''Pampus argenteus'', the silver pomfret or white pomfret, is a species of butterfish that lives in the

Indo-West Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

, spanning the coastal waters of the

Middle East The Middle East ( ar, الشرق الأوسط, ISO 233: ) is a geopolitical region commonly encompassing Arabia (including the Arabian Peninsula and Bahrain), Asia Minor (Asian part of Turkey except Hatay Province), East Thrace (Europ ...

Eastern Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territories make up Eastern Africa: Due to the historica ...

South Asia South Asia is the southern subregion of Asia, which is defined in both geographical Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth descr ...

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainlan ...

, and

East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both Geography, geographical and culture, ethno-cultural terms. The modern State (polity), states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. ...

. The species has been reported only twice, one hundred years apart, from the central

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ...

. 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. The silver pompano should not be mistaken for the

Florida pompano The Florida pompano (''Trachinotus carolinus'') is a species of marine fish in the '' Trachinotus'' (pompano) genus of the family Carangidae. It has a compressed body and short snout; coloration varies from blue-greenish silver on the dorsal are ...

(''Trachinotus carolinus''), which is a jackfish found off the coast of

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

in the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United ...

, and neither should be confused with true pomfrets, which are of the family

Bramidae Pomfrets are perciform fishes belonging to the family Bramidae. The family currently includes 20 species across seven genera. Several species are important food sources for humans, especially ''Brama brama'' in South Asia. The earlier form of t ...

As food

This fish is prized in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region for its taste. Its flesh is soft and buttery when cooked. It is called ''pamplet'' or ''Maanji'' in

Mumbai Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' fin ...

, ''paaplet'' in

Goa Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...

and ''vawall'' ( ta, வௌவால்) in parts of

South India South India, also known as Dakshina Bharata or Peninsular India, consists of the peninsular southern part of India. It encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territ ...

. It is called in Arabic, which is derived from the word , meaning 'butter', due to its tender flesh. In

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

it is known as . In

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

, the fish is known as () and is often grilled into ''

gui The GUI ( "UI" by itself is still usually pronounced . or ), graphical user interface, is a form of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices through graphical icons and audio indicator such as primary notation, inste ...

'' and eaten as a ''

banchan ''Banchan'' (, from Korean: ) or bansang are small side dishes served along with cooked rice in Korean cuisine. As the Korean language does not distinguish between singular and plural grammatically, the word is used for both one such dish o ...

'' (side dish). It is also a popular dish in

Chinese cuisine Chinese cuisine encompasses the numerous cuisines originating from China, as well as overseas cuisines created by the Chinese diaspora. Because of the Chinese diaspora and historical power of the country, Chinese cuisine has influenced many o ...

, where it is called () and is often served steamed or braised. Pomfret is especially popular in Kuwait, and it is one of the most expensive types of fish in the market, with the ''Kuwaiti Pomfret'' ( afb, زبيدي كويتي, zbēdi kwēti), caught in the waters of Kuwait, being the most sought-after followed by the ''Iranian Pomfret'' ( afb, زبيدي ايراني, zbēdi īrāni). The Kuwaiti government regularly bans the fishing of the Kuwaiti type to allow the fish to reproduce. Mtabbag Zbedi ( afb, مطبق زبيدي, mṭabbag zbēdi) is a popular Kuwaiti dish made with fried Pomfret, spices, and rice, with '' daqqūs'', Kuwaiti home-made hot sauce, usually added.

References

Stromateidae Commercial fish Marine fauna of South Asia Marine fish of Southeast Asia Fish described in 1788 Taxobox binomials not recognized by IUCN {{Perciformes-stub