A silver, plant-grazing fish of lagoons and backwaters. Rarely takes bait, but fights very hard. It is also known as பால் மீன், मिल्कफिश and പൂമീൻ. Scientific name: Chanos chanos.
Live lots change through the day. See all live lots
Mild, slightly sweet flavour with tender white flesh; prized in coastal cuisines.
Many fine intramuscular bones; requires careful deboning or pressure-cooking to soften.
In our species guide, the main season for Milkfish is October to April.
In November, our outlook shows it in season around Bengaluru, Bhopal, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi and Mumbai.
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: பால் மீன், Hindi: मिल्कफिश, Malayalam: പൂമീൻ.
In our species guide, the main season for Milkfish is October to April. In November, our outlook shows it in season around Bengaluru, Bhopal, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi and Mumbai.
Mild, slightly sweet flavour with tender white flesh; prized in coastal cuisines. Many fine intramuscular bones; requires careful deboning or pressure-cooking to soften.
Popular dishes include Bangda fry / Milkfish fry (Kerala, Tamil Nadu), Milkfish curry (Andhra Pradesh, Odisha), Grilled milkfish (Coastal Gujarat) and Milkfish pickle (Kerala backwaters).
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.
Milkfish fishing guide: bait, season and spots
