The monsoon signals the season of hilsa. The queen of fish has always been Bengalis’ favourite delicacy. From shorshe bata ilish to ilish paturi — the fish is savoured in various forms. To celebrate the occasion, Oh! Calcutta has come up with an annual Hilsa Festival, where one can enjoy all things ilish. Chef Kingshuk Kundu guides us through the festival’s innovations and the 2024 menu, highlighting specialities like Kumro Pata Aam Acharer Ilish and other boneless options. Read on…
Oh! Calcutta's Hilsa festival — an annual affair
Chef Kingshuk Kundu of Oh! Calcutta
“The history of the Hilsa Festival dates back to Speciality Restaurants’ Only Fish days. So, it has a legacy of more than 30 years now. The festival was flagged off to bring the best of ilish dishes to the customers,” said chef Kingshuk. Only Fish was the first restaurant launched in Mumbai’s Mahim area in 1991 by Anjan Chatterjee, chief managing director, Speciality Restaurants. In 1995, the brand was renamed as Oh! Calcutta. The ilish food festival is hosted every year during monsoon when the best quality of the fish is available in the market. It goes on till about the first week of September.
Know your ilish
According to Chef Kingshuk, the ilish at Oh! Calcutta undergoes a thorough quality check in which he is personally involved. Every fresh batch is inspected upon delivery by the vendors. Sharing some insights about the fish they use, the chef said, “We serve fish from both Bengals. When we get good Padma ilish, we serve it. However, we have a standard weight. The hilsa we serve is cut from fish that weighs at least 1.2kg. If the fish has developed eggs, we aim for those weighing between 1.5kg and 1.6kg. This ensures we get good pieces, each weighing around 100g.”
What’s new on the menu
Kumro Pata Aam Acharer Ilish is one of the latest additions to the menu
Kumro Pata Aam Acharer Ilish is the latest addition to the annual hilsa menu. This dish features rice served with an ilish paturi. Explaining the dish further, Chef Kingshuk said, “This is a creation by our CMD Anjan Chatterjee. The rice is flavoured with aam tel (oil of mango pickle) and is served with a paturi where the fish is wrapped in a pumpkin leaf and steamed. The fish is available in both boneless and with bone options.”
Boneless options are on the menu
Smoked Hilsa — one of the boneless options on the menu
Ilish bones are the only obstacles for some people who love ilish. But that issue is solved by deboning the fish at Oh! Calcutta. This year’s Hilsa Festival menu offers more than just Smoked Hilsa as a boneless option. It features boneless Bhapa Ilish, Kumro Pata Aam Acharer Ilish, Sea Salt Baked Ilish, and Ilish Fish Fingers! Discussing the introduction of boneless ilish on the menu, Chef Kingshuk said, “Oh! Calcutta is among the first few restaurants that introduced boneless ilish to attract the attention of the younger generation and those who cannot pick bones. Many people avoid Hilsa because it has too many bones. So, that problem is solved here.”
What’s trending on the menu this year
The special menu of the Hilsa Festival
The Hilsa Festival kicked off on July 12, and Chef Kingshuk informed us that it has received an overwhelming response so far. “I cannot name one dish that’s getting all the attention because all the items are getting equal love. In the last two days, we sourced 40kg of ilish each day and went totally out of stock. That’s the love Kolkata is showing.”
What ilish dishes are available round the year
Ilish Bhaja is available all year round
Hilsa is available on the Oh! Calcutta menu all year round. When it is not the Hilsa Festival, the restaurant serves hilsa dishes like Shorshe Ilish, Ilish er Begun Jhol, Bhapa Ilish, and Ilish Bhaja. “Ilish is available all year round on the menu. It is not as good as the ilish in season, but it is still the best quality available at that time. Customers do come looking for ilish when it is not in season, so there are a few options that we keep,” said the chef.
About the special Hilsa Meal Box
Ilish Paturi and (right) Kalo Jeere diye Ilish
Besides a sit-down lunch and dinner, Oh! Calcutta patrons can enjoy ilish from the comfort of their home with the special Hilsa Meal Box. The meal box contains nine items on the menu, including two ilish dishes — Ilish Paturi (2pcs) and Begun Kalo Jeere Diye Ilish (2pcs). The other items on the menu are boneless Kancha Lanka Murgi, Aloo Phulkopir Dalna, Bhaja Moonger Dal, Aloo Bhaja, steamed rice, Tomato Khejurer Chutney and Chaaler Payesh. This box can easily serve two.
Traditional hilsas on the festival menu
Tomato diye Ilish Bhapa
The festival menu has nine ilish dishes. Among them, the traditional items are Ilish Bhaja, Bhapa Ilish, Ilish Paturi, Begun Kalo Jeere Diye Ilish and Tomato Diye Ilish Bhapa. The Smoked Hilsa recipe is an adaptation from the British period, where the fish is smoked, and served with a secret sauce and served with fries and vegetables.
Hilsa swam through innovation
Sea Salt baked Ilish and and (right) Ilish Fish Fingers
The menu showcases some innovative dishes as well. The Hilsa Fish Finger is a unique starter and a twist on Kolkata’s favourite fish finger, typically made with bekti. Another standout item is Anjanda’s creation, Kumro Pata Aam Acharer Ilish, which combines traditional flavours with the aromatic notes of mango pickle. The Sea Salt Baked Hilsa — baked with cheese and served with fries — is another innovative offering.
Pair it up with the chef’s recommendation
With so many options on the menu, it’s quite easy to get confused about what to pair with your hilsa. Without a doubt, chef Kingshuk recommends steamed rice. “Pulao is not a good option when it comes to pairing with Ilish. I would recommend relishing this delicacy with plain steamed rice. We have both plain rice and Gobindobhog rice. Pick any. The fish is aromatic and flavourful, and pairing it up with steamed rice is the best way to enjoy it.”
Hilsa Festival at Oh! Calcutta
Dates: Till the end of August/ first week of September
Time: 12.30pm - 3.30pm (lunch), 7pm - 10pm (dinner)
Where: All branches of Oh! Calcutta across the country
Pocket pinch: A la carte menu starting from Rs 595. The Meal Box is priced at Rs 3,150 plus taxes
