National Dish Bangladesh: Shorshe Ilish (Recipe)
In this article
Shorshe Ilish is hilsa in mustard sauce, and it is the dish Bengalis argue about most. The mustard must be sharp enough to sting the nose. The fish must be ilish and not a substitute. Both halves of that are contested, and the arguing is part of the pleasure.
About Shorshe Ilish
Hilsa, ilish, is the national fish of Bangladesh and a fish people organise their year around. It runs up the Padma and Meghna rivers to spawn, and the monsoon catch is the one that matters. Cooked in a paste of ground mustard seed and green chilli, with turmeric and mustard oil, it makes the country’s best-known dish.
The fish is very bony and very oily. Both are considered features.
Ingredients (serves 1–2)
- 2 hilsa (ilish) fish fillets
- 3 tablespoons mustard (black mustard recommended)
- 2–3 green chillies
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- Salt to taste
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- Water as needed
Shopping for the ingredients
Frozen hilsa is sold in Bangladeshi and Indian grocers and is the only realistic option outside South Asia. Buy black or brown mustard seed rather than yellow, which is milder and misses the point. Mustard oil, if you can get it, is what the dish is properly cooked in and changes the character entirely.
Preparing the dish
Grind the mustard seeds with the green chillies and a pinch of salt into a paste with a little water. Let the paste stand for ten minutes, then taste it. If it is bitter rather than pungent, you ground it too long or too dry, and it is worth starting again. Rub the fish with turmeric and salt and leave it fifteen minutes.
Step-by-step instructions
- Heat the oil in a deep pan and gently lower in the marinated hilsa fillets.
- Fry the fillets until golden brown on both sides.
- Add the mustard-and-chilli paste and mix well so it coats the fish.
- Pour in water as needed to form a sauce, then bring everything to the boil.
- Reduce the heat and let the dish simmer for 10–15 minutes.
- Adjust the seasoning with a little extra salt to taste and serve.
Gluten-free / lactose-free version
Fish, mustard, chilli and turmeric contain neither gluten nor lactose. Served with plain rice, the whole meal is suitable without any change.
Tips for vegans and vegetarians
The mustard sauce is the interesting part and it works on other things. Aubergine slices, potato or paneer cooked the same way make shorshe begun and its relatives, which are real Bengali dishes rather than improvisations. Use mustard oil and keep the chilli.
More tips and tricks
Soak the mustard seeds for half an hour before grinding and add a pinch of salt and a green chilli to the grinder. All three suppress the bitterness that ruins most attempts at this dish. Heat mustard oil until it just smokes, then let it cool slightly before frying, which takes off its raw edge. And do not overcook the fish; ten minutes in the sauce is enough.
Adapting the recipe to your taste
Bhapa ilish, steamed rather than fried, is the other classic treatment and arguably the better one. Some cooks add poppy seed to the paste for body. Nigella seed in the oil at the start is common.
Ingredient substitutions
Mackerel and shad are the closest substitutes for hilsa in oiliness and texture, though no Bengali will accept them as equivalent. Ready-made Kashundi, Bengali fermented mustard sauce, saves the grinding. Any neutral oil works if mustard oil is unavailable.
Drink pairing ideas
Plain water is what this is drunk with. Green coconut water suits it. Cha, sweet milky tea, comes afterwards rather than during.
Serving and presentation ideas
Serve it over plain white rice with the sauce spooned around, and nothing else on the plate. Bengali meals are eaten in courses, and ilish comes after the vegetables and before the dal. Warn anyone unfamiliar about the bones.
A bit of history
Hilsa is bound up with Bengali identity on both sides of the border, and its price during the season is news. Bangladesh produces most of the world’s catch, and the government now enforces closed seasons to protect the spawning runs. The fish appears across Bangladeshi cuisine, from panta ilish eaten at Bengali New Year to the everyday ilish macher jhol.
More recipe ideas
Summary: Shorshe Ilish
Shorshe ilish is hilsa cooked in a paste of ground mustard and green chilli. Soak the seeds before grinding, add salt and chilli to the grinder to kill the bitterness, and keep the cooking short.
