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Bombay Duck commonly known as Bombil and is traditionally caught in the waters of Arabian Sea near the coast of Maharashtra and Gujarat. It is widely consumed as a fresh and in the dried form. It is small fish to the average size of about 30 cm. The main season for the availability of Bombay duck is monsoon time (August – September), also found rest of the year and during that period it is sundried and preserved, dried Bombay duck is rich in protein. It has about 60% protein content (60g protein from 100g Bombay duck). Bombay duck is also rich in omega 3 fatty acids.

Nutritional content of dried Bombay duck is as below

• Energy 293 kcal
• Protein 62g
• Fat 4 g
• Carbohydrate 2 g
• Iron 19mg
• Calcium 1389mg
• Phosphorous 240mg

Human body need about 56g of protein daily and which can be fully supplemented by consuming 100g of dry Bombay duck, that means 100% of our daily protein requirement is satisfied by 100g Bombay duck. Protein helps build, strengthen, repair body tissue and muscles in our body.

Very low presence of carbohydrate in Bombay duck makes it perfect food item in helping maintaining weight. It does not support in gaining weight.

Heart Friendly – Low fat of about 4g

Omega 3 fatty acids : It’s presence in Bombay duck enhances your heart by reducing bad cholesterol from our body that clogs blood arteries and help in reducing blood triglycerides level and also aids blood circulation. Overall it helps in prevention of stroke and heart attack.

Good for Digestion

Fresh Bombay duck has soft and tender flesh with high water content and unlike other fish its bones are soft too. Even the bone can be chewed, eaten and digested. In many parts in the coastal, people do eat it as a whole fish without removing even bone.

High Calcium content

Dried Bombay duck are excellent source of calcium, which helps in maintaining blood pressure levels and also gives strength to our bones.

Iron

Dried Bombay duck are also high in iron which supports healthy functioning of our brain. In earlier times it was used to cure diseases related to insomnia (lack of sleep). Iron also helps in balancing our body temperature.

Mumbaikars’ love for Bombay duck stretches back centuries (Credit: Indranil Mukherjee/Getty Images)

Is Bombay duck too salty?

Bombay duck is seafood and hence the amount of salt presence is from the seawater and it is not too salty. Also dried Bombay duck is not salted for preserving as it is small fish and can be easily sun dried in 2 – 3 days.

Fresh Raw Bombay Duck Vs Dry Bombay duck “Which one is preferred”?

Raw Bombay duck has high moisture content which can even range up to 90% and thus making it highly perishable. Hence fresh Bombay duck do not last long.

Whereas Dry Bombay duck which is sundried, generally contains about 11-12% moisture and hence can be stored for longer period. Also the presence of Protein and other minerals like calcium and phosphorous are remarkable high in dry Bombay duck, hence Dry Bombay duck is always preferred.

Cleaning & cutting – is it tedious?

Not at all, cleaning of raw Bombay duck is done manually by removing head and entrails. Cutting is simple cut and no specialized effort is required

How Bombay duck is prepared as a dish?

Bombay duck raw (fresh fish) is prepared in an Indian curry style and also can be shallow fried (Using cornflour or rice flour, salt, turmeric and red chilli powder)

Dry Bombay duck normally used after cutting into small pieces of about 1 inch size and can be prepared in a thick gravy curry preparation. They can be roasted on pan and used as a snacks.

In the current trend and increase in the consumption of Ready to eat products among all. Dry Bombay duck can be used as a value added protein rich food product and can be prepared as

Pickle: Dry Bombay duck has an excellent use as a pickle

You can order dry Bombay duck pickle from www.dryfishmarket.com

Chutney: Dry Bombay duck is roasted and then this crispy fish is grinded to powdered form
and is mixed with chutney base like dry coconut chutney.

You can order dry Bombay duck chutney from www.dryfishmarket.com

Image Credit / BBC.com