Red porgy

The red porgy (Pagrus pagrus) is an excellent scaled fish belonging to the Sparidae family, related to the gilthead seabream and the white seabream, and highly valued for its delicate, delicious flesh. It is abundant along our coasts and is commonly caught using trammel nets and longlines. In Mallorca, it is known as pàguera, while in Menorca, Catalonia and France it is called pagre.

It usually measures between 40 and 50 centimetres in length and can weigh between one and six kilograms. It has a distinctive pinkish-red colour, with golden reflections along its sides. It inhabits sandy seabeds, generally at depths of between 20 and 50 metres.

In Spanish, it is called pargo, while in English it is known as red porgy, although it may also be referred to by the generic term sea bream, which is applied to various members of the Sparidae family, including the gilthead seabream. In Italian, it is called pagro.

In Menorcan cuisine, this fish is highly prized, particularly when baked in the oven. There are numerous recipes for preparing it, including Menorcan-style red porgy, Mallorcan-style red porgy, baked with sliced potatoes or cooked in a salt crust. Some people also cut it into steaks and fry it, or grill it over charcoal as part of a mixed fish grill, although these methods can cause it to lose much of the delicacy and succulence that characterise its flesh.