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John Dory:professional buying guide, season, size grades, yield

John Dory for the trade: season, size grades, Côtes-d'Armor fish auctions, freshness, 35% fillet yield, pitfalls and substitutes.

Updated 6 min readLiveCriée editorial team

Contents
  1. Buying sheet
  2. Why does John Dory cost so much on the plate?
  3. Which size grade to choose?
  4. How to judge the freshness of a John Dory?
  5. What pitfalls to avoid?
  6. What to replace John Dory with?
  7. What makes the price of John Dory move?
  8. Frequently asked questions

The John Dory (saint-pierre in French, Zeus faber) is a fish with a tall body, very flattened on the sides, recognisable by the black spot ringed with a lighter colour on each flank, caught mainly by bottom trawl in the western English Channel and in Brittany; its flesh is among the most sought after, but its fillet yield is among the lowest, around 35%. In France, the only permitted trade name is "saint-pierre".

Buying sheet

John Dory
Scientific nameZeus faber
Peak seasonAll year round, more plentiful from April to August (peaks in May and July in 2024); least present from January to March
Closed seasonNo closure. No EU quota and no minimum size (Regulations (EU) 2026/249 and 2019/1241); it is landed mostly as a bycatch of trawlers
Size gradesNo EU marketing size grade. On price lists, for example (trade practice, not a standard): 300 to 500 g, 500 g to 1 kg, 1 to 2 kg, 2 kg and over
Main French fish auctions (2024)873 t sold at auction. Erquy 29%, Saint-Quay-Portrieux 19%, Le Guilvinec 10%, Roscoff 9%, Port-en-Bessin 4%
OriginsNorth-East Atlantic (FAO area 27: English Channel, Celtic Sea, Bay of Biscay), Mediterranean (FAO area 37). The "saint-pierre du Cap" (Zeus capensis) is another species (DGCCRF)
Fishing methodsMainly bottom trawl; some net
Yield35% as trimmed fillets for a 1 kg fish (Seafish): to be measured on your own deliveries
StorageWhole, gutted, on melting ice (0 to 2 °C)

National rhythm of auction sales (FranceAgriMer, 2024); it varies from one port to another. Tonnage and shares calculated by the editorial team from the sales declared at French fish auctions in 2024 (FranceAgriMer, workbook published on 2 July 2026).

Key point: two Côtes-d'Armor fish auctions, Erquy and Saint-Quay-Portrieux, account on their own for nearly half of French auction sales of John Dory. They are also two major king scallop auctions, in the Bay of Saint-Brieuc.

Why does John Dory cost so much on the plate?

Because the huge head and the skeleton make up nearly two thirds of the weight. With a 35% yield, the price per kilo of fillet is almost three times that of the whole fish:

Sea bassJohn Dory
Fillet yield (Seafish)44%35%
Whole fish to buy for 150 g of fillet341 g429 g
Ratio of fillet price per kilo to whole fish price per kilo2.32.9

At an equal purchase price per kilo, John Dory fillet therefore costs about 26% more than sea bass fillet. Keep the heads and bones: they make a first-rate fish stock and can be costed into the recipe costing sheet of a sauce or a broth.

Which size grade to choose?

  • Under 500 g: best kept for cooking whole; the fillets are very thin.
  • 500 g to 1 kg: the all-purpose size grade on restaurant menus, two fillets per fish.
  • 1 to 2 kg and over: thick fillets, which naturally separate into three parts along the bone; ideal for even portions.

How to judge the freshness of a John Dory?

Shiny golden to olive skin, sharp black spot; spiny fins intact (watch out for the spines); bulging eye; red gills; clear slime; firm flesh. The skin dulls quickly: a grey, matt John Dory is already a few days old.

What pitfalls to avoid?

  • Buying by the whole kilo without counting the yield. This is the species with the widest gap between the price on the price list and the price on the plate.
  • Small size grades for fillets. A lot of waste, fillets too thin for a fine plate.
  • Similar names. Other species are sold under a close name: the "saint-pierre du Cap" (Zeus capensis) or the "faux Saint-Pierre" (Zenopsis conchifer), according to the DGCCRF list. The scientific name on the label must be Zeus faber.

What to replace John Dory with?

UseSubstituteNote
Fine fillets, cooked just opaqueBrill, small turbotbetter yield (50% as fillets)
Fillet pan-fried skin side downLine-caught sea bass, gilthead sea bream44% yield
Bistro dishPollackwhite flesh, lower price

What makes the price of John Dory move?

Average first-sale price at auction, France, 2024John Dory
Yearly averageabout €15.80/kg
Cheapest monthJanuary: about €13.10/kg
Most expensive monthAugust: about €19.20/kg
Spread between auctionsfrom €14.50/kg (Le Guilvinec) to €16.50/kg (Roscoff)

Year 2024, all French fish auctions: average first-sale price at the auction hall (FranceAgriMer, sales declared at fish auctions, workbook published on 2 July 2026). Spread between auctions: among those handling at least 5% of John Dory volumes. The auction price is not the price paid to the fish merchant: processing, transport and margin are added to it.

John Dory does not follow the usual rule of landings. In January 2024, the quietest month (52 t sold at auction), it was also the cheapest; in July, with 92 t, one of the biggest months of the year, it was already above €18/kg, and the price stayed above €18/kg until September. The rise coincides with the tourist season; from October, the price came back to around €14/kg. 2025 shows the same expensive summer. Between the four fish auctions that make up most of the sales, the spread is about €2/kg, and the workbook does not say whether it comes from size grade or outlets.

  • The luck of the catch: as a bycatch, it is not fished to order, and volumes remain small (less than 900 tonnes a year at auction).
  • The season: in 2024, the average auction price peaked from August to September, at the end of the tourist season.
  • The size: large fish cost more per kilo.
  • The weather and the activity of the western Channel trawlers.

Frequently asked questions

When is John Dory in season?

John Dory is caught all year round. It is most plentiful from April to August and least present from January to March.

What is the fillet yield of John Dory?

About 35% of the whole weight for a 1 kg fish (Seafish). For 150 g of fillet, you need to buy about 430 g of whole fish.

What is the auction price of John Dory in France?

In 2024, about €15.80/kg on average at first sale in French fish auctions, from about €13.10/kg in January to about €19.20/kg in August (FranceAgriMer). This is the price of the whole fish: with a 35% yield, a kilo of fillet costs nearly three times this price, and the price paid to the fish merchant adds processing, transport and margin.

Where does the John Dory sold in France come from?

At auction, mostly from north Brittany: Erquy and Saint-Quay-Portrieux account for nearly half of national sales, ahead of Le Guilvinec and Roscoff.

What to replace John Dory with on a menu?

With brill or a small turbot for fine fillets, with a better yield; with line-caught sea bass or gilthead sea bream for a fillet pan-fried skin side down.

Sources

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