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Is John Dory kosher?

Yes — John Dory is kosher under Jewish dietary law.

John Dory has fins and scales, which are the two requirements for kosher fish under Jewish dietary law (Leviticus 11:9-12).

John Dory

Image: Photo by de:Benutzer:Kleines.Opossum · licensed CC BY-SA 3.0 · source

Kosher status
Kosher

About John Dory

John Dory (Zeus faber) John Dory, St Pierre, or Peter's fish, refers to fish of the genus Zeus, especially Zeus faber, of widespread distribution. It is an edible demersal coastal marine fish with a laterally compressed olive-yellow body which has a large dark spot, and long spines on the dorsal fin. Its large eyes at the front of the head provide it with binocular vision and depth perception, which are important for predators. The John Dory's eye spot on the side of its body also confuses prey, which are scooped up in its large mouth. In New Zealand, Māori know it as kuparu, and on the East Coast of the North Island, they gave some to Captain James Cook on his first voyage to New Zealand in 1769. Several casks of them were pickled. John Dory, St Pierre, or Peter's fish, refers to fish of the genus Zeus, especially Zeus faber, of widespread distribution. It is an edible demersal coastal marine fish with a laterally compressed olive-yellow body which has a large dark spot, and long spines on the dorsal fin. Its large eyes at the front of the head provide it with binocular vision and depth perception, which are important for predators. The John Dory's eye spot on the side of its body also confuses prey, which are scooped up in its large mouth. In New Zealand, Māori know it as kuparu, and on the East Coast of the North Island, they gave some to Captain James Cook on his first voyage to New Zealand in 1769. Several casks of them were pickled. Evolution The John Dory belongs to an ancient lineage of fish known from fossils since the Late Cretaceous, with fossils of the genus Zeus being known as far back as the Oligocene. Formerly, fossils from the Oligocene of Poland and the Late Miocene of Italy and Algeria were attributed to this species, but more recent studies have now consider these to be their own species: Zeus jerzmanskae and Zeus primaevus. The only fossils known of Z. faber itself are from the Pleistocene...

Source: kosherfish.co/kosher-fish-list (snapshot 2025-12-19); legacy csv; Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0); Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0)

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