Opah Fish

Opah Flavor Profile

Opah Flavor Scale

Flavor
Oil
Texture

Fresh Opah, also called Moonfish, has translucent pinkish flesh and beautiful multi-colored skin. The tender top loin of Opah is a light salmon-orange or pink-rose color and is often used for sashimi. The flavor of the top loin is sweet & lean with a texture somewhat like tuna.

The side and lower flesh of Opah is the same light salmon-orange color at the top but fades to a paler color at the bottom and is too fibrous to be used for sashimi but still becomes very tender after cooking. With a robust flavor similar to tuna or swordfish, the lower loin is higher in natural oil than the top loin and has a fat content which can be higher than Salmon.

The cheek meat is dark red. And the breastplate flesh is bright red. All the flesh turns white after cooking except for the breastplate which turns brown.

Typical Cooking Methods

Alternate Names

Moonfish, Havaiian Moonfish, Sunfish, Kingfish, Redfin Ocean Pan, Jerusalem Haddock

Description (Lampris guttatus)

Opah have large disc-shaped bodies with blue and a deep red-orange upper body fading to a rosy color on the belly, with white spots covering the sides and bright reddish-orange fins. Opah can weigh 150 pounds.

Fresh Opah Availability

Fresh seafood availability chart: green areas show peak availability, light green show limited availability, gray indicates not available fresh.

Opah Butchering Yield Percentage and Recovery

Range & Habitat

AquaMaps Data sources: GBIF

Opah are often thought of as being a Hawaiian fish. But they are also found from southern California to the Gulf of Alaska, eastern Australia and New Zealand.

Typical Wholesale Products

Whole, Fillets, Loins. The top loin is used for sashimi.

Opah Sustainability Info

Name	Alternate Names	Catch Method	Catch Region	Seafood Watch	Ocean Wise	Sea Choice	Mercury Concerns
Opah	Moonfish, Jerusalem Haddock	Wild, Longline	Hawaii				Elevated
Opah	Moonfish, Jerusalem Haddock	Wild, Longline	Imported				Elevated
Disclaimer: The sustainability info above is accurate to the best of our knowledge. However, each program randomly updates their information without our knowledge. We therefore recommend that you verify the current accuracy of this information.
= Best Choice/Recommended      = Good Alternative      = Avoid/Not Recommended							Updated August 2013

Opah is generally not a targeted commercial species, but instead is usually a bycatch of other fisheries such as the tuna or mahi mahi fishery. The concern with Opah is the longline gear which is commonly used. There is considerable bycatch of unintended species (including Opah!) which is why it is rated “good alternative” or “avoid”.

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