Hilsa Fish Fried in Curry Condiments

Hilsa Fish Fried in Curry Condiments is a traditional Anglo-Indian recipe from the 1860s for a classic dish of hilsa fish cut into steaks, marinated in curry spices and then fried in mustard oil. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Anglo-Indian version of: Hilsa Fish Fried in Curry Condiments.

prep time

10 minutes

cook time

30 minutes

Total Time:

40 minutes

Serves:

Rating:

Tags : Curry Spice Recipes Fusion Recipes British Recipes

This is a traditional Anglo-Indian recipe redacted from the volume THE INDIAN COOKERY BOOK: A Practical Handbook to The Kitchen in India (author unknown), published by: WYMAN & CO., HARE STREET CALCUTTA circa 1869.

Original Recipe

70.–Sliced Hilsa Fish Fried in Curry Condiments

Take two tspfuls of ground onions, one tspful of ground chillies, two tspfuls of salt,
half a tspful of ground turmeric, a quarter of a tspful of ground garlic, and one chittack
of mustard oil.

After slicing a hilsa in the manner directed for a curry, and having thoroughly cleaned and washed it with salt, rub into the slices all the ground condiments and the remaining salt, and allow them to remain for at least an hour. Warm the oil, and fry the slices of fish of a very light and bright brown. Serve up hot.

Modern Redaction

Hilsa, also known as Ilish (Tenualosa ilisha) is an anadromous fish, living most of its life in the sea and spawning in fresh water. This oily fish is a classic ingredient in Bengali cuisine, though the bony nature of the fish means it needs some dexterity in its eating. Substitute tilapia or similar in the recipe below.

Ingredients

2 large hilsa (or tilapia), cleaned by the gills then cut into thick steaks
2 tsp onions, ground to a paste
1 tsp ground chillies
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp ground garlic
90ml mustard oil

Method:

Pat the fish steaks dry. Combine the spices and salt in a bowl then rub this all over the fish steaks. Set aside to marinate for 60 minutes in the refrigerator.

When ready to cook, heat the mustard oil in a frying pan, add the fish steaks and fry for about 6 minutes per side, or until nicely browned and crisped on the outside and cooked through. Serve hot.