Pilchard
Sardina pilchardus
Kosher
Has fins and scales
Fins
Yes
Scales
Yes
Description
The European pilchard is a species of ray-finned fish in the monotypic genus Sardina. The young of the species are among the many fish that are sometimes called sardines.
Pilchards are sold fresh, frozen, or canned, and they're also salted, smoked, or dried. They're the same species sold as sardines when smaller.
The European pilchard lives in the northeast Atlantic, the Mediterranean, and the Black Sea, from Iceland and southern Scandinavia down to Senegal. It schools at about 25 to 55 m deep by day and 10 to 35 m at night. The biggest catches come from Morocco, Portugal, and Spain.
Also known as
- European Pilchard
- Sardine
Kosher Pilchard in foreign languages
| Scientific | Sardina pilchardus |
| Hebrew | סרדין אירופי |
| Arabic | سردين البلشار الأوروبي |
| Spanish | Majuga |
| Portuguese | Sardinha |
| French | Sardine |
| Italian | sardina |
| German | Sardine |
| Greek | Σαρδέλα |
| Russian | Европейская сардина |
| Turkish | Sardina |
| Chinese | 沙丁魚 |
| Japanese | ニシイワシ |
| Korean | 정어리 |
| Vietnamese | Cá mòi cơm châu Âu |
| Thai | ปลาซาร์ดีนยุโรป |
| Indonesian | Sarden |
Gallery
Warnings & Kosher Issues
- Pilchard is a herring-family fish with fins and scales, so it is kosher.
- Same species as the sardine. Larger adults are sold as pilchards, smaller juveniles as sardines.
- Can carry anisakid nematode parasites, though documented human infections from this species are rare.