About Notopterus notopterus (Pallas, 1769)
Scientific name: Notopterus notopterus (Pallas, 1769). Common name: bronze featherback. Young bronze featherback specimens have a dark bronze-like color that lightens as the fish ages. This species can reach a maximum total length of 60 cm (24 in). Bronze featherbacks can easily be kept in home aquariums. They are a popular food fish, and this species has even been featured on a postage stamp issued by the Kingdom of Laos. This fish has been used as food in Southeast Asia since ancient times, and it remains an important food source in Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar (Burma), and Thailand. It is preserved and prepared in many different ways across the region. In Burmese cuisine, the flesh of the bronze featherback, called ngaphe locally, is used in ngachin, a pressed fish pickle, and is also processed to make fish paste. In Thai cuisine, the fish, known locally as pla salat, is used to make a variety of nam phrik with minced roasted pla salat, which is served alongside raw vegetables. This preparation is particularly popular in Khorat (Nakhon Ratchasima). Although the bronze featherback is much smaller in size, it resembles Chitala ornata in appearance; Chitala ornata is another important food fish in Thai cuisine.
