A marine ray-finned flathead found across the Indian Ocean and Western Pacific, known for its flattened head and predatory behaviour. Indian anglers target it in coastal and backwater regions for its strong fight and food value. It is also known as பார்டெயில் பிளாட்ஹெட், भारतीय फ्लैटहेड, ബാർടെയിൽ ഫ്ലാറ്റ്ഹെഡ് and বার্টেইল ফ্ল্যাটহেড. Scientific name: Platycephalus indicus.
Live lots change through the day. See all live lots
Mild, sweet white flesh with a delicate flavour; firm texture that holds well during cooking.
Large central bone with ribs; easy to fillet cleanly once you learn the flat body structure.
In our species guide, the main season for Bartail flathead is October to March.
In November, our outlook shows it in season around Bengaluru, Bhopal, Chennai, Goa, Hyderabad and Kochi.
Annual sea fishing bans: East coast annual fishing ban (15 Apr – 14 Jun); West coast monsoon fishing ban (1 Jun – 31 Jul). Fewer boats land fresh sea fish during these weeks.
Tamil: பார்டெயில் பிளாட்ஹெட், Hindi: भारतीय फ्लैटहेड, Malayalam: ബാർടെയിൽ ഫ്ലാറ്റ്ഹെഡ്, Bengali: বার্টেইল ফ্ল্যাটহেড, Marathi: बार्टेल फ्लॅटहेड, Gujarati: બાર્ટેલ ફ્લેટહેડ.
In our species guide, the main season for Bartail flathead is October to March. In November, our outlook shows it in season around Bengaluru, Bhopal, Chennai, Goa, Hyderabad and Kochi.
Mild, sweet white flesh with a delicate flavour; firm texture that holds well during cooking. Large central bone with ribs; easy to fillet cleanly once you learn the flat body structure.
Popular dishes include Meen Pollichathu (Kerala), Fried Flathead (Coastal India), Flathead Curry (Goa, Karnataka) and Tandoori Flathead (Maharashtra, Gujarat).
On the Fishing Journey Fish Market, FSSAI-registered sellers list fresh catch as lots. Bid up to your maximum or use Buy now where it is offered, pay from your wallet within 2 hours of winning and collect the fish with your pickup code.
Mechanised and motorised boats stop fishing at sea during the annual bans (East coast annual fishing ban (15 Apr – 14 Jun); West coast monsoon fishing ban (1 Jun – 31 Jul)), so less fresh sea fish is landed in those weeks. Check the Fish Market for live lots.
Bartail flathead fishing guide: bait, season and spots
