Redfish is a sea fish belonging to the Scorpenidae family, known for its ugly appearance and its tasty pulp. In the Italian seas there is mainly the red scorpionfish (Scorpaena scrofa) which can reach 50 cm in length. This variety has a red skin with rather large scales and sometimes dark, yellow or orange spots; its large head is covered with spines and occupies about a third of the body. The black scorpionfish (Scorpaena porcus) is of a dark color with black spots, while the deep-sea scorpionfish (Scorpaena dactyloplera) is reddish brown.

This fish is good boiled and stewed, but it is also great in broths, in fact the smallest specimens are almost indispensable in fish soups.