Is לברק the same as branzino?

Yes. Ordinary fresh לברק is European sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax, also called branzino. לברק יפני is a different species and should be called Japanese sea bass.

Is דניס the same as sea bream?

דניס is specifically gilthead bream or gilthead seabream. Sea bream by itself is broader and can refer to other fish in the same family.

Does אמנון mean St. Peter’s fish?

Generic אמנון or מושט means tilapia and does not guarantee one species. St. Peter’s fish is most useful for אמנון הגליל, the mango tilapia species.

Is בורי red mullet?

No. Species-confirmed בורי is usually Mugil cephalus, called striped mullet or flathead grey mullet. Red mullet or barbounia belongs to a different family.

Does לוקוס always mean white grouper?

No. לוקוס is a broader grouper name. לוקוס לבן most directly matches white grouper, while לוקוס אדום or דאור is dusky grouper.

Israeli Fish Guide: Hebrew Names in English

Sea Bass and Seabream

On the label or sign

לברק נקי טרי: cleaned fresh European sea bass
פילה לברק: European sea bass fillet
עם עור / ללא עור: with skin / without skin

לברקEuropean sea bass

lavrak

US English

European sea bass or branzino

UK English

Bass or sea bass

What it is

לברק is European sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax. The fish has an elongated silver-grey body, two separate dorsal fins, and a moderately forked tail.

The difference

Sea bass is a broad culinary phrase. Israeli לברק does not mean striped bass, black sea bass, Chilean sea bass, or the freshwater fish sold as בס.

Common mistake

Buy לברק for European sea bass or branzino, and do not substitute בס or לברק יפני.

On the label or sign

פילה לברק יפני קפוא: frozen Japanese sea bass fillet
יפני: Japanese

לברק יפניJapanese sea bass

lavrak yapani

US English

Sea bass or Japanese seaperch

UK English

Japanese sea bass

What it is

לברק יפני is Lateolabrax japonicus, a different East Asian species. The shared word לברק does not make the fish European sea bass.

The difference

The word יפני changes the species. Japanese sea bass and ordinary fresh לברק need separate English names.

Common mistake

Read the full label and keep יפני in the English name.

A whole gilthead seabream, denis, with the gold forehead band

On the label or sign

דניס נקי טרי: cleaned fresh gilthead seabream
דניס שלם: whole gilthead seabream
פילה דניס: gilthead seabream fillet

דניסGilthead seabream

denis

US English

Gilthead bream

UK English

Gilthead seabream

What it is

דניס is gilthead bream or gilthead seabream, Sparus aurata. A whole fish has a gold band between the eyes, a silver-grey body, and a dark patch at the upper gill cover.

The difference

Bare bream or sea bream is too broad. דניס is one species in the sea-bream family, not freshwater bream or every fish called sea bream.

Common mistake

Look for gilthead bream or gilthead seabream instead of treating every bream as דניס.

Tilapia Names

On the label or sign

אמנון טרי נקי: cleaned fresh tilapia
מושט: tilapia
פילה אמנון: tilapia fillet

אמנון / מושטTilapia

amnun / musht

US English

Tilapia

UK English

Tilapia

What it is

אמנון or מושט is a retail category for several related freshwater fish. The category can include Nile, blue, mango, and other tilapias.

The difference

Tilapia is a market category, not one guaranteed species. St. Peter’s fish is not a safe translation for every אמנון or מושט.

Common mistake

Use tilapia for a generic אמנון or מושט label and check the species when identity matters.

אמנון היאורNile tilapia

amnun ha-Ye'or

US English

Nile tilapia

UK English

Tilapia

What it is

אמנון היאור is Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus. Nile tilapia is one possible tilapia species.

The difference

אמנון היאור is more specific than a generic אמנון sign. Nile tilapia is also different from Nile perch, Lates niloticus.

Common mistake

Do not read every אמנון label as Nile tilapia or confuse Nile tilapia with Nile perch.

אמנון הירדן / מושט לובדBlue tilapia

amnun ha-Yarden / musht lubad

US English

Blue tilapia

UK English

Tilapia

What it is

אמנון הירדן or מושט לובד is blue tilapia, Oreochromis aureus. Israeli guidance lists the species separately from אמנון הגליל.

The difference

Blue tilapia is a species-specific name. The broad English market name remains tilapia.

Common mistake

Use blue tilapia when the species is identified, rather than using St. Peter’s fish as the modern English name.

אמנון הגליל / מושט אביאדMango tilapia

amnun ha-Galil / musht abyad

US English

Mango tilapia or St. Peter’s fish

UK English

Tilapia

What it is

אמנון הגליל or מושט אביאד is mango tilapia, Sarotherodon galilaeus. The fish is a species of Sea of Galilee tilapia.

The difference

St. Peter’s fish is most useful in English for this species, but the name has also been applied to other fish. St. Peter’s fish is not the generic market name for all tilapia.

Common mistake

Use St. Peter’s fish only with the אמנון הגליל species qualifier.

