Shorshe Bhetki or Fish in Mustard Sauce is an eternal favourite of the Bengali palate. A moderately spicy seafood curry of fresh fish, mustard paste, chopped tomatoes, whole green chillies and mustard oil that is deliciously pungent, quick and simple for every day.
Bengalis love their fish and they cannot do without mustard. Shorshe bata maach (fish with mustard) is richly infused with the deliciously pungent flavours of mustard paste and raw mustard oil.
Bengali Bhetki Maach aka the barramundi or Asian sea bass is known as koduva in Tamil, pandugappa in Telugu, kalaanji in Malayalam, chonak in Goa and Koral Machh in Bangladesh. Barramundi or Bhetki has a light flavour and is a popular table fish in Bengal.
Shorshe Bhetki Bengali Recipe:
Shorshe Bhetki Maach (Bengali fish curry with mustard) is a favourite dish in Bengal, prepared with pan fried fish in mustard paste with a generous drizzling of raw mustard oil.
How to make Bengai shorshe bhetki maach:
- For the bhetki maach in shorshe bata, firstly take 4 pieces of bhetki fish and wash thoroughly. Pat dry.
- Then sprinkle salt, turmeric and red chilli powder over the fish pieces and rub it in well. Leave aside for 10 minutes.
- Next take 2 tbsp of mustard powder in a bowl, add a pinch of salt and dilute with 2 tbsp water. Keep aside for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile chop the tomato and coriander leaves, slit the green chilli.
- Heat 2 tbsp oil in a frying pan on high heat. Once the oil starts to smoke, turn down the heat and carefully arrange the marinated fish in the pan.
- Fry the fish on medium heat till both sides turn a warm brown. Remove onto a plate and keep aside.
- Next add 1 tbsp oil to the same pan. Add the green chilli and nigella seeds.
- Once they start to splutter, tip in the chopped tomatoes and cook till they turn soft and the oil starts to ooze out.
- Season with turmeric and red chilli powder and mix well.
- Then pour in the mustard paste and stir well.
- Bring to a boil on medium-high heat. Cover with a lid and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes.
- Slide in the lightly fried fish and cook covered for about 10 minutes. Once the fish is cooked and the gravy thickens to the desired consistency, drizzle some raw mustard oil and gently mix the sarson maach (mustard fish).
- Lastly, garnish the mustard-based fish curry with chopped coriander leaves and remove.
- Serve Bengali Shorshe Bhetki with steamed rice, Mug Dal and brinjal fritters.
If you are looking for more Bengali fish recipes, then do try out Rui Macher Kalia and Mourola Fish Fry.
Bengali Mustard Fish Curry Recipe details below:
Shorshe Bhetki Recipe
Ingredients
For marination:
- Bhetki fish – 4 medium size pieces
- Turmeric – 1/2 tsp
- Salt – 1/2 tsp
- Red chilli powder – 1/2 tsp
- Oil – 2tbsp
For the gravy:
- Mustard powder – 2 tbsp
- Kala jeera/Nigella seeds – 1/4 tsp
- Green chilli – 1, slit
- Tomato – 1 medium, finely chopped
- Turmeric – 1/4 tsp
- Chilli powder -1/8 tsp
- Salt – 1/2 tsp
- Water – 2 cups
- Oil – 1 tbsp
- Mustard oil – 1 tsp
- Coriander leaves – 1 tbsp, chopped
Instructions
- For the Bhetki shorshe bata, wash the fish pieces well and pat dry. Marinate the fish pieces with salt, turmeric and chilli powder and keep aside for 10 minutes.
- In a small bowl take a little mustard powder, add a pinch of salt and 2 tbsp of water and make a smooth paste. Set aside for about 10 minutes.
- Finely chop the tomato and coriander leaves. Slit the green chilli.
- Heat oil in a frying pan, arrange the marinated fish pieces on the pan and lightly fry them. Remove onto a plate and keep aside.
- Add some more oil to the frying pan. Splutter kala jeera and green chilli.
- Add the finely chopped tomato and cook till they turn mushy.
- Sprinkle haldi and chilli powder and stir well.
- Mix in the mustard paste.
- Add a dash of salt, 2 cups of water and bring the mustard curry a boil. Lower the heat, cover with a lid and simmer for about 5 minutes on medium heat.
- Gently slide the pan fried fish into the mustard gravy. Cover and cook for 10 minutes till the fish is done and the gravy thickens.
- Pour a little mustard oil on the fish curry and mix it in gently.
- Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and remove mustard fish curry on to a serving bowl.
- Serve Fish in Mustard Gravy with steamed rice and dal.
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