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Monkfish:professional buying guide, season, size grades, tail or whole

Monkfish (baudroie) for the trade: EU size grades for tails, French fish auctions (Le Guilvinec first), freshness, yield, pitfalls and substitutes.

Updated 5 min readLiveCriée editorial team

Contents
  1. Buying sheet
  2. Why is monkfish sold as tails?
  3. How to judge the freshness of a monkfish tail?
  4. What pitfalls to avoid?
  5. What to replace monkfish with?
  6. What makes the price of monkfish move?
  7. Frequently asked questions

"Lotte" is the French trade name of monkfish, or anglerfish ("baudroie": Lophius piscatorius, the common anglerfish or "baudroie commune", and Lophius budegassa), a bottom fish with a very large head that is sold mostly headed, as a "tail"; the second species at French fish auctions by value, it has nothing to do with burbot ("lotte de rivière", Lota lota), a freshwater fish. In France, "baudroie", "baudroie commune" and "lotte" are permitted trade names.

Buying sheet

Monkfish (baudroie)
Scientific namesLophius piscatorius and Lophius budegassa
Peak seasonAll year round. Heaviest landings from April to July (peak in May), lowest in November
Closed seasonNo specific closure; fishing under quotas
EU size grades, tail (headed)1: 4 kg and over; 2: 2 to 4 kg; 3: 1 to 2 kg; 4: 500 g to 1 kg; 5: 200 to 500 g
EU size grades, whole gutted1: 8 kg and over; 2: 4 to 8 kg; 3: 2 to 4 kg; 4: 1 to 2 kg; 5: 500 g to 1 kg
Main French fish auctions (2024)9,296 t sold at auction. Le Guilvinec 30%, Lorient 12%, Roscoff 11%, Erquy 7%, Saint-Quay-Portrieux 5%, Loctudy 5%, Brest 4%
OriginsNorth-East Atlantic (FAO area 27: Celtic Sea, Bay of Biscay, English Channel, west of Scotland) and Mediterranean (FAO area 37)
Fishing methodsMostly bottom trawl; gillnet and trammel net; longline
PresentationsWhole (rare), skin-on tail, skinned (trimmed) tail, fillets, medallions, cheeks, liver
YieldFrom the whole fish: 21% as skinless fillets (1.8 kg monkfish), 24% as skinless steaks (4 to 5 kg monkfish) (Seafish). From the tail: higher, to be measured on your own deliveries
StorageTails on melting ice (0 to 2 °C), protected from direct contact with meltwater

Size grades: Regulation (EC) No 2406/96, Annex II. Shares calculated by the editorial team from the sales declared at French fish auctions in 2024 (FranceAgriMer). National rhythm of auction sales (FranceAgriMer, 2024); it varies from one port to another.

Why is monkfish sold as tails?

The head accounts for a large share of the weight of a monkfish (from the whole fish, skinless fillets weigh only 21% according to Seafish) and hardly sells. Boats and fish merchants remove it: what you buy is the tail, a trunk of white flesh around a central backbone, with no secondary bones. On a price list, always check the presentation:

  • Skin-on tail: the cheapest per kilo, but the skin and two membranes still have to be removed.
  • Skinned or trimmed tail: more expensive per kilo, almost ready to use.
  • Fillets or medallions: the highest price, with no loss.

The only honest comparison is made per kilo of usable flesh, labour included (see the food cost guide).

How to judge the freshness of a monkfish tail?

  • White, pearly, slightly translucent flesh; never yellowed or greyish.
  • Shiny, slimy skin, taut membranes.
  • Red blood along the backbone, not brown.
  • Firm flesh that does not keep the mark of a finger; a mild smell of the sea.

What pitfalls to avoid?

  • Size grade and use. Small tails (grade 5, 200 to 500 g) give small pieces. For regular medallions, take grade 3 or 4, and measure the loss on your own deliveries.
  • The waterlogged tail. A tail left in meltwater loses its firmness and releases water when cooked. Demand a dry tail, well iced but protected.
  • Comparing skin-on and skinless. Two prices per kilo shown on two price lists say nothing if the presentation is not the same.
  • "Lotte" with no detail. On a label, the trade name and the scientific name (Lophius) remove any confusion with burbot.

What to replace monkfish with?

UseSubstituteNote
Medallions, roast, skewersPollack, cod loinless firm flesh, better fillet yield
Stews, blanquette, curryMonkfish cheeks, gurnard, conger eelfirm flesh that holds when cooked
Small piecesGrade 5 tailssmaller pieces, yield to be measured

What makes the price of monkfish move?

Average first-sale price at auction, France, 2024Monkfish (baudroie)
Yearly averageabout €5.90/kg
Cheapest monthMay: about €5.00/kg
Most expensive monthDecember: about €9.20/kg
Spread between auctionsfrom €5.60/kg (Lorient) to €6.10/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), all presentations and all size grades combined: the workbook does not distinguish whole monkfish from tails. Spread between auctions: among those handling at least 5% of monkfish volumes. The auction price is not the price paid to the fish merchant: processing, transport and margin are added to it.

From January to October 2024, the average auction price of monkfish stayed between about €5.00 and €5.80/kg; the cheapest month is May, the month of peak landings (1,013 t). December is the exception: about €9.20/kg, for 683 t sold, almost as much as in January (675 t, about €5.40/kg). The December rise therefore cannot be explained by landings: it coincides with holiday demand, and 2025 shows the same profile. Between the auctions that matter, the spread does not exceed €0.50/kg: for monkfish, the calendar weighs more than the port.

  • The holidays: in 2024, the average auction price jumped sharply in December, while it was stable the rest of the year.
  • The size grade: large tails cost more per kilo.
  • The presentation: each preparation step (skinning, filleting) adds to the price.
  • Breton landings: with nearly a third of national sales at Le Guilvinec, a week of storms over Cornouaille shows on the price lists.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between "lotte" and "baudroie"?

None: it is the same fish. "Baudroie" is the name of the species, "lotte" the common name of the headed fish sold as a tail. Burbot ("lotte de rivière"), on the other hand, is another species, a freshwater one.

When is monkfish in season?

Monkfish is caught all year round. Landings are heaviest from April to July, with a peak in May, and lowest at the end of the year, when holiday demand pushes prices up.

Which size of monkfish tail to choose?

For regular medallions or a roast, a tail of 500 g to 2 kg (grades 3 and 4). Small tails of 200 to 500 g suit stews and skewers.

What is the yield of monkfish?

From the whole fish, about 21% as skinless fillets (Seafish), because of the weight of the head. From the tail, the yield is much higher; measure it on your own deliveries, separating skin-on tails from trimmed tails.

What is the price of monkfish?

In 2024, about €5.90/kg on average at first sale in French fish auctions, from about €5.00/kg in May to about €9.20/kg in December (FranceAgriMer), all presentations combined. The price paid to the fish merchant adds processing, transport and margin, and each preparation step (trimmed tail, fillets, medallions) costs extra.

Sources

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