Layang Scad

Layang Scad is also known as mackerel scads, round scads, or horse mackerel. They are found throughout the world. It is widely distributed in the tropical Indo-Pacific from East Africa to the Americas, southern Baja to Chile, the Galapagos. Indo-Pacific and Southeast Atlantic: from Knysna to Natal, South Africa to Australia, including the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, and in the Central Pacific Islands from South Korea to the Gulf of California to Peru, including Galapagos Islands.

Layang Scad is elongate, slender, cylindrical; eye covered with adipose eyelid except for central slit; top and rear end of upper jaw concave on top and at the end, rounded at the lower corner; front of the shoulder that meets gill chamber with 2 moderate-sized papillae; tail base slender; tail strongly forked; lateral line with long, low arch anteriorly, scales on top of head usually extend forward to the level of the rear margin of the pupil; branches of a lateral line extending onto nape only. Metallic blue on the back, silvery below; membrane at front of the roof of mouth transparent or grey; a small black blotch on upper margin of gill cover; caudal fin translucent to dusky.

Layang Scad is a pelagic species found in both coastal and oceanic waters at depths up to 213 m. They reach a maximum of 35 cm in length. As of October 15, 2019, the International Game Fish Association world record stood at 1.00 kg with the fish caught in coastal waters off Japan in June 2014.

Layang Scad is a predominately pelagic schooling species. Occasionally seen in small groups along reef slopes adjacent to deep water in pursuit of zooplankton. Adults feed mainly on small invertebrates. Marketed fresh and salted or dried.

Layang Scad is definitely not "white and light", but for those of us who actually like fish, it has a good combination of taste and texture. Raw the flesh is extremely tender but cooked it is firm, flakes apart easily. It is a small fish, but quite meaty. It is very popular in Asia markets.