Come monsoon and Bengalis make a beeline for the markets to get their hands on the ‘queen of fish’ — the hilsa! The love for Padma ilish is also quite strong on this side of Bengal. The prized and much loved ilish comes for a hefty price, but often people are left with a fish that doesn’t match the price, and identifying the right fish can sometimes be a task. As the skies open and we enter hilsa season, My Kolkata called food curated and Bangladeshi cuisine expert Nayana Afroz, to get her tips on buying hilsa and a modern Bangladeshi recipe with the fish.
Getting the freshest catch
According to Nayana Afroz, identifying fresh fish is important, and a test for that is looking at the gills and eyes of the fish. “The gills have to be red. Brown or discoloured gills are red flags. The eyes of the fish have to be clear and not milky. Try not to buy frozen fish, but fresh ones — freezing compromises the freshness. Pick up the fish by the head and press the body, especially near the back or shoulder gently. It has to be firm and not tender. That is a sign of a good, fresh hilsa,” she explained.
As for the flavour, the chef suggests going for a fish that does not have eggs. Once eggs form, the flavour of the fish decreases. “But if you love eggs, you can go for it.”
The weight and the cut
For a hilsa fish weighing between 800gm and 1.5kg, a proper cut will often yield eight or nine pieces with the head and tail. “The cut has to be made properly. We follow the one-finger method, where each piece is one finger wide. Trying to make too many pieces out of a small fish is not recommended. Fish above 2kg can have more pieces,” said Afroz.
For cutting a hilsa, Nayana Afroz recommends the one-finger method, where each piece is one finger wide Shutterstock
Is Padma ilish the best?
Speaking of hilsa from Bangladesh, Afroz picked Barishal er ilish over the more popular Padma ilish. “Padma ilish has become popular so that variant is exported. But Barishal er ilish is better and it is not exported. This variant has a balance of fat and meat, and there is no after taste of the fat like Padma ilish. But if you are buying Padma hilsa, I would always say go for a fish that doesn’t have eggs inside because once the egg is formed the stomach will become thin and sometimes the fish can lose its taste.”
Ilish recipe: Oven-baked Whole Hilsa
While hilsa is associated with traditional cooking, it can also be cooked using modern techniques. Sharing the recipe of an ilish roast, Nayana said, “We think hilsa can only be cooked in a certain way and that way is often traditional. If you want to present hilsa at parties or in fine dining, you often end up with limited options. I chose this recipe for readers of My Kolkata because it is different. I learnt this from a friend.”
Nayana Afroz's oven baked hilsa Courtesy Nayana Afroz
Ingredients
- Hilsa: 800 gms (Over 1kg can be used too if it fits in the oven)
- Ginger paste: 1tbsp
- Red chilli powder: 1 tbsp
- Turmeric powder: 2 tsp
- Tomato ketchup: 3 tbsp
- Crispy fried onion paste: ½ cup
- Crushed pepper: 1 tbsp
- Green chilli paste: 2 tbsp
- Lemon juice: 1 tbsp
- Cooking oil: 2 tbsp
- Salt to taste
Method
- Clean the stomach of the fish by making a fine slit below the head of the fish. Now cut the fish from the two sides so that it remains stuck at the midrib
- Wash thoroughly and dry the fish
- Rub salt and lemon juice on both sides of the fish and set aside
- Make a paste with all spices, and rub the paste thoroughly on the body of the fish as well as inside the belly of the fish
- Set it aside in the refrigerator to marinate for an hour
- Preheat the oven at 200°C and bake for an hour
- Once done, place the fish on a flat serving dish and garnish according to your choice