ILISH MACH BHAJA / FRIED HILSA

Ilish /Hilsa, somewhat similar to the Shad fish is our religion when it comes to food. Our Community is a fish loving one, Ilish and Prawns featuring on the top. As of me, I perhaps can have Ilish everyday, at every meal. Though it's skyrocketing price does not allow us to do that. In fact, Hilsa fish & mutton prices started going up and out of reach of the middle class Bengalis from the 70's. However, we fail to resist ourselves when we see this silvery beauty in the market. It is recommended that we buy an  ilish weighing more than a kilogram to get the best taste. Back home, they say it has really become a pinch in the pocket to get a good quality, big one. What was a weekend pleasure during the monsoon has become an occasional one these days for us. In particular, I hail from a humble family that bought the freshest of the Hilsa just below a kilogram of weight, say 800-900 kilogram and that few days in the season. There is a difference between the price of a Hilsa weighing 1 kg & above and below it. We were just fine this way, the sky did not break on our head. But both my brother and I love food, explore food and spend on food these days. This fried Hilsa or Ilish Bhaja we love to the hilt. If it is a good quality fish, it releases it's own oil. It is with this oil we love to have piping hot steamed rice accompanied by a green chilli and the fried ilish or Ilish Baja. On my husband's side of the family, if it is Ilish, the lunch will be a two-course one with Ilish Mach Bhaja and it's curry and nothing else they would prefer. They tended to buy big, classy Hilsa. Our son is a less of a Bengali who loves salmon, baked fish fillets, however loves Hilsa fish eggs, fried. Let us prepare this super simple and quick Ilish Bhaja and enjoy with steamed rice.

INGREDIENTS :

Ilish / Hilsa Pieces : 4
Salt : As Required
Turmeric : 1/2 tsp
Mustard Oil : 2 tbsp [the fish itself releases oil]

METHOD :

Clean and wash the fish pieces very well. Apply salt and turmeric and keep aside for 10 minutes.

Heat the oil in a wok. Add 2 fish pieces at a time. Fry at low heat each side 4-5 minutes. They need to be crispy fried.

Reserve the oil to have with piping hot steamed rice, with a green chilli, a dash of salt and a crispy fried hilsa piece.