In North America you use the slang word panfish for those fishes that fit into a frying pan. You can say that panfish are any species of fish that easily cooks whole in a frying pan at adult size. Like this you describes edible freshwater and saltwater fishes that are this little that they cook in one pan.
The species that fit this description range based on the area.
What Are Panfish?
Anglers apply the term panfish for little freshwater fishes. Here some examples: sunfish, crappie, yellow perch, rock bass and others. Many professionals started by hunting panfish.
Between commonly mentioned are bluegill, sunfish, perch, bullhead and crappie. You also call panfish black crappie, white perch, yellow perch, bluegill and pumpkinseed. Early 20-year source mentions many species as panfish: yellow perch, candlefish, will seep, sand launces, rock bass, bullheads, minnows, Rocky Mountain whitefish, sand rollers, crappie, yellow bass, white bass, croaker and little sunfish as bluegill and redear sunfish.
Identify those fishes sometimes is hard. For instance, the green sunfish commonly hybridizes what makes the reason complicated. The shape and color of green sunfish commonly confuse it with bluegill.
People commonly ask for identification of panfish, especially green sunfish. Species as warmouth or green sunfish sometimes wrong keep for crappie. Some even think that they are hybrids between bluegill and bass or crappie.
Hard identify when the fish looks skinny or sick.
Every species has its characteristics. Bluegill measure between 7 and 10 inches. Shellcrackers can reach 17 inches.
One species has longer and less flat body than other panfish. It has clear olive-green bronze color up yellow on sides and 6 until 9 vertical strips. Largemouth bass is another its jaw extends beyond the eye and the two dorsal fins are almost separated or deeply cut.
They weigh until 20 pounds but 1 until 6 pounds are typical. Panfish as bluegill, flier, green sunfish, longear sunfish, orange spotted sunfish, pumpkinseed, redbreast sunfish, redear sunfish, rock bass and warmouth all belong to the group.