Wolffish substitute

Best substitute

Monkfish

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

Best for roasting

Close match

Monkfish is the closest substitute by a wide margin and swaps 1:1 - the same dense, sweet, lobster-like bite that makes wolffish worth seeking out. Halibut is the next best and is far easier to buy: equally firm, leaner and less sweet. Grouper works too. Cod and haddock are the easy fallback, but they flake apart where wolffish stays in solid pieces, so in a stew add them in large chunks in the last 5 minutes and stop stirring. If it is the sweetness you are after rather than the shape, a handful of scallops or shrimp gets you closer than any white fish will.

Other wolffish substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Halibut
Different taste
Use the same amount by weight
Widely available, firm, and thick-flaked - the practical choice if monkfish is not on the counter.
What changes
Best for
roasting, pan-searing, grilling, chowder, poaching
Halibut has the firmness and the big pearly flake but not the density, so it separates into large pieces rather than staying solid, and it lacks the sweetness. It is also very lean and unforgiving: pull it while the centre is still slightly translucent or it goes chalky. Add a little butter or oil at the end to make up for what wolffish's firmer, richer flesh gave you.
3Grouper
Different taste
Use the same amount by weight
Dense, mild and large-flaked, with enough structure to hold up in a stew or on a grill.
What changes
Best for
stews and chowders, grilling, roasting, fish sandwiches, curries
Grouper is one of the few common white fish firm enough to sit in a simmering stew without dissolving, which is exactly what a wolffish recipe usually needs. It is mild rather than sweet and slightly coarser in texture. Thick pieces take 10-14 minutes in the oven at 400F (200C). Snapper is a reasonable second option, firmer but thinner-filleted.
4Scallops, lobster or large shrimp (for the sweetness)
Different texture
About 12 oz shellfish for 1 lb wolffish
Not a shape match, but the honest answer if the sweet shellfish-like flavour is the point of the dish.
What changes
Best for
chowders, stews, pan-searing with brown butter, pasta, risotto
The comparison people make to wolffish is lobster, and if that is what you want on the plate then a shellfish is a more direct route than any fish. Sear scallops 90 seconds a side, or add cooked lobster or shrimp in the final minute of a chowder - all three toughen quickly, so they go in last. Cost is higher and the presentation is completely different.
5Cod, haddock or pollock
Taste and texture differ
Use the same amount by weight
The easy fallback - the right mildness and completely the wrong structure.
What changes
Best for
baked fish, chowder, fish pie, battered fish
Cod breaks into soft flakes at the slightest provocation, so a wolffish stew made with cod ends up as fish soup. Two mitigations: cut it into pieces twice the size you think you need, and add it in the last 5 minutes without stirring afterwards. Salting the fillets for 20 minutes and drying them firms the flesh noticeably. The sweetness is not recoverable - a spoonful of cream or a little butter at the end helps the dish feel closer.
6Skate wing
Different texture
Use the same amount by weight
Shares the sweetness and the cartilage-not-bones handling, but pulls into strands instead of staying solid.
What changes
Best for
brown butter and caper sauces, pan-frying, stews, salads
Skate is sweet in the same shellfish direction as wolffish and, like it, has no proper bones to pick. Where it differs is texture: the flesh comes away in long ribbed threads rather than dense flakes, so it will not give you the firm chunk a wolffish stew or roast relies on. Good swap for flavour, poor one for form.

What is Wolffish?

Wolffish is Wolffish, sold as Atlantic wolffish, ocean catfish or loup de mer, is a big-jawed North Atlantic bottom fish whose firm, dense, faintly sweet flesh comes in thick pearly flakes and eats far more like monkfish or lobster than like cod.

Cooking tips

Wolffish is dense enough to be treated like monkfish rather than like cod - roast it, sear it in thick pieces, put it in a stew, thread it on a skewer. It is one of very few white fish that will not fall apart when you move it in the pan, so playing to that is the point.
Because it is firm, it takes longer than a flaky fillet of the same thickness. A 1.5-inch piece wants 12-15 minutes at 400F (200C), and it does not flake when done, so test by pressing - it should feel springy and resistant rather than soft.
It is sold as ocean catfish in North American markets and as loup de mer in some places, which is a genuine trap: in France, loup de mer means sea bass, an altogether more delicate fish. If a French recipe calls for loup de mer and treats the fish gently, it means sea bass, not wolffish.
Atlantic wolffish is a protected species of concern in US Atlantic waters, so American cooks will very rarely see it, and what does reach market generally comes from Iceland, Norway or eastern Canada. If a New England or Icelandic recipe specifies it, substituting is the expected outcome rather than a compromise.
If you substitute a flakier fish, protect it. Cut the pieces larger than you would think, add them late, and stop stirring once they are in. Most of the disappointment in swapping wolffish out comes from a firm-fish recipe being handled the way only a firm fish tolerates.

Frequently asked questions

What does wolffish taste like?

Mild and faintly sweet, closer to lobster or scallop than to cod, with dense flesh in thick pearly flakes that hold together well. That density is the thing to substitute for - it is why monkfish is the right answer and cod is only a fallback.

What is the best substitute for wolffish?

Monkfish, and it is not close. Same density, same sweetness, same boneless handling, and it goes into stews, roasts and skewers exactly the same way. Halibut and grouper are the next best and are easier to find. Cod works if you cut it into large pieces and add it at the end.

Is ocean catfish the same as wolffish?

In North American fish markets, yes - ocean catfish is a market name for Atlantic wolffish, and it has nothing to do with freshwater catfish. Loup de mer is also used for it in some markets, though in France that name means sea bass, so check whether the fillet in front of you is dense and firm or soft and delicate.

Can I use cod instead of wolffish?

You can, with care. Cod is mild in the same way but far softer, so it flakes apart where wolffish stays whole. Cut it into pieces twice as large as you would otherwise, salt it for 20 minutes and dry it before cooking, add it late to any stew, and do not stir once it is in the pot.

Can I just leave the wolffish out?

No - it is the protein and the texture of the dish. Substitute monkfish, halibut or grouper and keep everything else the same. If you want a version with no fish, big seared king oyster mushrooms are the closest thing to that dense, springy bite and take a brown butter or a chowder base surprisingly well.

Why can I never find wolffish for sale?

There is almost no commercial supply. It is protected in US Atlantic waters, it has never been farmed at scale, and it is landed mainly as bycatch in Iceland, Norway and eastern Canada. That is why practically every search for it is a search for a substitute rather than a shopping question.

Related substitutes

More seafood substitutes

Wolffish substitute

Other wolffish substitutes

2Halibut

3Grouper

4Scallops, lobster or large shrimp (for the sweetness)

5Cod, haddock or pollock

6Skate wing