Fish in Spain and Portugal – guide to the fish counter

Writer: Helena Bergström

Updated: October 2026 | The fish counters in Spain and Portugal can be fantastic – but also a bit confusing. What exactly are dorada, lubina and merluza? What are the fish called in Portuguese? And what should you choose if you want to buy something delicious to take home to your camper?

During our travels in Spain and Portugal, we have stood in front of the fish counter many times and tried to understand what everything is. We are not fish experts, but we love fish and shellfish and have tried a lot over the years. Here is our guide to some of the most common fish – and some of our own favorites.

The fish counter in Spain and Portugal

Walking into a fish shop or standing in front of the fish counter in a larger grocery store is an experience in itself. The selection can be large, and compared to back home in Sweden, a lot of fish is sold whole, with both the head and tail still on.

In Spain, a fish shop or fish department is called fishmonger's, while the corresponding Portuguese word is fishmonger. You can often get help cleaning and preparing the fish, so buying a whole fish doesn't have to be as complicated as it might seem at first. But first, of course, you need to know what you're looking at.

What is the name of the fish? Spanish, Portuguese and Swedish names

Fish names can be a bit tricky as there can be different species and regional names. But this quick guide can be useful when you're standing in front of the fish counter:

Swedish	Spanish	Portuguese	Briefly about the fish
Goldsparid	Golden	Golden	Our favorite! Firm and nice
Sea bass	Bass / bass	Robalo	Gentle and firm
Hake	Hake	Fish	Common everyday fish
Sardine	Sardine	Sardinia	Classic for grilling
Cod	Cod	Cod	Often salted/dried
mackerel	Cabala	Cavala	Fatty and flavorful
Sole	Lenguado	Linguado	Mild and nice
Marulk	Rape	Tamboril	Firm flesh, special appearance
Red mullet	Salmonete	Salmonete	Tasty fish
Anchovy	Anchovy / anchovy	Biqueirao	Small fish cooked in various ways

In addition to this, there are of course many other fish. But these are a good start – and several of them have become recurring acquaintances for us during our travels.

Dorada/dourada – our favorite

Dorada in Spanish and dourada in Portuguese are gold sparrow – and our absolute favorite fish in this part of Europe.

It has a firm and fine flesh and is very easy to cook whole. We usually stuff the fish with lemon and herbs, drizzle over a little olive oil and then put it on the grill or cook it in the oven.

Dorada is one of those fish that for us now tastes like a campervan trip in southern Europe. We have bought and cooked it many times over the years, and when we see it in a fish counter we know exactly what we want. It doesn't have to be any more difficult than that: a whole fish, lemon, herbs, olive oil and maybe a cold sauce.

READ MORE: Grilled golden shrimp with herbaceous citrus sauce

Lubina/robalo – sea bass

Another fish we like to buy is sea bass. In Spain it is most often called lupin, while in Portugal it is called sea bass. It also has firm, fine meat and is excellent for cooking whole. We usually treat it much like dorada: lemon and herbs in the belly and then on the grill or in the oven.

If you're standing in front of the fish counter and don't really know what to buy, both dorada and lubina are good fish to start with.

Merluza/pescada – hake

Hake in Spain and fish in Portugal is hake. Maybe not the fish we get most excited about at the fish counter, but a good and useful everyday fish.

Hake has white, mild meat and is sold both whole and in pieces or fillets. We have used it for simple fish dishes when we wanted to cook something quickly in the camper. Not all fish has to be a gastronomic experience. Sometimes you just want something good and simple for dinner.

Sardina/sardinha – sardines

Sardines were actually missing from our old guide to fish counters – and it feels almost incomprehensible. Especially in Portugal, sardine, the sardine, a real classic. Fresh sardines are best grilled whole and served simply. Not much else is needed when the fish is good.

And surely there's something special about the smell of grilled fish during a trip to Portugal? Sardines are associated with summer, coastal towns, outdoor cafes and simple meals in a way that makes the food part of the travel experience.

Boquerones – small fish that easily create confusion

There is a bit of a language barrier here. The fish that in Spanish is called boquerón is European anchovy. But it's easy to think of Swedish canned anchovies – and they're not the same thing. Swedish canned "anchovies" are usually seasoned sprats.

In Spain, you can also find fish in various forms. Boquerones usually the name when the fish is fresh or cooked fresh, while anchovies often refers to salted and preserved fillets.

