Grouper Family
[family Serranidae]

Groupers are a group of ocean fish of the same family as Sea Bass and with very similar in characteristics. The most famous are the Giant and Goliath Groupers which can grow to around 1000 pounds - pretty big bass. All groupers meet kosher requirements but many species are Red Listed as VU (vulnerable) or EN (Endangered).

More on Varieties of Fish

Areolate Grouper - [Epinephelus areolatus]

An Indo West-Pacific fish found from South Africa to Fiji and north as far as Japan. It can grow to 18 inches and 3 pounds but the photo specimen was 13-1/2 inches and weighed 1 pound. This fish is both caught wild and farmed. This fish is not Red Listed.   Prep & Cooking Details.

Goliath Grouper - [Epinephelus itajara]

This fish which grows to 98 inches and near 1000 pounds occasionally attempts to eat scuba divers. It is found in warmer waters on both coasts of North and South America and particularly likes to live in caves and shipwrecks. This fish has been greatly depleted, mainly by sport spear fishing - this fish is Red Listed CR (Critically Endangered) - do not catch, do not spear, do not eat (severe Federal fines for posession).

Giant Grouper - [Epinephelus lanceolatus]
This Indo-West Pacific fish grows to over 100 inches and 880 pounds and is found from South Africa to Hawaii. It's habits and characteristics are very similar to the Goliath Grouper of the American coasts. This fish has been over-fished and is Red Listed as VU (Vulnerable). Some aquaculture has been established.

Red Grouper - [Pink Grouper (restaurants), Brown Grouper, Deer Grouper (Bahamas), Epinephelus morio]

This West Atlantic fish is found from North Carolina to Southern Brazil and all around the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean. It can grow to 49 inches and 50 pounds but the photo specimen was 16-1/2 inches and weighed 1-1/2 pound. This fish is Red Listed as NT (Near Threatened).   Prep & Cooking Details.

Strawberry Grouper / Golden Hind - [Golden Hind (fb), Cephalopholis aurantia | Strawberry Hind (fb), Strawberry Grouper, Cephalopholis spiloparaea]

Fishbase ascribes "strawberry grouper" to C. spiloparaea but the photo specimen is a half inch longer than that fish gets. Consequently I'm assigning "Strawberry Grouper" to both these nearly identical fish. Both are Indo Pacific fish found from Mozambique (C. Spiloparaea only) to French Polynesia. Both are deep water reef fish of similar habit. C. spiloparaea can grow to nearly 12 inches and C. aurantia to 23 inches but the photo specimen was 12-1/2 inches and weighed 1.4 pounds. Neither fish is Red Listed.   Prep & Cooking Details.

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