As you may well know, Latin America and Spain are famous for their cuisine, especially delicious meat and fish preparations. If you are a carnivore, make sure to try Spanish cured ham, Argentinean steak, Peruvian ajΓ de gallina, Chilean fish, and seafood. The abundance and relatively low prices will sweep you off your feet.
Are you just starting to learn Spanish? First of all – congrats! You have chosen one of the best languages to study.
Now, to help you in the meat and fish department, I have prepared a list of the most common vocabulary youβll need to learn if you want to have a conversation in Spanish on this topic.
15 Essential Spanish Terms for Meat and Fish
- πͺπΈ carne – π¬π§ meat
- πͺπΈ pescado – π¬π§ fish
- πͺπΈ vacuno / res – π¬π§ beef
- πͺπΈ cerdo / chancho – π¬π§ pork
- πͺπΈ cordero – π¬π§ lamb
- πͺπΈ ave – π¬π§ poultry
- πͺπΈ pollo – π¬π§ chicken
- πͺπΈ pavo – π¬π§ turkey
- πͺπΈ pato – π¬π§ duck
- πͺπΈ carnicerΓa – π¬π§ butcherΒ΄s / meat counter
- πͺπΈ congrio – π¬π§ sea bass
- πͺπΈ salmΓ³n – π¬π§ salmon
- πͺπΈ bacalao – π¬π§ cod
- πͺπΈ trucha – π¬π§ trout
- πͺπΈ mariscos – π¬π§ seafood
Once you learn these simple Meat and Fish Words in Spanish, you will be able to start forming real-life sentences like the ones below:
πͺπΈ No como carne.
π¬π§ I donβt eat meat.
πͺπΈ ΒΏPrefieres carne o pescado?
π¬π§ Do you prefer meat or fish?
πͺπΈ El pollo frito es mi plato favorito.
π¬π§ Fried chicken is my favorite dish.
πͺπΈ En mi paΓs se come mucho cerdo.
π¬π§ We eat a lot of pork in my country.
πͺπΈ Soy alΓ©rgico a mariscos.
π¬π§ Iβm allergic to seafood.
πͺπΈ Un kilo de salmΓ³n fileteado, por favor.
π¬π§ A kilogram of filleted salmon.
πͺπΈ ΒΏCuΓ‘nto cuesta una pechuga de pollo entera?
π¬π§ How much is a whole chicken breast?
See? Shopping in Spanish is not as difficult as it might seem.
Most Common Spanish Verbs related to Meat and Fish
Letβs move on to Spanish verbs related to this topic, shall we? There are plenty of things you can do with meat and fish:
- πͺπΈ cortar – π¬π§ to cut
- πͺπΈ trozar – π¬π§ to slice
- πͺπΈ moler – π¬π§ to grind
- πͺπΈ cortar en cubitos – π¬π§ to dice
- πͺπΈ porcionar – π¬π§ to portion
- πͺπΈ desengrasar – π¬π§ to degrease
- πͺπΈ cocinar – π¬π§ to cook
- πͺπΈ freΓr – π¬π§ to fry
- πͺπΈ asar – π¬π§ to roast / to grill
- πͺπΈ guisar – π¬π§ to stew
- πͺπΈ aliΓ±ar – π¬π§ to season
- πͺπΈ congelar – π¬π§ to freeze
Wanna see some examples of how to use them? Here you go:
πͺπΈ ΒΏMe puede cortar unos 3 trozos grandes de vacuno?
π¬π§ Can you cut three big slices of beef for me?
πͺπΈ He comprado carne para la cena pero hay que desengrasarla primero.
π¬π§ Iβve bought meat for dinner, but it needs degreasing first.
πͺπΈ El salmΓ³n estaba en oferta, asΓ que comprΓ© 3 kilos. Lo voy a congelar.
π¬π§ Salmon was on sale, so I bought three kilograms. Iβm going to freeze it.
πͺπΈ ΒΏPrefieres asar o freir esta carne?
π¬π§ Do you prefer to fry or roast this meat?
πͺπΈ La receta dice que hay que cortar el pollo en cubitos.
π¬π§ The recipe says you have to chop the chicken.
πͺπΈ AliΓ±a el pescado a tu gusto.
π¬π§ Season the fish to your taste.
Letβs play some more with those verbs. You can transform many of them into other parts of speech (nouns or adjectives). Take a look:
- πͺπΈ un buen corte de carne – π¬π§ a good meat cut
- πͺπΈ un trozo de vacuno – π¬π§ a slice of beef
- πͺπΈ carne molida – π¬π§ ground meat
- πͺπΈ congrio frito – π¬π§ a fried sea bass
- πͺπΈ pollo asado – π¬π§ roast chicken
- πͺπΈ un guiso de carne – π¬π§ a meat stew
- πͺπΈ un asado – π¬π§ a barbeque
Describing Meat and Fish in Spanish
Imagine that someone asks you: βHow do you like your meat / fish?β.
