Hilsa — ilish — is the hinge on which Bengali culinary identity turns. It migrates upstream from the Bay of Bengal each monsoon, and its arrival restructures daily life.
This preparation steams the fish in a vivid yellow mustard paste with almost no oil and no long cooking. It is ready in twenty minutes and cannot be improved.
Zone: River Delta
SOURCE: Adapted from a handwritten recipe by a home cook in Dhaka’s Dhanmondi neighbourhood, shared on a Bengali-language Facebook group, 2019. Translated from Bengali.
LOCAL NAME: সরষে ইলিশ
INGREDIENTS
- 500 grams hilsa fillets (or mackerel — see adaptation notes)
- 3 tablespoons yellow mustard seeds (soaked 2 hours)
- 1 tablespoons black mustard seeds (soaked 2 hours)
- 3 green chillies (slit lengthways)
- 0.5 teaspoons turmeric
- 1 teaspoons nigella seeds (kalonji)
- 2 tablespoons mustard oil
- 1 teaspoons salt
- 4 tablespoons water
METHOD
- rain the soaked yellow and black mustard seeds. Blend with the green chillies and 2 tbsp of the water to a smooth, thick paste. This is the shorshe — it should smell sharp and bitter. Do not rush the blending; any graininess in the paste will carry through to the finished dish.
- Rub the hilsa fillets all over with the turmeric and salt. Set aside for 15 minutes. The turmeric begins to cure the fish and gives the final sauce its vivid yellow colour.
- Warm the mustard oil in a flat-bottomed lidded pan over medium heat until it just begins to shimmer. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 2 minutes. This mellows the raw edge of the mustard oil without losing its flavour.
- Return the pan to low heat. Add the nigella seeds and let them sizzle for 30 seconds until fragrant — they should pop gently, not burn.
- Add the shorshe paste to the pan along with the remaining 2 tbsp of water. Stir and cook on low heat for 2 minutes until the raw smell softens and the paste begins to darken slightly at the edges.
- Lay the marinated hilsa fillets into the sauce in a single layer. Cover the pan tightly. Cook on the lowest possible heat for 8–10 minutes. The fish should steam in the sauce, not fry. Do not lift the lid during cooking.
- Serve immediately over steamed white rice. The sauce should be thin and vivid yellow — not thick or reduced. If it looks too thick, add a splash of warm water before serving.
NOTES
UK: Hilsa is sold fresh and frozen at South Asian fishmongers in Southall, Green Street, and Rusholme. Frozen hilsa from Patel Brothers is entirely acceptable. If unavailable, mackerel is the closest substitute — same oily, assertive flesh. Do not use salmon. Mustard oil from any South Asian grocer; Rajah brand is widely stocked.
US: Fresh hilsa is almost impossible outside Bengali communities in New York and New Jersey. Use frozen hilsa from Patel Brothers or H-Mart. Mackerel is the recommended substitute elsewhere. Mustard oil from Patel Brothers, Indian grocery stores, or Amazon (Dabur or Laxmi brand). Do not substitute brown or Dijon mustard for the seed paste — the flavour profile is entirely different.