Thornyhead - What to know, when & where to get it
Thornyhead
(longspine and shortspine)
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(year-round)
Thornyhead is a great go-to seafood ingredient, similar to rockfish, with a delicate, sweet flavor. They have an unfortunate nickname (“idiotfish”) — but don’t mind that! They’re delicious especially when cooked whole and enjoyed off the bone.
Thornyhead have bright red bodies with oversized heads and large eyes. They’ve adapted to survive at various depths of the ocean—from 50 to 5,000 feet deep—because the mature thornyhead lacks a swim bladder. This means that, unlike most other fish caught in deep waters, thornyhead can be brought to the surface without suffering barotrauma, and so can be sold live at fish markets.
You can substitute thornyhead in any recipe that calls for rockfish. With a texture between flounder and swordfish, thornyhead is frequently roasted, steamed, or fried—and sometimes cut into chunks for soup or stew. With a year-round harvest season, fishermen usually use longlines, hook and line, or trawl to catch thornyhead.
Buying Tips
Ask for fresh, local thornyhead from your fishmonger or community supported fishery (CSF).
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Be adventurous and try a new preparation of this fish.
Seafood Illustration courtesy of Monterey Bay Aquarium®
Recipes
Pan-Roasted Thornyhead Rockfish Fillets With Herb Butter
(Real Good Fish)
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Whole Grilled Thornyhead Rockfish with Vietnamese Peanut Pesto
(Real Good Fish)
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IPA-Battered Fish & Chips
(Yummly)
More about Thornyhead
Thornyhead: life, habitat, and management
Shortspine thornyhead (Sebastolobus alascanus) and longspine thornyhead (Sebastolobus altivelis) live in the cold waters of the northern Pacific Ocean—from the Aleutian Islands of Alaska to Baja California in Mexico. Thornyhead grow and mature relatively slowly, and they’re known to live for decades. Shortspine thornyhead may live up up to 100 years, measure over 30 inches long, and weigh up to 20 pounds. They generally spawn in late winter or early spring by laying masses of 20,000-450,000 eggs at once.
They live near the seafloor, often over soft bottoms. Thornyhead feed on shrimp, crabs, zooplankton, and other invertebrates. Their most common predators are sablefish, arrowtooth flounder, sperm whales, and sharks—and sometimes other thornyhead.
This fishery is managed under the Pacific Coast Groundfish Fishery Management Plan. The stock is healthy, and management is rated effective. Thornyhead is currently harvested at sustainable levels according to the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch, which lists them as a “Best Choice.”
SOURCES:
CA SeaGrant, NOAA, Seafood Watch, Environmental Defense Fund
Where & When to Find Thornyhead
Thornyhead is open year-round in Central and Northern California.
You can buy thornyheads directly from local restaurants, grocery stores, and fish markets —check out our Local Catch page for more information, or check out our recipes page for tips on how to store, prepare, and cook thornyheads and other seafood.
Want a fun calendar to remind you of what is in season here in Monterey Bay? Download + print our seafood seasonality guide (downloadable pdf).