Introduction
A delicious and beautiful bottom feeder fish, the spotted sickle fish – Jalebi is not very abundant in Pakistani coastal regions. Occasionally large schools of Spotted Sickle fish – Jalebi lands at Karachi Fish Harbor, especially in summers. It’s popular among retailers and consumers because it resembles Pomfret fish, so many people buy it happily.
Flavor Profile
Most of the time our customers want it to be skinned and headless, but still on the bone. “Easy to fillet, the flesh is mild flavored and has an almost ‘chickenability’ in regards to how you can cook it.
Nomenclature
- English Name: Sicklefish, Spotted Sicklefish
- Local Name: Jalebi, Jalebi Paplet
- Scientific Name: Drepane punctata
Habitat
Spotted sickle fish is a sea fish that occurs in a variety of inshore habitats, such as sand or mud bottoms, reefs, estuaries, and harbors.
Catching Method
Spotted sickle fish is caught using gillnets, bottom trawls, seines, and bag nets.
Physical Attributes
Spotted sickle fish has scales on the body. The body is oval and strongly compressed. It has a highly protrusible mouth that is forming a downward-pointing tube when protruded; rounded or bluntly wedge-shaped caudal fin; elongate and falciform pectoral fins and large adults with a bump or bony knob on the interorbital region.
Color
Head and body silvery, fins dusky yellow, dorsal and caudal fins darker distally, 2 or 3 longitudinal rows of small dark spots on the soft dorsal fin.
Size
On average, the Sicklefish size range is 300 to 1500 grams per fish. However, other sizes are also occasionally available.
Cutting Preferences
Sicklefish is preferred for slices with center bone. Small fish are preferred for whole & gutted cutting as they easily fit the pan.
Approx. Cutting Yields
Whole: 100%
Gutted: 85%
Headless and Gutted: 70%
Slices: 50%
Boneless: 32%
Cooking Preferences
Sicklefish is preferred for deep frying and grilling.
Health Benefits
- Heart friendly
- Lowers Blood Pressure
- Improves Immune System
- Strengthens the bones
- Improves Skin and Hair health
