Amberjack substitute

Best substitute

Mahi-mahi

Use the same amount by weight as the amberjack you are replacing

Best for grilling

Close match

Mahi-mahi is the easiest 1:1 swap for cooked amberjack, because it is the same kind of thick, firm, meaty fillet that will not fall through grill grates. Swordfish works 1:1 if you want something even meatier, and cobia is the closest match of all if your fish counter has it. For raw kanpachi dishes, use sashimi-grade hamachi (yellowtail) instead, since it is a close relative and behaves the same way sliced thin.

Other amberjack substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Yellowtail (hamachi) or kingfish
Close match
Use the same amount by weight or by slice
The closest relative, and the right answer for anything raw as well as anything grilled.
What changes
Best for
sashimi, crudo, grilling, collar roasting, teriyaki
Same jack family, so the flesh cuts and cooks almost identically. Yellowtail is a shade oilier and softer, which makes it slightly more forgiving raw and slightly more delicate on the grill. Buy it labelled sashimi or sushi grade and previously frozen if you are not cooking it.
3Cobia
Close match
Use the same amount by weight
Dense, buttery, firm-fleshed fish that is arguably a better match for amberjack than mahi-mahi is.
What changes
Best for
grilling, roasting whole fillets, smoking, crudo
Almost interchangeable. Cobia carries more fat than amberjack, so it stays juicy with less babysitting and takes smoke very well. If your recipe relies on a lean bite, it will taste a little richer than intended.
4Swordfish
Taste and texture differ
Use the same amount by weight, cut to the same thickness
The meatiest option, and the one to reach for when the recipe treats the fish like a steak.
What changes
Best for
grilling, skewers, broiling, sicilian-style with tomato and olive
Denser and drier than amberjack with a more assertive, almost meaty flavour, so it needs to come off the heat at just-done or it turns cottony. Cut steaks about one inch thick and give them four to five minutes a side over high heat.
5Grouper or red snapper
Different texture
Use the same amount by weight
Widely stocked and reliable, but flakier than amberjack rather than dense.
What changes
Best for
baking, frying, fish stew, en papillote
These break into large soft flakes instead of holding as a slab, so they are excellent baked, battered or in a stew and risky on bare grill grates. Use a basket or a piece of foil if you are grilling. Flavour is milder and sweeter, so a spice rub reads stronger against them.
6Salmon or steelhead
Taste and texture differ
Use the same amount by weight
The pantry-reality option, and the least faithful of the cooked swaps.
What changes
Best for
grilling, roasting, glazed fish, weeknight fillets
It will work mechanically, but salmon has far more oil and a distinct flavour of its own, so a garlic-and-lemon grilled amberjack becomes a garlic-and-lemon grilled salmon and tastes like it. Cut the added fat in the recipe and add a squeeze more acid to balance the richness.

What is Amberjack?

Amberjack is Amberjack is a large, warm-water game fish with dense, firm, mildly sweet flesh and enough natural oil to survive a hot grill, sold in the US Gulf and Atlantic as greater amberjack and farmed in Japan as kanpachi for sashimi.

Cooking tips

Amberjack is a thick, dense fish, so cook it to just-done and no further. Aim for a centre that has turned opaque but is still moist, roughly 130F, and let it rest two minutes off the heat rather than leaving it on the grill to catch up.
The dark bloodline running down the middle of a fillet carries most of the strong flavour. Trim it out with a thin knife before cooking and even people who claim not to like oily fish will eat it happily.
For raw preparations, the fish you want is farmed kanpachi or hamachi rather than a large wild-caught greater amberjack. Big wild amberjack are more prone to parasites, which is exactly why the sashimi trade uses farmed fish, and why anything served raw should be sold as sashimi grade and previously frozen.
It grills better than almost any other fish, but only if the grates are clean, hot and oiled and you leave the fillet alone for the first three or four minutes so the surface can set. Move it early and it tears.
Amberjack has enough body to take a hard-flavoured treatment: a citrus and chilli marinade, a blackening rub, or a miso glaze all work where they would bully a delicate fish. Keep acidic marinades to thirty minutes so the surface does not turn chalky.

Frequently asked questions

Is amberjack the same as hamachi or yellowtail?

They are close relatives, not the same fish. Hamachi and kingfish are yellowtail, and kanpachi is the farmed amberjack used for sashimi in Japan, while greater amberjack is the bigger Gulf and Atlantic fish that shows up on grilling menus. In practice they swap for each other freely, and yellowtail is the best substitute for amberjack in both raw and cooked dishes.

My recipe says amberjack but my store only has cod. Will that work?

It will feed you, but expect a different dish. Cod is lean and flakes apart, so it cannot be grilled directly the way amberjack can and it will not stay juicy under a long cook. Bake it, batter it or poach it instead of grilling, and add butter or oil to make up for the fat amberjack would have brought.

Can I eat amberjack raw at home?

Only if it is sold specifically for raw consumption, labelled sashimi or sushi grade, and has been previously frozen. Buying a fillet from the regular fish case and slicing it raw is not the same thing. If your fishmonger cannot tell you it is intended to be eaten raw, cook it.

Does amberjack taste fishy?

It is much milder than people expect from a big oily fish, closer to mahi-mahi or swordfish than to mackerel. Most of the strong taste sits in the dark bloodline, so trimming that away and cooking the fillet the day you buy it gives you a clean, faintly sweet fish.

What can I use for amberjack collar, the kama cut?

Salmon collar is the easiest substitute and roasts the same way, and yellowtail collar is the exact equivalent if a Japanese grocery near you sells it. Any of them wants a hot broiler, a little salt, and lemon at the table, with no marinade to get in the way.

Related substitutes

More seafood substitutes

Amberjack substitute

Other amberjack substitutes

2Yellowtail (hamachi) or kingfish

3Cobia

4Swordfish

5Grouper or red snapper

6Salmon or steelhead