Fish and seafood · IFCT 2017
Bombay duck: nutrition per 100 g
Per 100 g, Bombay duck gives 69 kcal, 13.5 g protein and 1.0 g fat, according to the Indian Food Composition Tables 2017. Its 159 mg of calcium ranks 2nd of 41 fish and seafood and 45th of 242 foods, meeting 16 per cent of an adult's daily requirement. It is a soft, watery fish, 83.2 g water per 100 g, and not a duck at all.
About bombay duck
Bombay duck is a lizardfish, Harpadon nehereus, a soft, almost jelly-like fish with needle teeth, landed in great numbers off Gujarat and Maharashtra and in the Bay of Bengal. Mumbai knows it as bombil, Gujarat as bumla, and Bengal as loitta; IFCT 2017 records lutia in Bengali and vangaravasi in Tamil. The English name is usually traced either to bombil or to the dried fish once sent out of Bombay by mail train, and no one is entirely sure which.
Fresh, it is cooked within hours of landing because it turns mushy fast. Koli and Mumbai kitchens split it, press out the water and fry it in rava as bombil fry; Bengali homes make loitta macher jhuri, a crisp dry fry, or a fiery loitta jhal. Much of the catch is still hung on bamboo racks along the Konkan and Gujarat shore and sold as dried bombil, which is fried, roasted or cooked into a pungent chutney.
What bombay duck brings to a meal
- 01
Calcium leader among fish
At 159 mg of calcium per 100 g, Bombay duck ranks 2nd of 41 fish and seafood in IFCT 2017, and 45th of 242 foods. That meets 16 per cent of the daily requirement for both men and women.
- 02
Very low in calories
Bombay duck has just 69 kcal and 1.0 g fat per 100 g, because water makes up 83.2 g of it. Protein is 13.5 g, meeting 25 per cent of a man's daily requirement and 30 per cent of a woman's.
- 03
Omega-3 for its size
Despite so little fat, it carries 137 mg of DHA and 61 mg of EPA per 100 g, the long-chain omega-3 fats found mainly in fish.
- 04
Naturally high sodium
Fresh Bombay duck has 223 mg of sodium per 100 g, ranking 6th of 243 foods in the tables, before any salt is added.
Bombay duck nutrition facts per 100 g
Every value IFCT 2017 reports for the edible portion, with the share of an adult's daily need that 100 g covers where ICMR-NIN sets a requirement.
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | Adult man | Adult woman |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy and macronutrients | |||
| Energy | 69 kcal | 3% | 4% |
| Protein | 13.5 g | 25% | 30% |
| Carbohydrate (available) | 0 g | ||
| Dietary fibre | 0 g | ||
| Total fat | 1 g | ||
| Water | 83.2 g | ||
| Fats | |||
| Saturated fat | 0.4 g | ||
| Monounsaturated fat | 0.17 g | ||
| Polyunsaturated fat | 0.25 g | ||
| Omega-3 (EPA) | 61 mg | ||
| Omega-3 (DHA) | 137 mg | ||
| Cholesterol | 46 mg | ||
| Minerals | |||
| Calcium | 159 mg | 16% | 16% |
| Iron | 0.81 mg | 4% | 3% |
| Zinc | 0.42 mg | 2% | 3% |
| Magnesium | 24 mg | 5% | 6% |
| Phosphorus | 185 mg | ||
| Potassium | 188 mg | ||
| Sodium | 223 mg | ||
| Copper | 0.03 mg | ||
| Selenium | 25.4 µg | ||
| Vitamins | |||
| Retinol | 3 µg | ||
| Thiamine (B1) | 0.03 mg | 2% | 2% |
| Riboflavin (B2) | 0.02 mg | 1% | 1% |
| Niacin (B3) | 0.64 mg | 4% | 5% |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.1 mg | 4% | 5% |
| Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) | 0.75 mg | ||
Values per 100 g of the edible portion. Source: Longvah T, Ananthan R, Bhaskarachary K, Venkaiah K. Indian Food Composition Tables 2017. National Institute of Nutrition, Indian Council of Medical Research, Hyderabad. Daily-need shares use the ICMR-NIN 2020 recommended dietary allowances for a 65 kg man and a 55 kg woman doing sedentary work (ICMR-NIN brief note). Nutrients IFCT did not analyse for this food are left out rather than shown as zero.
Cite this page
NNWA Nutrition and Wellness Academy. Bombay duck: nutrition per 100 g. Data: Indian Food Composition Tables 2017, ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition. https://nnwa.in/foods/fish-and-seafood/bombay-duck/
Where bombay duck sits among Indian foods
Ranked per 100 g against the other 40 fish and seafood and every food in the tables.
| Nutrient | Per 100 g | In fish and seafood | Among all foods |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calcium | 159 mg | 2nd of 41 | 45th of 242 |
| Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) | 0.75 mg | 18th of 41 | 57th of 242 |
| Protein | 13.5 g | 37th of 41 | 84th of 243 |
| Iron | 0.81 mg | 20th of 41 | 149th of 242 |
| Zinc | 0.42 mg | 32nd of 41 | 150th of 243 |
How bombay duck is eaten
- Bombil fry: split fish pressed between kitchen towels, marinated in chilli, turmeric and lime, coated in rava and shallow-fried.
- Loitta macher jhuri: Bengali dry fry where the fish is cooked down with onion and chilli until it shreds and crisps.
- Sukha bombil chutney: dried fish roasted, crushed and pounded with garlic, chilli and onion, a little goes a long way.
- Bombil curry in a Koli masala with kokum, eaten with rice bhakri.
Before you plan around it
Dried bombil is salted before drying and is far saltier than fresh fish, so people with high blood pressure or kidney disease should keep it to small amounts. Even fresh, its sodium ranks 6th of 243 foods. Bombil fry soaks up oil because the fish is so soft, so drain it well. Fresh Bombay duck spoils quickly; it should smell of the sea, not of ammonia.
Food composition is general information, not a diet plan. Anyone managing a medical condition should plan their diet with a doctor or a registered dietitian.
What people ask about bombay duck
Why is it called Bombay duck if it is a fish?
Bombay duck is a lizardfish, not a bird. The name is usually linked to its Marathi name, bombil, or to dried fish carried out of Bombay by mail train. Bengalis call it loitta and Gujaratis bumla.
Is Bombay duck a good source of calcium?
Yes, for a fish. IFCT 2017 lists 159 mg of calcium per 100 g, 2nd among the 41 fish and seafood in the tables and about 16 per cent of an adult's daily requirement.
Is Bombay duck good for weight loss?
Fresh Bombay duck is very light, 69 kcal and 1.0 g fat per 100 g. Cooked as a curry it suits a weight-loss diet; rava-fried bombil absorbs a lot of oil, so it is better as an occasional treat.
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Calcium content of Indian foods
Every food in the tables, ranked by calcium per 100 g.
Vitamin E content of Indian foods
Every food in the tables, ranked by vitamin e per 100 g.
Protein content of Indian foods
Every food in the tables, ranked by protein per 100 g.
All fish and seafood
41 foods in this group, compared.
Learn to use this data
Certification in Nutrition
Reading food composition tables and turning them into meal plans is taught in this NNWA course.