Shorshe ilish: hilsa in mustard sauce
Hilsa in a Bengali-style sauce of mustard, mustard oil and green chilies, with nigella and a touch of turmeric.
Shorshe ilish is a Bangladeshi dish in which hilsa is cooked with mustard. Sources describe versions with optional aromatics and different sauce proportions; this version leaves out onion and coconut, keeping the focus on mustard and fish.
Method
- 01
Prepare and season the fish
Pat the hilsa steaks dry. Coat them with 2 tsp turmeric, 1 tsp fine salt and 2 tsp mustard oil; leave to rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, soak the yellow and black mustard seeds in the 120 ml water for 10 minutes.
10 min - 02
Make the mustard paste
Blend the soaked seeds with their soaking water, 4 green chilies, 1 tsp fine salt and 1 tsp sugar until smooth.
- 03
Infuse the oil and sear the fish
Heat the remaining 6 tsp mustard oil in a wide pan. Add the nigella seeds and let them crackle briefly. Stir in the remaining turmeric and red chili powder; add the steaks in a single layer and gently sear for 1–2 minutes on each side, turning them carefully.
5 min - 04
Add the sauce and finish cooking
Pour the mustard paste and the remaining 250 ml water around the fish. Add the remaining 2 green chilies, slit lengthwise. Cover and cook over medium-low heat for 15–20 minutes, gently moving the pan now and then, until the fish is cooked and the sauce coats the steaks.
18 min
Ingredients
Sources and review
Content researched, cross-checked and automatically validated. Sources consulted:
- Colocar de forma segura | Ministerio de Derechos Sociales, Consumo y Agenda 2030 www.dsca.gob.es/es/consumo/novedades/recomendaciones/recomendaciones-alimentarias/manipulaci…
- Conservación de Alimentos y Cadena del Frío 2026 manipulador-de-alimentos.com/lecciones/conservacion-y-almacenamiento/
- Por qué el Sáhara Occidental es una pieza clave para la seguridad alimentaria mundial doi.org/10.64628/aao.swhdr6qsf
- Combinaciones tiempo-temperatura para el cocinado seguro de los alimentos - ELIKA www.elika.eus/es/combinaciones-tiempo-temperatura-para-el-cocinado-seguro-de-los-alimentos/
- - YouTube www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tlC9wqAoWM
- Shorshe Ilish | Hilsa Fish In Spicy Mustard Sauce | Pohela Boishakh | Bangladeshi Recipe — The Spice Odyssey www.thespiceodyssey.com/eat/shorshe-ilish
- Shorshe Ilish (Hilsa in Mustard) - Experiences of a Gastronomad experiencesofagastronomad.com/shorshe-ilish-hilsa-in-mustard-recipe/
- Shorshe Ilish (Hilsa in Mustard) Authentic Recipe — Zaffaron zaffaron.com/recipe/shorshe-ilish
- Cómo conservar los alimentos en verano | Blog | Iris Global www.irisglobal.es/comunicacion/blog/alimentos-verano
- Cómo conservar el pescado y el marisco de forma óptima www.instalacionesfrigorificasmonkfri.com/post/c%C3%B3mo-conservar-el-pescado-y-el-marisco-de…
- Pescado Hilsa de Bangladesh: Un plato tradicional www.remitly.com/blog/es/cultura-y-estilo-de-vida/platosnacional-guia-de-pescado-hilsa-plato-…
- Shorshe ilish - Wikipédia jv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shorshe_ilish
- Seguridad alimentaria: Almacenamiento | Cigna www.cigna.com/es-us/knowledge-center/hw/seguridad-alimentaria-te5049
- Shorshe Ilish — Bangladeshi Recipe | Recipe Roots www.foodways.recipes/dishes/bangladeshi/shorshe-ilish
- Shorshe Ilish (Hilsa in Mustard Gravy) – Delish Plating delishplating.wordpress.com/2021/08/18/shorshe-ilish-hilsa-in-mustard-gravy/
- ¿Cómo guardar las sobras de la comida para no intoxicarte? www.lavanguardia.com/comer/materia-prima/20220520/8280908/errores-debes-evitar-guardar-sobra…
State: Published after documentary validation; no “Tested” label is shown.