Sheepshead

Archosargus probatocephalus

Blue sketch illustration of Sheepshead
Kosher
Has fins and scales
Fins Yes
Scales Yes
Description

Archosargus probatocephalus, the sheepshead, sheepshead seabream or convict fish, is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Sparidae, the seabreams and porgies. This species is found in the Western Atlantic Ocean.

Sheepshead has firm, sweet white flesh that's good grilled, baked, or fried, though its tough scales and rib bones make it a bit of work to clean. It's valued by recreational anglers along the Gulf and southern Atlantic.

The sheepshead, Archosargus probatocephalus, lives in the western Atlantic from Nova Scotia to Brazil, including the Gulf of Mexico. It hangs around structure such as rock pilings, jetties, mangrove roots, and piers, and tolerates brackish and fresh water.

Also known as

  • Convict Fish
  • Sheephead
  • Sheepshead seabream

Kosher Sheepshead in foreign languages

ScientificArchosargus probatocephalus
Spanish Sargo
Portuguese Sargo-de-dentes
French Rondeau Mouton
German Sträflings-Meerbrasse
Chinese 羊鯛
Japanese シープスヘッド

Gallery

Sheepshead — Alive
Alive · Hillebrand Steve, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service / Public domain
Sheepshead — Alive
Alive · Dugmore, A. Radclyffe, Evermann, Barton Warren, Jo / Public domain
Sheepshead — Alive
Alive · The U.S. Food and Drug Administration / Public domain
Warnings & Kosher Issues
  • Kosher. Sheepshead have fins and scales.
  • It has flat, human-like front teeth it uses to crush shellfish and scrape barnacles off rocks. That's a feeding feature, not a kosher issue.
  • Not the same fish as the California sheephead (Semicossyphus pulcher), a wrasse, despite the similar name.