Fish for Bengalis are like steaks for Americans. Am I sounding arrogant, sorry if so. We know many recipes with fish except fry,blackened and/or grilled. This is a traditional recipe which my mom learnt from her mom, and she learnt from her mom and so on…
Fishes in Bengal are quite different than here. Our fishes comes from salt water(sea) and sweet water(ponds and river) – so they taste very much different than tilapia, cod or salmon. When we were kid, we always thought of ghosts clad in white saree, are crunching the fish head.
When I was growing up, I never ever liked fish. When dad always bring fresh fish from fishwives(mechuni) and mom cuts it with her traditional cutting instrument(which is called “bonti”). I always passed that area closing my nose and told Mom to take shower after cutting fish. Fishy smell pushed me away from devouring it. When I started going to undergrad, story changed a bit – I started liking the fish curry and potatoes in it. Still I did not like fish. I had a relative who used to say -“You are going to be in lot of trouble, when you will go to in law’s home. Because they will force you to eat and you can’t say NO!” No, my in laws don’t force me to eat sea food 😉 .
But I was not total failure as a bengali, I liked Shrimp, Hilsha and Bhetki, Topsey. But this story started to change drastically when I moved to the States in 2010. I tried tilapia fillet first time in Buffalo at Mohan Kaka’s home. I not only loved it. I finished it within 5 minutes. Since then, I eat fish almost everyday. I prefer Tilapia, Salmon, Cod, Mahi Mahi – but I don’t know if I go back to India, if I will like Rohu, Katla.
Mom used to say numerous benefits of eating fish includes sharpening of brain, loosing weight. Fish is expected to be very low in fat and high in protein. Not only it protects your heart, but also lowers blood pressure. Fish is the major sources of healthful long-chain omega-3 fats and also vitamin D and selenium.
This recipe has been published by a leading US daily – Boston Globe. Here is the link to the page.
Recipe for Fish in Mustard Sauce
- 2 pounds firm-fleshed fish such as salmon, swordfish, mahi-mahi, cut into 4-inch pieces
- 2 teaspoons turmeric
- salt to taste
- 1 teaspoon black mustard, dry grind
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard, dry grind
- 1 teaspoon poppy seeds, dry grind
- 3 green chiles, 1 left whole, 1 halved lengthwise, and 1 seeded and slivered thinly
- 1/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 medium onion, quartered
- 1 piece (1 1/2 inches) fresh ginger, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
- 1 tablespoon sunflower/vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon mustard oil – recommended
- In a bowl, combine the fish, 1 teaspoon of the turmeric, and the salt.
- In a coffee grinder or a spice grinder, combine the black and yellow mustard seeds and poppy seeds. Grind them until smooth. Transfer to a bowl.
- In a food processor, combine 1 green chile, the coconut, and water. Work the mixture until it is a paste. Transfer to a bowl. Add 1/2 teaspoon turmeric and generous pinch of salt.
- In the food processor, work the onion and ginger to a rough paste. Transfer to a bowl. Stir in the yogurt, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric, and generous pinch of salt.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the mustard or sunflower oil. Add the fish and cook for 3 to 5 minutes until the fish turns opaque. Add the halved green chile. Continue cooking for 30 seconds. Add the mustard paste, onion paste, and mustard oil, if using.
- Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 7 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking for 2 minutes or until the fish is cooked through. Garnish with slivered chiles and serve with rice.