In Spanish, this question will be: βQuΓ© tal tu carne / pescado?β
How would you answer that?
Obviously, youβd need a few descriptive adjectives, just like the ones below:
πͺπΈ Test Your Spanish Knowledge πͺπΈ
- πͺπΈ delicioso – π¬π§ delicious
- πͺπΈ saboroso – π¬π§ tasty
- πͺπΈ jugoso – π¬π§ juicy
- πͺπΈ seco – π¬π§ dry
- πͺπΈ desabrido – π¬π§ tasteless
- πͺπΈ magro – π¬π§ lean
- πͺπΈ grasiento – π¬π§ greasy
- πͺπΈ salado – π¬π§ salty
- πͺπΈ sin hueso – π¬π§ boneless
- πͺπΈ sin piel – π¬π§ skinless
- πͺπΈ duro – π¬π§ tough
- πͺπΈ tierno – π¬π§ tender
IMPORTANT: Keep in mind that adjectives in Spanish change their gender and number, so youβll have to adjust their form according to the noun you use.
The word βcarneβ is feminine, and βpescadoβ is masculine.
πͺπΈ
A: ΒΏQuΓ© tal tu carne?
B: EstΓ‘ deliciosa! Muy jugosa y tierna.
π¬π§
A: Howβs your meat?
B: Itβs delicious! Very juicy and tender.
πͺπΈ
A: ΒΏCΓ³mo estΓ‘ su pescado, seΓ±or?
B: En realidad estΓ‘ un poco seco. ΒΏHay alguna salsa que me puede ofrecer?
π¬π§
A: Howβs your fish, sir?
B: Actually, it is a little dry. Is there any sauce you can offer?
πͺπΈ
A: Este corte es demasiado grasiento.
B: Tienes razΓ³n. Busquemos algo mΓ‘s magro.
π¬π§
A: This cut is very greasy.
B: Youβre right. Letβs look for something leaner.
Steak cooking points and how to indicate them in Spanish
How do you like your beef? I always make sure that mine is well done. I hate seeing a tiny spot of red or pink on the plate.
If you are fussy like me, youβll surely want to know how to describe your preferences if a waiter inquires.
- πͺπΈ punto de cocciΓ³n – π¬π§ cooking point
- πͺπΈ bien cocido – π¬π§ well-done
- πͺπΈ a punto / tres cuartos – π¬π§ medium
- πͺπΈ punto medio / jugoso – π¬π§ medium-rare
- πͺπΈ a la inglesa / rojo – π¬π§ rare
πͺπΈ
A: ΒΏCΓ³mo le gusta la carne, seΓ±ora?
B: A punto, por favor.
π¬π§
A: How do you like your steak, madam?
B: Medium, please.
πͺπΈ
A: Disculpe, a mi bistec le falta cocciΓ³n.
B: Por supuesto, a su orden.
π¬π§
A: Excuse me, my steak still needs some cooking.
B: Of course, at your order.
If you are looking for some more restaurant-related Spanish vocabulary, check out my post on that topic.
How to name different beef cuts in Spanish
To finish with, here is a little something for real meat lovers and connoisseurs.
As you well know, not every beef cut tastes the same, and each of them requires different preparation.
Given the fact that Spanish is so-wildly spoken, names of cuts vary from country to country. The ones that I am presenting here are the ones used in Chile, where I live.
- πͺπΈ filete – π¬π§ fillet
- πͺπΈ bife – π¬π§ rib eye
- πͺπΈ lomo – π¬π§ loin
- πͺπΈ lomo liso / solomillo – π¬π§ sirloin
- πͺπΈ falda / tapabarriga – π¬π§ flank
- πͺπΈ costillar – π¬π§ ribs
- πͺπΈ tapapecho – π¬π§ brisket
- πͺπΈ paleta – π¬π§ chuck
- πͺπΈ entraΓ±a – π¬π§ outside skirt
- πͺπΈ plateada – π¬π§ short plate
- πͺπΈ punta de ganso – π¬π§ rump
πͺπΈ El lomo queda muy bien a la parilla.
π¬π§ Grilled loin is very good.
πͺπΈ Compra un kilo de filete, por favor.
π¬π§ Buy a kilogram of beef fillet, please.
πͺπΈ DΓ©me medio kilo de plateada.
π¬π§ Iβd like (literally βgive meβ) half a kilogram of short plate.
πͺπΈ El tapapecho estΓ‘ delicioso. ΒΏCΓ³mo lo preparaste?
π¬π§ The brisket is delicious. How did you prepare it?