Pomfret

Yes, there actually are real pomfret, but the fish called "Pomfret" in the market aren't. They're Butterfish and Pompano. The "Black Pomfret" sold in fish markets is actually a Pompano, but there is a real Black Pomfret (Taractes rubescens). There's also Atlantic Pomfret (Brama brama) and Pacific Pomfret (Brama japonica).

More on Varieties of Fish (very large page).

Pomfret, Black (Gray)

Silver Pomfret

White Pomfret

Pacific Pomfret

This is a real Pomfret, not something just called "Pomfret" - and a very strange fish it is. It infests most of the Pacific, from Vietnam to Peru, from Alaska to below Peru. It stays near the surface, but also stays well offshore. It can grow to 24 inches TL (total length) and 6 pounds, but the photo specimen was 16-3/4 TL and weighed 1 pound 7-14 ounces. This is a difficult fish to deal with, but we have methods on our Details and Cooking page.

Sickle Pomfret

This is an Indo-Pacific fish found from Madagascar through Indonesia, on east to Hawaii and Southern California. It ranges from as far north as Japan and as far south as the North Island of New Zealand, but always stays within the edge of the continental shelf. In Hawaii, it is popular in restaurants under the name Monchong. It can grow to 24 inches TL (total length). Note the trailing edge of the tail fin is white or translucent on this fish. IUCN NE (Not Evaluated).   Photo by T. A. Zaidi (sharpened, color balanced and isolated for better shape definition, and to remove filthy rag) distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike v3.0 Unported.

Atlantic Pomfret

This fish is found in the Atlantic from Iceland south to Patagonia, in the Indian Ocean, and in the South Pacific, worldwide, but especially around Australia and New Zealand. It can grow to 39 inches and 13 pounds, but the photo specimen was 20 inches, a more common size. It resides near the surface and only occasionally approaches the shoreline. It is usually bycatch from other fisheries, especially in South Africa, where it is marketed as "Angelfish", which it is not. IUCN LC (Least Concern).   Photo by Hamid Badar Osmany distributed under license Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike v3.0 Unported.