Indian Mackerel (Rastrelliger Kanagurta)

Description

Found commonly in the West Pacific and the Indian Ocean the Indian Mackerel is a subspecies of the Mackerel family from Order Perciformes. One of the very important food fish in this region you would find it as a crucial part of South and South East Asian cuisines. The range of the Indian Mackerel spreads from the Red Sea and East Africa to Indonesia and China.

Body of the Indian Mackerel is deep and usually, the head is longer than the depth of its body. Its maxilla is covered to an extent by the lacrimal bone and extends through the hind margin of its eye. You will also find a black spot which has pretty close to the lower margin of its pectoral fin. With a fork length of around 35 centimetres, the Indian Mackerel has an average length of 25 centimetres.

You would usually find the Indian Mackerel in shallow and coastal waters as it needs a temperature of 17 degree Celsius to survive. Adult members of this species can be found in lagoons, coastal bays and harbours. You would also find them in the waters which are rich in plankton. The most common style in which Indian Mackerel is eaten is deep frying with Rava and making into a curry form known as Bangude puli Munche.

Indian Mackerel is known by various names, such as Pelaling in Malaysia, Kembung lelaki in Indonesia, Bangdo (बांगडो) in Konkani language, Bangdi (બાંગડી) in Gujarati, Bangda (बांगडा) in Marathi, Kajol Gouri (কাজল গৌরী) in Bengali, Ayla (അയല, ഐല) in Malayalam, Kankarta (କାନକରତା) in Odia, Kaanankeluthi (காணாங்கெலுத்தி) in Tamil, Kumbalawaa (කුම්බලාව) in Sinhala and Bangude (ಬಂಗುಡೆ) in Tulu, and Kannada. It is called alumahan in the Philippines.