Kingdom Animalia Order Perciformes Genus Pampus Higher classification Pampus | Phylum Chordata Family Stromateidae Scientific name Pampus argenteus Rank Species | |
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Similar Largehead hairtail, Chub mackerel, Japanese Spanish mackerel, Chinese white shrimp, Tilapia | ||
Pampus argenteus silver pomfret
Pampus argenteus, often called either the silver or white pomfret, is a species of butterfish that lives in coastal waters off the Middle East, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. The species now also occurs in the Mediterranean, having invaded as a Lessepsian migrant through the Suez Canal. Fish of this family are characterized by their flat bodies, forked tail fins, and long pectoral fins.
Silver pomfrets are usually silver/white in color, with few small scales. They can grow up to a range of 4-6 kg (8–13 lb). However, due to overfishing, specimens weighing less than 1 kg (2 lb) are more commonly seen.
This fish is prized in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region for its taste. It's flesh is soft and buttery when cooked. It is called pamplet in Mumbai and vawall in parts of South India. It is called zubaidi in Arabic, which is derived from the word zubdah, which means butter, due to its tender flesh.
The silver pompano should not be mistaken for the Florida pompano (Trachinotus carolinus), which is a jackfish found off the coast of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico, and neither should be confused with true pompanos, which are of the family Bramidae.