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Glite Dictionary
rock salmon

rock salmon

1 8.1
A small firm white fish like dogfish that is often sold in British fish and chip shops
  • noun
  • /rɒk ˈsælmən/
  • UK
translation icon : salmón de roca
  • You'll see a diverse array of marine life, including vidriola, rock salmon, moray, pampanito, corvina, breca, and more.

Examples

  • I'd like to order fish and chips with rock salmon for dinner tonight.

  • Would ya have any rock salmon, please?

    The Commitments (1991)

  • At the seaside, we enjoyed freshly fried rock salmon from the local chippy.

  • The restaurant serves rock salmon as a popular alternative to cod.

Synonyms

rockfish
vsrock salmon
  • US
1 7.5

Lean flesh of fish caught among rocks that people eat

refers to specific coarse species used as food especially in British chip shops

Surface Forms

rock salmon singular
rock salmons plural

Morphology

rock + salmon

Although the phrase looks compositional (a salmon associated with rocks), in British culinary usage it refers to unrelated coarse fish species (e.g. dogfish, wolffish) rather than an actual salmon. This regional, naming-based use is not predictable from the constituents, so a B1 learner knowing 'rock' and 'salmon' would likely not infer the correct meaning without prior exposure.

Etymology

Rock salmon probably comes from fishermen who caught these plain fish among the rocks by the shore and then called them salmon to make them sound nicer for buyers. That's why today rock salmon means fish such as 'dogfish' or 'wolffish' sold as food.