[family Polynemidae]
A family of fish where several rays of the pectoral fins are detached and elongated, sometimes greatly elongated. These "pectoral rays" are thought useful for feeling out food. Threadfins are found in the Indo Pacific and the Atlantic, several along the east coast of the U.S.. Most are salt water fish but a few live in rivers and others may enter rivers at times.
More on Varieties of Fish
(very large page).
[Blue Threadfin (Aust.), Giant Threadfin, Ca Chet (Viet),
Eleutheronema tetradactylum ]
This Indo-West Pacific fish is common from the Persian Gulf to Papua New
Guinea and along the north coast Australia. It enters freshwater during
the breeding season so it's sometimes listed as a freshwater fish. It can
grow to 6-1/2 feet but the photo specimen was 13 inches and weighed
11 ounces. This fish is highly commercial, both wild catch and
aquaculture, and frozen ones from Vietnam are found in Asian markets in
Los Angeles. Packages I've purchased were labeled "Threadfin Bream" which
they clearly are not.
Prep & Cooking Details.
[Polynemus paradiseus]
This Indo-West Pacific fish is found from Pakistan to Vietnam. It enters
freshwater during the breeding season so it's sometimes listed as a freshwater
fish. It can get over 10 inches long but the photo specimen was 8-1/4 inches
and weighed 3.3 ounces. Another in the package of frozen fish from Vietnam
was 10-1/2 inches and 7.9 ounces but was not photographed because the tail
fins had been clipped to fit the package.
Prep & Cooking Details.