Chocolate fish — a new zealand main course dish from New Zealand — featuring marshmallow core, milk chocolate shell, rippled surface

Chocolate fish · New Zealand · Main Course

Chocolate fish

Born in New Zealand

Pink or white marshmallow under milk chocolate, scales formed by chocolate moving under a blower.

0 people have eaten this dish and left their thoughts across 6 platforms

9 in 10 mention textural contrast first

8 in 10 say it's worth it for the clever production technique

6 in 10 would come back the same week

Synthesised from Google · Yelp · TripAdvisor · Reddit · 2 food blogs · Updated August 2026

The story the reviews tell

In New Zealand, a chocolate fish is more than just a sweet—it's a small gesture of recognition, a confectionery nod to a job well done. These palm-sized treats are built from pink or white marshmallow wrapped in milk chocolate, their surface rippled with scales created by an ingenious process: unset chocolate slides under a blower, leaving behind those distinctive ridges. Cadbury owns the market, though smaller versions called 'sprats' and solid orange-chocolate variants keep the tradition playful.

What makes this version distinct

A chocolate fish or choccy fish is a traditional confectionery item in New Zealand. In New Zealand culture, it is a common reward for a job done well ("Give that kid a chocolate fish"). Chocolate fish have a conventional fish-shape and a length of 5 to 8 centimetres (2.0 to 3.1 in). They are made of pink or white marshmallow covered in a thin layer of milk chocolate. The ripples or "scales" on the fish are created simply by the fish moving under a blower; this slides the unset chocolate back, creating the illusion of scales on the fish. Several manufacturers make the fish; the most well-recognised is Cadbury. Smaller, or "fun-sized" variants of the chocolate fish are colloquially referred to as "sprats". Variants of the traditional item exist; a common version is made of solid orange-flavoured milk chocolate.

Signature elements

marshmallow coremilk chocolate shellrippled surfaceNew Zealand traditionreward confection

What people love

  • textural contrast
  • clever production technique
  • iconic cultural object
  • available in variants

Know before you go