If you are a fan of seafood, you should try this Pan Fried Pomfret (or Pompano)! The pomfret is pan fried so that the skin is perfectly crispy! It's actually not hard to make either - let me show you how!

By the way, this recipe is for a lightly pan fried Pomfret. Another popular way to make it is to make it super fried and crispy, and that's not the style of this dish. In my opinion both are delicious, but my mom likes it lightly fried and this is why she makes it this way usually.

Pomfret vs Pompano

There is a lot of confusion between these two fishes so I wanted to call out these two fishes.

First of all, I was super confused, because my mom would cook this fish, and she called it Chang Yu (鯧魚). If you literally go to google translate this Chinese name of the fish, it will say it is a Pomfret.

And if you google translate the English word Pomfret to Chinese, it will say Chang Yu (鯧魚). That's all good... BUT if you google translate the English word Pompano, it will ALSO say Chang Yu (鯧魚).

So Basically, both pomfret and pompano are the 'same fish' in Chinese!

Just so you know in terms of this recipe, you can use either fish.

Anyway, so basically they are just different types of 'Chang Yu' in Chinese. And in English a lot of folks will use the terms "pomfret" and "pompano" interchangeably.

But here are some differences:

Scientific Family

Scientifically speaking, they are not the same species. Pomfret is considered part of the Bramidae family, and Pompano is part of the Carangidae family.

Body Shape

Their appearances are similar, but there are slight differences. Pompano is deep bodied, and have a slightly more elongated shape compared to some pomfrets. Pomfrets are usually even more deeper bodied and more laterally compressed - so they look even more flattened than pompanos.

Pomfrets also have longer dorsal fins that slope backwards towards the tail, while pompano have shorter fins that are more pointy.

Region

Pomfrets are primarily found in tropical and subtropical waters while Pompanos are found in both salt water and brackish waters depending on the exact species.

Flavor

Let's get to the important part! Pomfrets have a mild delicate flavor, and Pompanos are actually more rich and have a buttery flavor!

Pan Fried Pomfret or Pompano Recipe

First, gather your ingredients:

• 1 pomfret or pompano fish (about 1 lb)
• 4 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoon cornstarch, separated in half (1 tbsp)
• Salt, as desired

Rinse pomfret under water, and pat dry with paper towels. With a sharp knife, cut diagonal crisscross cuts on both sides of the fish.

Over the pomfret, add 1 tablespoon cornstarch to a fine mesh strainer and tap the side with one hand. Also, add salt as desired.

In a shallow non stick cooking pan, add 4 tablespoon of vegetable oil, and allow it to heat up on medium high heat. Add pomfret, with cornstarch side facing down, to pan and allow it to pan fry for 10 minutes. During this time, we are going to add cornstarch.

Over the pomfret, add the remaining cornstarch to a fine mesh strainer and tap the side with one hand. Add salt as desired.

After the 10 minutes, with a spatula, flip the pomfret over and allow it to cook for another 10 minutes.

At this point, start checking both sides to see if fish is ready - the skin should be crispy and the meat is cooked thoroughly. If it is not, flip to cook as needed and check every 1 minute or so.

Remove from heat when cooked thoroughly on both sides.

For Chinese New Year we made the pan fried pomfret, and served with bok choy stir fry and sliced beef shank!

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