Mullet and Groupers

On the label or sign

בורי נקי טרי: cleaned fresh mullet
בורי שלם: whole mullet
פילה בורי: mullet fillet

בוריGrey mullet

buri

US English

Striped mullet

UK English

Flathead grey mullet

What it is

בורי usually means Mugil cephalus, a robust silvery mullet with a broad head and side stripes. The FDA common name is striped mullet, while UK and FAO names use grey mullet.

The difference

A bare בורי sign can also cover other Israeli mullets. בורי is unrelated to red mullet or barbounia, which belongs to a different family.

Common mistake

Ask whether בורי means Mugil cephalus when the exact species matters.

On the label or sign

לוקוס: grouper
לוקוס לבן: white grouper
פילה לוקוס: grouper fillet

לוקוס / לוקוס לבןWhite grouper

lokus / lokus lavan

US English

White grouper

UK English

Grouper

What it is

לוקוס or לוקוס לבן most directly matches white grouper, Epinephelus aeneus. White grouper has two to four pale diagonal lines on the gill cover and inhabits sandy areas more than most local groupers.

The difference

Grouper is a market category covering several species. A bare לוקוס label does not prove that the fish is white grouper.

Common mistake

Ask for the scientific name instead of assuming every לוקוס is white grouper.

On the label or sign

לוקוס אדום: dusky grouper
דאור: dusky grouper

לוקוס אדום / דאורDusky grouper

lokus adom / da'ur

US English

Dusky grouper

UK English

Grouper

What it is

לוקוס אדום or דאור is dusky grouper, Epinephelus marginatus. Dusky grouper is associated with rocky habitat.

The difference

Dusky grouper is a different local grouper from white grouper. The words אדום or דאור need to stay attached to the name.

Common mistake

Do not collapse לוקוס אדום or דאור into white grouper.

Your recipe says this. Look for this Hebrew name.
Recipe says	Look for in Israel	Keep in mind
European sea bass or branzino	לברקlavrak	Do not substitute בס or לברק יפני.
Japanese sea bass	לברק יפניlavrak yapani	Keep יפני in the name.
Gilthead bream or gilthead seabream	דניסdenis	Bare bream is broader.
Tilapia	אמנון / מושטamnun / musht	The generic label does not guarantee a species.
Nile tilapia	אמנון היאורamnun ha-Ye'or	Nile tilapia is not Nile perch.
Blue tilapia	אמנון הירדן / מושט לובדamnun ha-Yarden / musht lubad	Use the species-specific name.
Mango tilapia or St. Peter’s fish	אמנון הגליל / מושט אביאדamnun ha-Galil / musht abyad	St. Peter’s fish is not a name for every tilapia.
Striped or flathead grey mullet	בוריburi	Confirm the species when identity matters.
White grouper	לוקוס / לוקוס לבןlokus / lokus lavan	A bare לוקוס sign may be broader.
Dusky grouper	לוקוס אדום / דאורlokus adom / da'ur	Do not substitute white grouper.

Your recipe says this. Look for this Hebrew name.

Recipe says

Look for in Israel

Keep in mind

European sea bass or branzino

לברקlavrak

Do not substitute בס or לברק יפני.

Japanese sea bass

לברק יפניlavrak yapani

Keep יפני in the name.

Gilthead bream or gilthead seabream

דניסdenis

Bare bream is broader.

Tilapia

אמנון / מושטamnun / musht

The generic label does not guarantee a species.

Nile tilapia

אמנון היאורamnun ha-Ye'or

Nile tilapia is not Nile perch.

Blue tilapia

אמנון הירדן / מושט לובדamnun ha-Yarden / musht lubad

Use the species-specific name.

Mango tilapia or St. Peter’s fish

אמנון הגליל / מושט אביאדamnun ha-Galil / musht abyad

St. Peter’s fish is not a name for every tilapia.

Striped or flathead grey mullet

בוריburi

Confirm the species when identity matters.

White grouper

לוקוס / לוקוס לבןlokus / lokus lavan

A bare לוקוס sign may be broader.

Dusky grouper

לוקוס אדום / דאורlokus adom / da'ur

Do not substitute white grouper.

Mix-Ups to Avoid

Sea Bass and Seabream

לברקEuropean sea bass

What it is

The difference

Common mistake

לברק יפניJapanese sea bass

What it is

The difference

Common mistake

דניסGilthead seabream

What it is

The difference

Common mistake

Tilapia Names

אמנון / מושטTilapia

What it is

The difference

Common mistake

אמנון היאורNile tilapia

What it is

The difference

Common mistake

אמנון הירדן / מושט לובדBlue tilapia

What it is

The difference

Common mistake

אמנון הגליל / מושט אביאדMango tilapia

What it is

The difference

Common mistake

Mullet and Groupers

בוריGrey mullet

What it is

The difference

Common mistake

לוקוס / לוקוס לבןWhite grouper

What it is

The difference

Common mistake

לוקוס אדום / דאורDusky grouper

What it is

The difference

Common mistake

Your Recipe Says This. Look for This Hebrew Name.

Knowing the word is half of it. Say it out loud.

How we checked this guide

Frequently Asked Questions

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