they call schrod the catch of the day.

small pompano like thin salt water fish.
Good taste. Sweet.
But then again depending on regions fish
have different names. Example
Ono (Hawaii) same as Wahoo

Striped Bass same as Rock fish
Tautaug same as Blackfish
and many more.

Neal G

scrod like small cod.
Very similar. Holds up to frying
and using for fish and chips.
In a side by side tasting most prefer
scrod.
Sweetbay has amazing quality Cod and Scrod
and salmon. Out of there dozens of stores ours
in the Villages sells more then any others so they
have first pick.

80% of fish sold is mislabeled...according to a story I read somewhere.

I grew up in eastern NC, and my family was full of commercial fishermen, so there was often a platter of "fish" on the table. My mother would pick through to find the butterfish for me because it was my favorite.

I read recently that another name for black cod is butterfish. No idea if it's the same fish I ate as a kid...it's NOT actual cod...but black cod is one of the healthiest fish you can eat. It's really high in omega 3's.

@wendyquot, where are you from?f I am from Hyde County.