''Pampus argenteus'', the silver pomfret or white pomfret, is a species of

butterfish Butterfish may refer to: * Stromateidae, found in coastal waters off the Americas, western Africa and in the Indo-Pacific * Sablefish The sablefish (''Anoplopoma fimbria'') is one of two members of the fish family Anoplopomatidae and the onl ...

that lives in the Indo-West Pacific, spanning the coastal waters of the Middle East, Eastern Africa, South Asia, Southeast Asia, and East Asia. The species has been reported only twice, one hundred years apart, from the central Mediterranean Sea. Silver pomfrets are usually silver/white in color, with few small

scale Scale or scales may refer to: Mathematics * Scale (descriptive set theory), an object defined on a set of points * Scale (ratio), the ratio of a linear dimension of a model to the corresponding dimension of the original * Scale factor, a number ...

s. They can grow up to a range of 4–6 kg (8–13 lb). However, due to

overfishing Overfishing is the removal of a species of fish (i.e. fishing) from a body of water at a rate greater than that the species can replenish its population naturally (i.e. the overexploitation of the fishery's existing fish stock), resulting in th ...

, 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 in the Gulf of Mexico, 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, ''paaplet'' in Goa and ''vawall'' ( ta, வௌவால்) in parts of South India. It is called in Arabic, which is derived from the word , meaning 'butter', due to its tender flesh. In Malaysia it is known as . In Korea, 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'' (side dish). It is also a popular dish in Chinese cuisine, 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