Extreme Makeover: Seafood Edition
Marketers gave these former trash fish new names—and transformed them from gross to gourmet.
NEW NAME |
OLD NAME |
STORY |
|
Orange roughy |
Slimehead |
Originally named for its mucus-covered head |
|
Torbay sole |
Witch |
Renamed by UK grocer Marks & Spencer after a picturesque English bay |
|
Rock salmon/hass |
Spiny dogfish |
The result of an $8.5 million '70s campaign to rebrand "underutilized species" |
|
Silverbrite salmon |
Chum salmon/dog salmon |
One of the cheapest kinds of salmon, it has canine-like fangs. |
|
Peekytoe crab |
Rock crab |
Considered essentially worthless till the mid-'90s; now the darling of trendy restaurants |
|
Scarlet snapper |
South African hake, Malabar blood snapper |
"Anything that is red is going to be sold as red snapper, no matter what it is," says one restaurant supplier. |
|
Blue cod |
Oilfish |
Like escolar, oilfish is known for its laxative effect. |
|
Source: Marine Policy |
||
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