Bengal's prized fish · Mustard and mustard oil
Shorshe Ilish Recipe (Hilsa in Mustard Sauce)
Soak the seeds. Grind with salt. Raw oil at the end.
Recipe by Farwa ZeeshanTested in the NineFoods home kitchenShorshe ilish is hilsa in a sharp mustard sauce, the dish Bengalis on both sides of the border wait all monsoon for. It turns bitter when the mustard is ground dry or boiled hard. The fix is soaking the seeds, grinding them with salt and green chilli, cooking gently, and finishing with a drizzle of raw mustard oil.
The 3 laws of shorshe ilish
Why this recipe works
Dry grinding
Salt and water stop bitterness.
Hard boil
Boiled mustard turns bitter.
Cooked oil only
Gives the signature kick.
Shopping and prep list
Ingredients
Fish
Mustard sauce
The NineFoods mustard gauge
Is the sauce right?
Taste a drop of sauce.
Method · 3 stages
Step by step
Paste
- Grind soaked seeds with salt, chillies and a little water to a smooth paste.
Fry fish
- Rub fish with turmeric and salt; fry lightly in mustard oil 1 minute per side.
Simmer
- Crackle kalonji, add paste, turmeric and water, slide in fish.
- Simmer gently covered. Use the gauge above.
- Finish with raw mustard oil and slit chillies.
Chef's troubleshooter
What went wrong? Pick the symptom
Why
Seeds ground dry or boiled hard.
Fix next time
Soak, grind with salt, simmer gently.
Why
Stirred.
Fix next time
Swirl the pan instead of stirring.
Why
No raw oil.
Fix next time
Finish with raw mustard oil.
Why
Coarse paste.
Fix next time
Grind finer.
Swap smart
Ingredient roles and substitutes
| Ingredient | Job in the dish | Swap with |
|---|---|---|
| Hilsa | Main | Salmon, shad or rohu steaks |
| Mustard seeds | Sauce | Wholegrain mustard paste, less amount |
| Mustard oil | Signature | No real substitute |
| Green chillies | Heat | Less for mild |
After the meal
Serve, store, reheat
Serve with
Steamed rice.
Store
Fridge 2 days.
Reheat
Gently, covered, without stirring.
How we tested this recipe
Tested in a home kitchen, not a studio
Recipe developed and tested by Farwa Zeeshan, who cooks and tests every NineFoods recipe on a regular home stove.
- Cooked from start to finish with the exact quantities above for 4 servings, using both the metric and US cup measures.
- Every one of the 3 stages was timed at the stove; heat levels and the 'look for' cues are what we saw in the pan.
- The doneness check (is the sauce right) and the troubleshooter come from batches that went wrong, and how we fixed them.
- Reheating and storage advice was checked on leftovers, not guessed.
Keep cooking
Related recipes and guides
Quick answers
Shorshe Ilish FAQ
What is shorshe ilish?
Hilsa fish cooked in mustard sauce, a Bengali classic.
Why is my mustard sauce bitter?
The seeds were ground dry or boiled too hard.
Can I use salmon?
Yes, salmon is the closest easy substitute.
Can it be steamed?
Yes, bhapa ilish is steamed in a covered tin.