Also called bummalo, Bombay Duck is a marine lizardfish, Harpodon nehereus, from southern Asia, particularly abundant in the Ganges Delta and the Arabian Sea of western India. It is a narrow, usually 6 to 8 inches long, slimy fish. It is caught in November and December; the processing goes on from December until March. Under normal cooking conditions the fresh bummalo fish is almost rendered to a pulp (bones and all). It can also be dipped in batter and deep-fried. Bombay Duck is prepared in two ways. The whole fish are washed clean, split, boned, and dried in the sun. The drying is done on scaffolds made from bamboo poles fixed in the sand with bars tied with thick ropes horizontally in lines one above the other. This is the method adopted for the local market.

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