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What to eat in Asia? Top 5 Asian White Fishes

Last update: Wed Apr 9 2025
Top 5 Asian White Fishes
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Best Asian White Fish Types

01

White Fish

PHILIPPINES
4.5
Bangus
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Bangus is the national fish of Philippines, called milkfish in English. It is an adaptable, tough, and sturdy fish that can survive in confined spaces, so it is regularly bred on fish farms, which is the reason why it is widely available all over the Philippines.


The flavor of milkfish is distinctive and mild, best paired with complementary ingredients. Bangus is usually cooked in soups, fried, grilled, barbecued, stuffed or stewed in various spices, ginger and vinegar, but the varieties of bangus-based dishes are numerous. 
02

White Fish

BANGLADESH
4.2
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Ilish (Tenualosa ilisha) is a fish that is mostly found in the coastal waters of the Bay of Bengal. During the monsoon season, it moves upstream to the rivers of Padma and Ganga to sprawl. It may reach the size of 50cm, and it can weigh up to three kilograms.


The fish is appreciated for its tender flesh and its roe, which is often named as the caviar of the tropics. Ilish is an incredibly important ingredient for Bengali, both in Bangladesh and West Bengal. It is used in a variety of ways, from simple frying to steaming and simmering in thick, flavorful sauces, as well as in the classic fish stew macher jhol
03
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Fugu is the Japanese word for a fish known as pufferfish, blowfish, or globefish. The fish is infamous for its poisonous parts that contain the lethal poison tetrodotoxin, highly concentrated in the liver, ovaries, eyes, and skin. Trained chefs who want to prepare fugu must undergo scrutinized testing and licensing that is done at local government level.


However, some people prefer the light numbing sensation that the fugu toxin produces, so they ask the chefs to serve them small parts of the toxic organs. In Japan, fugu is usually consumed in specialized restaurants that serve a complete meal which typically includes several courses of the fish served in varying ways, such as fugu sashimi, boiled fugu chiri, fugu rice porridge, or deep-fried fugu. 
04

White Fish

MAHARASHTRA, India and  one more region
n/a
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Bombay duck (lat. Harpadon nehereus), despite its name, is not a duck but a type of fish. It is a soft, fleshy lizardfish found in the waters of the Arabian Sea, particularly along the western coast of India near Maharashtra and Gujarat.


Bombay duck has a slender, elongated body with a translucent, jelly-like texture and a mild, distinct flavor. The name "Bombay duck" is believed to have originated during British colonial rule in India, possibly linked to the fish being transported on mail trains called "dak" in Bombay, which may have evolved into "duck." It is widely used in coastal cuisine, often fried with spices and semolina to make bombil fry or cooked in curries. 
05
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Chinese brill (lat. Tephrinectes sinensis) is a unique species of flatfish belonging to the family Scophthalmidae. This family includes some of the most esteemed flatfish in culinary arts, like the turbot and the European brill. However, as its name suggests, the Chinese brill is specifically native to the Asian Pacific region, predominantly around the waters of China and Korea.


Similar to other flatfish, the Chinese brill has both eyes located on one side of its head. Their bottom side, the side without eyes, is generally paler, which helps in camouflaging against the sandy or muddy bottoms where they tend to reside. As for their size, they can vary, but they're generally not as large as some other commercial flatfish species. 

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Asian White Fishes