Whole size:
0.8 - 2.5kg
John Dory, the premium fish for white table cloth dinning.

Identifying features: Olive-brown with a golden sheen, and a dark spot on the center of each side. Tiny scales and a very smooth skin. The body is almost oval, very compressed and it has a large head and upright jaw. The dorsal-fin spine membranes extend well beyond the spines and there is a single row of spiny edged scutes along the belly and at the base of dorsal and anal fins.

Comparisons: Dories are distinct from all other fishes, with the exception of their deepwater relatives the oreos from which they differ in having a smoother, paler skin and smaller eye. The John Dory, with it's dark fingerprint spot and long filamentous dorsal fin, is an unmistakable member of the group.

Fillet: White firm flesh. Very deep, short and tapering sharply. Rarely skinned with small and barely detectable scales. Mild flavor, firm texture, suitable for moist cooking methods.

Habitat: Quite common in the coastal water of northern New Zealand, particularly from Bay of Plenty northwards, but not abundant in any locality. This species does not school.

Catching methods: Longliner, Danish seining and trawled.
(John Dory are hunters and generally only take live bait when fishing with hook and line. This is why you will quite often see a small whole snapper in it's belly when the fish comes off longliners.)

Nutrional Information:
(Per 100 gm raw fillets - approximate)
Protein 20.6 g
Energy 89 kcal (374 kJ)
Sodium 82 mg
Fat 0.8 g
Cholesterol 53 mg