Shorshe ilish (hilsa in mustard sauce)
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Hilsa steaks cooked in a sharp sauce of ground mustard seeds, green chillies and mustard oil, Bengal’s best-loved fish dish of the monsoon.
Region: West BengalOccasion: Monsoon, when hilsa is in season; Jamai Sasthi and family feastsTime: 40 minServes: 4Non-vegetarian
Ingredients
- 4–6 pieces hilsa (ilish), about 500 g
- 3 tbsp black mustard seeds
- 1 tbsp yellow mustard seeds
- 5–6 green chillies (2 for grinding, rest slit)
- 1 tsp turmeric powder
- 5 tbsp mustard oil
- ½ tsp kalonji (nigella seeds)
- Salt to taste
- ¾ cup water
Method
- Wash the fish gently and rub with ½ tsp turmeric and salt.
- Soak both mustard seeds in warm water for 15 minutes, then grind with 2 green chillies and a pinch of salt to a smooth paste. Mix with ½ cup water.
- Heat 3 tbsp mustard oil until it smokes lightly. Fry the fish for a minute on each side only, and lift out.
- In the same oil add kalonji and slit chillies, then the mustard paste, the remaining turmeric and salt. Simmer for 2 minutes.
- Slide in the fish, add a little more water if needed, cover and cook on low heat for 6–8 minutes.
- Drizzle the rest of the raw mustard oil on top and serve with hot rice.
History
Hilsa runs up the rivers of the Ganga delta to spawn in the monsoon, and Bengalis on both sides of the border have cooked it with mustard for generations.
Significance
The first hilsa of the season is a family occasion. A version steamed in a closed box, bhapa ilish, uses the same mustard paste.