Because of its mild taste and firm flaky meat, Pacific rockfish is as versatile as cod and much firmer than most whiting species. Pacific rockfish holds together well under any number of cooking methods and is delicious in nearly any fin-fish dish.
Pacific rockfish is sold primarily as fillets in a variety of fresh or frozen form and cuts.
Although the skin color of Pacific rockfish varies from bright vermilion to black, in fillet form, one species is virtually indistinguishable from another. Whole Pacific rockfish is also available dressed or round. The brighter colored whole Pacific rockfish can add a dramatic display element to your customer's fresh seafood retail counters. Fishermen harvest Pacific rockfish from Southern California to Alaska by trawl or hook and fine from depths between 10 and 2,000 meters. Annual western U.S. harvest of Pacific rockfish averages 80 thousand metric tons.