Haddock
Fish
A North Atlantic cousin of the cod, marked with a dark 'thumbprint' blotch — and the fish in many a British fish supper.
💡 Fun Facts
- Every haddock has a dark, oval "thumbprint" mark just behind its gills — an old tale says it is the fingerprint of St Peter.
- Instead of chasing other fish, haddock hunt along the seabed for brittlestars, sea urchins, worms and shellfish.
- Smoked haddock is a British tradition, from golden "Finnan haddie" to the Arbroath smokie of Scotland.
Name Story
Melanogrammus aeglefinus
means “the black-line fish”
What does its name mean?
- Melanogrammus — black line or black markGreek melas, melanos 'black' + gramma 'line, mark'
- aeglefinus — haddocka Latin-dressed form of the French name for the haddock, églefin
Melanogrammus means 'black line', for the dark stripe running along its side and the famous dark blotch on its shoulder; aeglefinus is simply the French word for haddock, dressed up as Latin.