Croakers & Drums - Corvina
[family Sciaenidae]

Croakers and Drums get their name from sounds they make underwater. Corvina is a Spanish name for many fish in this family

Freshwater Drum - [Gaspergou, Sheepshead, Lake/River drum, Grunt, Croaker, Aplodinotus grunniens]

In the Asian markets of Southern California this fish is most often labled "Sheephead", sometimes with a subscript of "Bacoco". Clearly it is not a Bacoco, nor the more famous California Sheephead. This is a pretty big fish, the photo specimen at 21 inches and 3.85 pounds, but they can grow to over 3 feet and 50 pounds. Found in large non-freezing lakes and rivers in North and Central America, it is a minor commercial fish and not considered threatened.   Details and Cooking.

Yellow Croaker
This is confusing. There are two fish called Yellow Croaker in Southern California, often sold in the same market. Some authorities clearly assign them as Larimichthys polyactis and Pseudosciaena manchurica but Fishbase considers those two names to be for the same fish. They are probably right, but their photo is so bad it's hard to tell what fish they think it is. L. polyactis seems reasonably clear, but the other fish was a problem. A bunch of croakers looking quite similar - but based on tail shape and stripe pattern in Fishbase I settled on M. undulatus, confirmed by the Smithsonian Envronmental Research Center. Their photo of M. undulatis is very good, and a dead ringer for my boy.

Corvina / Yellow Croaker - [Yellowfish, Yellow Corvina, Larimichthys polyactis alt Pseudosciaena manchurica]

Native to the northwest Pacific, particularly the Yellow Sea and East China Sea, this fish is highly prized among Asians in Los Angeles, especially the Koreans. In Korean markets they are sold frozen, dried, salted cooked and sometimes fresh, usually in lengths less than 12 inches. They are often called "Corvina" (Spanish for croaker) or "Yellow Corvina" to avoid confusion with the other fish called "yellow croaker" (see Yellow Croaker above). They are easy to tell apart, this one has a round face, the other has a pointy face. This fish can grow to about 18 inches, but the photo specimen, purchased from a Los Angeles market serving mostly Vietnamese and Chinese, was 13-1/4 inches long and weighed 1 pound 2-1/2 ounces, IUCN status NE (Not Evaluated).   Details and Cooking.

Atlantic Croaker / Yellow Croaker - [Micropogonias undulatus | very similar: Spotfin Croaker Roncador stearnsi; Yellowfin Croaker Umbrina roncador; Sharpnose hammer croaker Johnius borneensis]

See the entry for Yellow Croaker above for the confusion surrounding this fish and others. I had previously followed the FDA photo and called this fish Pseudoscianena manchurica but I'm pretty sure now that is wrong (see Corvina above).

This fish is native to the West Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean. It ranges from Massachusetts to Argentina and is considered a very good eating fish. This fish can grow to 22 inches and 5 pounds 11 ounces, but the photo specimen was 14 inches long and weighing 1 pound 3/4 oz. This fish is currently caught wild and not farmed.   Details and Cooking.

Red Drum - [Redfish, Sciaenops ocellatus]
Strangely, this drum is not always red, and the distinctive ringed spot at the tail may not be there on some fish either, or may appear on only one side. This West Atlantic fish is found from Massachusetts to northern Mexico and can grow to 61 inches and 99 pounds, but the photo specimen was 16-1/2 inches and 2 pounds. The photo specimen, farm raised in Taiwan, shows an extra black spot on the side. Red drum was badly depleted to supply restaurants during the "Blackened Redfish" craze of a few years back but is now farmed and in good supply.   Details and Cooking.