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Is Lookdown kosher?

Yes — Lookdown is kosher under Jewish dietary law.

Lookdown has fins and scales, which are the two requirements for kosher fish under Jewish dietary law (Leviticus 11:9-12).

Lookdown (Selene vomer)

Image: Photo by SEFSC Pascagoula Laboratory; Collection of Brandi Noble, NOAA/NMFS/SEFSC · licensed Public domain · source

Scientific name
Selene vomer
Also known as
Moonfish, Horsehead
Habitat
Western Atlantic, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico
Kosher status
Kosher

About Lookdown

See: Jacks Selene setapinnis, the Atlantic moonfish, is a West Atlantic fish belonging to the family Carangidae. Description The Atlantic moonfish is a slender, deep-bodied fish that is extremely compressed. It has a dorsal fin with 8 spines and an anal fin with 2 spines. They also have 21 dorsal soft rays and 17 anal soft rays. The upper jaw is short and lower jaw is protruding, extending longer than the upper jaw. They have a sloped, bent forehead and rather large eyes. They have a forked caudal fin that is attached to a large and hard caudal peduncle. The Atlantic moonfish have a faint spot on the base of their pectoral fins. They have a silvery or metallic blue color with a yellowish caudal fin. The dorsal and caudal peduncle regions are lined with a dark edging. Atlantic Moonfish grow to a maximum length of 39 centimeters. Diet Adults feed on small fish and crustaceans. Habitat Atlantic moonfish can be found in schools at the bottoms of inshore waters. Juveniles can be found on muddy bottoms of brackish waters. Their depth range is 0–55 m, and they prefer subtropical regions. Distribution Western Atlantic: Nova Scotia, Canada, along coasts of Gulf of Mexico and South... The lookdown (Selene vomer) is a species of game fish in the family Carangidae. It was first described in 1758 by Carl Linnaeus, in the 10th edition of Systema Naturae. Description Although the lookdown is similar to the Atlantic moonfish, it can be distinguished by its dorsal and anal fins, the second ray on each fin being many times longer than the surrounding rays. This gives the dorsal and anal fins a noticeably scythe-like shape. The dorsal fin of the lookdown has 9 spines and 23 rays, while the anal fin has only 3 spines and 18 rays. Like the Atlantic moonfish, it has a deep, rhombus-shaped, laterally-compressed body. The head has the mouth set low and the eyes high. The overall profile of the head is concave. The caudal fin is forked, as in the pompanos, while the pectoral fin is scythe-like and reaches the middle of the second dorsal fin. The lookdown is silvery on both sides with a darker tinge on top. A young fish has several faint vertical bars that fade as it grows. The longest lookdown known was 48.3 cm (19.0 in) long, and the heaviest weighed 2.1 kilograms (4.6 lb). Distribution and habitat In the western Atlantic, the lookdown is found from Canada and Maine...

Source: kosherfish.co/kosher-fish-list (snapshot 2025-12-19); Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0)

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