The SEasOning

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this recipe called out the use of Rohu/Rui as the fish used. A reader pointed out to me that traditionally this is made with Ilish (Hilsa Herring). I’ve updated the recipe to fix my mistake.

As I’ve been writing this blog, I’ve had a chance to connect online with other home cooks – in particular with people from the South Asian diaspora. It’s been fascinating to see the common threads that tie together the food found in South Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean.

One of those interesting threads is fish curry. Most coastal communities have multiple versions of this dish, each adapted to their local taste and what ingredients are available. What piqued my interest in this dish was the use of mustard seeds and mustard oil. It’s not the most common flavour profile – mostly due to how pungent it can be. In the Caribbean, mustard oil is often found in chutneys or pickles, and they’re frequently paired as a condiment with fish curries. I figured could work well as a primary flavour considering how well it plays as a secondary one.

This dish is a Bengali staple. From the research I’ve done I’ve tried to keep it as close to authentic as I can. Hopefully if there are any Bengali’s reading this they can let me know how I did!

The biggest substitution I made was on the fish. This is usually made with a fish called Ilish. I wasn’t able to find any, but I was able to get some Sable Fish on sale and it seemed to work out well.

The Ingredients

For the Fish Marinade

• 4 large firm white fish pieces
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp turmeric powder

For the Mustard Paste

• 4 tsp yellow mustard seeds
• 2 tsp poppy seeds
• 2 green chillies (I used a half ripe scorpion pepper in mine, but adjust the spiciness to your tastes)
• Water

For the Gravy

• 2 tomatoes
• 2-3 green chilies (I used the other half of my scorpion pepper)
• 1/2 tsp onion seeds
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1 tsp chili powder
• salt to taste
• Mustard oil for cooking
• 1 cup water

The Method

1. Rub the fish pieces with the salt and turmeric and set aside.
2. While the fish is marinating, soak the poppy seeds and mustard seeds in warm water for 10 min. Drain the water and add the soaked spices to a spice blender with the chilies. Add a couple tsp of water and grind to a smooth paste
3. Dice the tomatoes and add to a blender and blend to a paste
4. Heat a satuee pan over medium heat with a few tsp of mustard oil. When hot add your fish pieces in. Cook for two-three minutes on each side then set aside.
5. Add some more oil to the pan and let it heat up.
6. Add the onion seeds and let them splutter for a few seconds.
7. Add the tomatoes and cook for 5-10 min till most of the water has evaporated and you’re left with a thick paste
8. Add in your remaining dry spices and let cook for a couple minutes
9. Add to it 1 cup of water (you can adjust this depending on how thick you want the gravy) and the remaining fresh chilies.
10. Add your fish back in and simmer on low for 5-6 minutes or until the fish is fully cooked.
11. Remove from heat and serve immediately with some basmati rice (or any rice of your choice)