Fish

🇪🇨Ecuador

Maito

Amazonian Ecuadorian fish, chicken or palm worms wrapped in bijao leaves and grilled over charcoal. A traditional Kichwa dish from the rainforest.

🇨🇫Central African Republic

Makara

Whole small freshwater fish, often capitaine or tilapia, rubbed with salt and deep-fried until crisp; sold from street stalls and eaten as a snack with a spicy dipping sauce.

🇲🇻Maldives

Maldives Fish

ވަޅޯމަސް

Cured skipjack tuna — gutted, boiled, smoked, and sun-dried to a tarry black, rock-hard block that is flaked or shaved into Maldivian dishes and Sri Lankan sambols.

🇴🇲Oman

Maleh

مالح

Omani salted, sun-dried fish, a preserved staple eaten with rice.

🇮🇲Peel, Isle of Man

Manx Kippers

Manx kippers are split, brined, and oak-smoked herring from the Isle of Man, especially the Peel tradition.

🇬🇷Greece

Marides Tiganites

Μαρίδες τηγανητές

Whole fried whitebait.

🇪🇸Andalusia, Spain

Marinated Anchovies

Boquerones en vinagre

Fresh anchovies cured in vinegar, then marinated in olive oil with garlic and parsley, a refreshing cold tapa from Andalusia.

🇪🇪Estonia

Marinated Eel

Marineeritud angerjas

Traditional pickled eel from Baltic Sea, served cold with dark rye bread, green onions and hard-boiled eggs.

🇫🇮Finland

Marinated Herring

Silli

Pickled herring in various styles, essential Midsummer food, served with new potatoes and fresh dill.

🇹🇻Tuvalu

Maroro

Flying fish caught at night with lights; a traditional Tuvaluan fishing method; used in ika mata and other dishes; the fish are attracted to lights and caught with nets; a prized catch that is eaten fresh or dried; an important protein source across all islands.

🇲🇭Marshall Islands

Marshallese Poke

Tuna, wahoo, or reef fish cubed, marinated in lime or coconut-sap vinegar, folded with coconut milk, onion, and cucumber or green papaya; a Marshallese raw fish dish; similar to poke in Hawaii and ika mata in other Pacific islands; showcases the abundance of fresh fish in Marshallese waters.

🇮🇶Baghdad, Iraq

Masgouf

مسكوف

Carp split down the back, opened flat, brushed with tamarind, turmeric and olive oil and stood upright around an open wood fire to roast for hours.

🇴🇲Oman

Mashuai

مشوي

Whole spit-roasted kingfish served with lemon rice, a coastal specialty showcasing Oman's maritime heritage, fresh firm fish with crispy skin and moist flesh, fragrant lemon rice, a Musandam and Salalah specialty.

🇩🇪Germany

Matjes Herring

Matjes

Young soused herring, tender and mild, a northern German specialty often served with onions and cream.

🇵🇹Lisbon, Portugal

Meia-desfeita

Meia-desfeita combines salt cod with chickpeas, onion, parsley, olive oil, and vinegar as a Lisbon cold plate.

🇯🇵Fukuoka, Japan

Mentaiko

明太子

Spicy salt-cured pollock roe, seasoned with chili and yuzu, a Fukuoka specialty eaten with rice or pasta.

🇦🇷Argentina

Merluza Negra

Patagonian toothfish (black hake) from the southern Atlantic, prized for its soft, oily, white flesh. Grilled, baked, or pan-seared, it is a Tierra del Fuego specialty.

🇹🇼Tainan, Taiwan

Milkfish

虱目魚

Milkfish, farmed in the Tainan ponds for four centuries, served as belly congee, grilled fillet or in a clear morning soup.

🇲🇼Malawi

Mlamba

A Malawian river-fish preparation simmered with tomato, onion and local aromatics.

🇻🇪Zulia, Venezuela

Mojito en Coco

Mojito en coco is a Zulian fish stew simmered in coconut milk with ají dulce, onion and herbs until the sauce turns fragrant and savory.

🇲🇸Montserrat

Montserrat Saltfish

Saltfish

A traditional Montserrat dish prepared by soaking dried, salted cod (preferably overnight), then boiling until soft and stewing with onions, peppers, and tomatoes; usually shredded cod sautéed with tomatoes, cabbage, hot peppers, garlic, and herbs; served for breakfast, lunch, or dinner with rice, breadfruit, or bakes; a staple of Montserrat cuisine.

🇲🇼Malawi

Mpasa

Lake Malawi fish prepared by grilling or frying and served with nsima.

🇦🇴Angola

Mufete

Grilled fish served with boiled cassava, sweet potato, fried plantain, beans in palm oil and a raw onion-and-vinegar sauce, all on one plate.

🇧🇮Bujumbura, Burundi

Mukeke

Lake Tanganyika perch (Lates stappersii), an endemic predatory fish with dense white flesh; grilled, roasted, or boiled whole and served with cassava, plantains, and pili pili on the lakeshore.

🇺🇬Jinja, Uganda

Mukene

Tiny silver fish netted at night on Lake Victoria and dried in the sun on racks, then fried with onion and tomato or ground into a powder.

🇪🇹Ethiopia

Mulu Asa Tibs

ሙሉ ዓሣ ጥብስ

'Whole fish tibs' — a whole fish pan-fried until crispy, served with onions, jalapeños, lemon and a side of awaze. A showpiece of Ethiopian fasting cuisine, often presented whole at the table.

🇮🇶Basra, Iraq

Mutabbaq Samak

مطبق سمك

Fried fish laid over rice cooked in fish stock with onion, raisin and spice, then turned out so the fish sits on top.

🇴🇲Oman

Mutafay

An Omani dish of dried fish or meat cooked with onions and spices into a savoury sauce.

🇻🇳Phú Quốc, Vietnam

Mực một nắng (Vietnamese Sun-Dried Squid)

Mực một nắng

Muc mot nang ("one-sun squid"), squid dried for a single day then grilled and torn, is a named coastal product bought as itself.

🇯🇵Kanto, Japan

Namerou

なめろう

Chiba's chopped raw fish pounded with miso, ginger, and shiso, originally a fisherman's quick meal.

🇯🇵Japan

Nanbanzuke

南蛮漬け

Nanbanzuke, fried fish marinated in vinegar with chilli and onion, is a named Japanese dish of Portuguese descent with a fixed method.

🇧🇮Western Burundi (Bujumbura / Lake Tanganyika), Burundi

Ndagala

Small silvery fish (Stolothrissa tanganyikae) endemic to Lake Tanganyika; sun-dried on racks along the shore, then fried whole until crisp and eaten with pili pili, cassava, or rice as a protein-rich everyday meal.

🇨🇦Atlantic Canada, Canada

Newfoundland Fish Cakes

Gâteaux de poisson

Traditional Newfoundland fish cakes made from salt cod, potatoes, and pork, pan-fried until crispy.

🇺🇬Uganda

Ngege

Fresh tilapia prepared in Uganda with onion, tomato and local spices.

🇨🇬Republic of the Congo

Ngoki

Grilled catfish served with cassava porridge and vegetables; a traditional dish from the Congo River basin.

🇯🇵Japan

Nizakana

煮魚

Fish poached in sweet soy, sake, and mirin, a staple home dish often with mackerel or sea bream.