Kosher Fish and Kashrut

Yes, drum fish kosher status is settled. Red drum, black drum, and freshwater drum all carry the fins and removable scales Jewish law requires.

Shechita is the halachic method of slaughtering kosher animals and birds: a single expert cut with a flawless blade, done only by a certified shochet. Fish never need it. Their kosher status comes from fins and scales alone.

No, uni is not kosher. Sea urchin is an echinoderm with no fins or scales, so it fails the Torah’s kosher-fish test, unlike true fish roe such as ikura or tobiko.

No, cuttlefish isn’t kosher. It’s a cephalopod mollusk with no fins and no scales at all, the same non-kosher category as squid and octopus, according to the Orthodox Union and Chicago Rabbinical Council.

Yes, eggs are kosher and pareve on their own, no hechsher needed. Here is the halachic rule on checking eggs for blood before you cook, and when egg products need certification.

Yes, haddock is kosher. It has fins and easily removable scales, and the OU and cRc both list it. Here’s the market-name trap to know and when smoked haddock needs a hechsher.

Yes, honey is kosher. Bees aren’t a kosher species, but the Talmud makes a specific exception for honey because it isn’t a bodily secretion. Here’s the reasoning, the OU’s ruling, and when a hechsher still matters.

Yes, pollock is kosher. It has fins and removable scales, the same family as cod and haddock, though processed pollock products like fish sticks and imitation crab still need a real hechsher.

Gelatin is kosher only when it’s certified. Most US gelatin comes from pig skin and isn’t kosher, but beef and fish gelatin can be, depending on the source and the agency’s ruling.