CarneAtlas

Pompano

Fish · Carangidae
Pompano — Carangidae fish

U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Also called
🇲🇽🇦🇷🇪🇸Pámpano🇵🇹🇧🇷Pampo🇮🇹Leccia stella

Florida pompano is one of the most prized pan fish in American coastal cuisine, with buttery, rich white flesh and very few bones. It commands premium prices at Gulf Coast and Florida Keys fish markets. In New Orleans, pompano en papillote — cooked in a sealed paper bag with a cream sauce — is a classic Creole dish. The same name, pámpano, is used across Latin America and the Caribbean. It is typically pan-fried or grilled whole, and its compact size makes it ideal for single-portion cooking.

Useful gear for preparing fish

$ · lifting and turning delicate fish fillets

OXO Good Grips Little Fish Turner

Sliding beneath fillets and turning them with less tearing than a thick spatula.

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$$ · filleting, skinning, and trimming whole fish

Victorinox Fibrox 8-Inch Flexible Fillet Knife

Following the bones and contours of whole fish with a narrow, flexible blade.

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Names by country

CountryNameNotes
🇺🇸United StatesPompanoprimaryFlorida pompano — one of the most prized pan fish on the Gulf Coast; pompano en papillote is a New Orleans classic
🇬🇧United KingdomPompano
🇲🇽MexicoPámpanoPopular on both Mexico's Gulf and Pacific coasts
🇦🇷ArgentinaPámpano
🇫🇷FrancePompano
🇪🇸SpainPámpano
🇵🇹PortugalPampo
🇧🇷BrazilPampo
🇮🇹ItalyLeccia stellaMediterranean Carangidae closely related to the Florida pompano; the Florida species is sold as 'pompano' when imported.
🇩🇪GermanyPompanoLoanword used for the imported Florida species; not common in German fishmongers.

Culinary substitutes

Dorada
Dorada

Both are small, prized whole-cooking fish with rich, sweet white flesh — pompano has a richer, butterier flavor, sea bream is more delicate and Mediterranean in character.