Menhaden
Brevoortia tyrannus
Kosher
Has fins and scales
Fins
Yes
Scales
Yes
Description
The Atlantic menhaden is a North American species of fish in the herring family, Alosidae.
Menhaden are rarely eaten directly today. The oily, very bony flesh goes mostly to fish meal, fish oil, and bait.
Atlantic menhaden live in North Atlantic coastal and estuarine waters from Nova Scotia south to northern Florida. They swim in large schools that sort by size and age, with younger fish in the Chesapeake Bay and southern waters and older, larger fish along the northern coast.
Also known as
- Bunker
- Mossbunker
- Pogy
- Fatback
- Bugfish
- American Sardine
- Hard-head
Kosher Menhaden in foreign languages
| Scientific | Brevoortia tyrannus |
| Arabic | المنهيدن الأطلسي |
| Spanish | Lacha Tirana |
| Portuguese | Lacha Tirana |
| French | Alose Tyran |
| German | Atlantischer Menhaden |
| Russian | Атлантический менхэден |
| Chinese | 大西洋油鯡 |
| Japanese | アトランティック・メンハーデン |
| Vietnamese | Cá mòi dầu Đại Tây Dương |
Gallery
Warnings & Kosher Issues
- Menhaden is a herring-family fish with fins and scales, so it is kosher.
- Very oily and very bony, which is why it's used mainly for bait, fish meal, and omega-3 oil rather than eaten directly.