Skip to main content
pompano

pompano

2 9.1
A warm water sea fish with firm white flesh often eaten
  • noun
  • /ˈpɑːmpənoʊ/
  • US
translation icon : pompano
  • I ordered a fillet of pompano at the restaurant, and it was cooked to perfection.

Examples

  • For dinner, we grilled a whole pompano, which tasted delicious with lemon and herbs.

  • Among the many species of fish at Espiritu Santo are green jack and pompano, whose schools number in the thousands.

    Academic text (1995)
  • The restaurant does a great pompano.

    Fiction book (1993)
  • We were hungry, and there was that elegant pompano.

  • And be sure to eat plenty of spot and pompano; they're probably running pretty good right now.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • You like pompano?

    Fiction book (1993)
  • Although Ann Arbor is hundreds of miles from the nearest ocean, our fish markets offer everything from Norwegian salmon to pompano to mahimahi—all, we are assured, "fresh caught."

    Academic text (1995)
  • The chef recommended the pompano for its mild flavor and flaky texture.

Compounds

California pompano
  • Specialized
7.8

A small silver sea fish found near warm coasts such as the West Indies

Florida pompano
  • Specialized
9.1

A silver sea fish people eat that lives along the Atlantic coast from New England to Brazil

Surface Forms

pompano singular
pompanoes plural

Etymology

Pompano comes from Spanish or Portuguese names for the fish. A helpful way to remember it is to think of pomp ('show' or 'brightness') because pompano are silvery and look 'showy', so pompano today is the name of a warm‑water fish often eaten as food.