We have eaten boquerones as small fried or fried fish. They are eaten whole and are perfect as tapas together with some other small dishes. Another classic is anchovies in vinegar, where the fillets are marinated in vinegar and served cold with olive oil, garlic and parsley, among other things.

Rape/tamboril – monkfish

Monkfish is called rape in Spanish and tamboril in Portuguese. It is a fish that tastes much better than it looks – but the monkfish is unlikely to win any beauty awards.

We especially remember how, during one of our trips, we stood looking at small whole monkfish in the fish counter. Each fish looked almost the right size for a portion and we wondered how on earth we were going to cook it.

The meat of the monkfish is firm and quite compact, which means it can be cooked in many ways and is suitable for stews and fish skewers, among other things. Maybe we should have just dared to buy one.

Bacalao/bacalhau – much more than just cod

Cod in Spanish and bacalhau in Portuguese means cod, but especially in Portugal there is a little more to know. When you see bacalhau in a Portuguese shop it is often salted and dried cod. The large, light pieces of fish may look a little strange to someone who is used to fresh cod fillets in Swedish refrigerated counters.

Bacalhau is an important part of Portuguese cuisine and is prepared in a multitude of different ways. A classic saying claims that there are 365 – or sometimes 1,001 – ways to cook bacalhau. So even though the translation is ”cod”, bacalhau is something of a culinary world of its own.

And what about the seafood?

We promised a guide to the fish counter, but it's hard to stand in front of a fish counter in Spain or Portugal without also starting to glance at the seafood. And here too, the names can be a factor.

Langostinos – large shrimps

In Spanish it is used langoustine about various larger shrimp. They are great for grilling or frying quickly with, for example, olive oil and garlic. We have often cooked large shrimp in the camper, preferably with lots of garlic and a little heat.

Cigalas – crayfish

Cigala is a crayfish. It looks more like a small lobster, with distinct claws, and should therefore not be confused with langostinos.

Coquinas, almejas and amêijoas – various small clams

Coquinas are the small, thin mussels that we fell in love with during a campervan trip in southern Spain. They can be quickly fried with olive oil and garlic and served with lemon and bread.

Almejas in Spanish and amêijoas In Portuguese, it is used for other types of mussels and is therefore not just another name for coquinas.

READ MORE: Coquinas – small clams to eat in Spain

Mejillones/mexilhões – mussels

Blue mussels are called mejillones in Spanish and mexilhos in Portuguese. They can of course be prepared in a multitude of ways, but for us mussels are strongly associated with travel – preferably steamed with wine, garlic and herbs and served with bread to dip in the soup.

Pulpo, calamar and other octopuses

The fish counter also contains things that we in Sweden may not buy as often. Some words are especially good to know:

• Pulpo in Spanish and powder in Portuguese is octopus.
• Squid in Spanish and lula in Portuguese is ten-armed octopus.
• Sepia in Spanish and chocolate in Portuguese, sepia is cuttlefish.

These words are of course just as useful when reading a restaurant menu. Pulpo, for example, is a real classic in Spain, not least in Galicia, while various dishes with polvo are common in Portugal.

How do you cook fish on a motorhome trip?

One of the reasons we like to buy fish during our travels is that it is often very easy to prepare. We are travelers first and foremost, not cooks – and in the camper van we prefer not to create more steps or more dishes than necessary.

Whole fish can be stuffed with lemon and herbs and put on the grill. Smaller fish can be fried in olive oil and mussels don't need much more than garlic, olive oil and maybe a little lemon or wine. If you've bought really good fish, you don't need to bother with it.

READ MORE: Grilling on your campervan trip – tips, recipes and smart advice

Dare to shop at the fish counter!

Shopping for food is part of the travel experience for us. Sure, it's great to go to a restaurant, but on longer trips we enjoy visiting grocery stores, market halls and local markets just as much and then cooking our own food.

The first time you have a whole dorada in front of you, it may feel much more advanced than buying a ready-made fish fillet back home in Sweden. But once you've tried it, you realize that it can be just the opposite. Lemon, herbs, a little olive oil – and then on the grill.

Nowadays, dorada is one of our absolute favorite fish and something we like to buy when we travel in southern Europe. And maybe that's how new food favorites are born: you stand in front of a fish counter somewhere far from home and decide to dare to try it.

What fish do you usually buy in Spain or Portugal? Do you have a favorite that we should try next time?