Smaller Species of Sea Brass

Pargo, Sargo, Bica, Besugo, Ferreira

Pargo

Pargo (Pagrus pagrus), the common sea bream or red porgy, can officially be termed legítimo, according to current nomenclature, although no one could care less about this at the market. This species, which is better suited to the average household, does

Sargo

Sargo is the name given to two species of white sea bream that are not really white, but sport dark stripes: Diplodus sargus lineatus, which is one of the rare cases in this book that a fish lacks an English name, and Diplodus sargus cadenati, or Morrocan

Bica

Bica (Pagellus erythrinus) is red in color and known in English as the common Pandora or Spanish sea bream, though it also swims in Italian and Portuguese waters. A blueish smudge above the eye helps distinguish the larger specimens from pargos, and small

Besugo

Besugo (Pagellus acarne), the axillary sea bream, is a perfect fish for grilling. Tastewise, you may compare or even prefer it to the bica. In my opinion, the besugo is mostly the best choice in a restaurant, as it usually comes to your table fresh off th

Ferreira

Ferreira (Lithognathus mormyrus), the striped sea bream, is in the same price range as its afore-mentioned cousins, but its flesh is less firm and, in my experience, can sometimes be tainted with the taste of algae. Even so, larger specimens of this fish