Where it comes from
The hilsa runs up the Padma and Ganges in the monsoon and Bengal stops to eat. Shorshe ilish is deliberately minimal — nothing is allowed to compete with the fish's oil and the mustard's bite.
Method
- 1
Grind the mustard
22:00Soak both mustards for twenty minutes with a green chilli and a pinch of salt, then grind to a fine paste. Salt stops it turning bitter.
- 2
Season the fish
05:00Rub steaks with turmeric and salt.
- 3
Steam or simmer
15:00Layer fish in mustard paste, slit chillies, nigella and mustard oil in a steel tiffin box and steam, or simmer covered in a shallow pan.
- 4
Rest
05:00Pour a spoon of raw mustard oil over and leave covered for five minutes before serving with rice.
Cook's notes
- Always grind mustard with salt and a chilli — otherwise the paste turns bitter.
- Never over-simmer hilsa; it is delicate and fatty.
