(From left) Musicians Tanmoy Bose and Purbayan Chatterjee at the Hilsa festival launch; (below) Shorshey Ilish. Pictures by Rashbehari Das

The drop in hilsa flow this monsoon may be a blow for fish-lovers, but now there’s reason for cheer. Oh! Calcutta is putting together a hilsa festival where you’d be spoilt for choice.

On till August 15, the festival at the Bengali restaurant’s Forum and Silver Arcade outlets will dish out traditional as well as innovative recipes of ilish fry, bhapa and jhol.

If picking bones is what keeps you away, try the boneless variations — Kamalar Ilish, Char-grilled Hilsa with cheese and herbs, Smoked Hilsa, Kumro Pata Aam Acharer Ilish (hilsa in mango pickle) and Basil Pata Diye Bhapa Ilish (steamed hilsa with basil).

“We made sure we had boneless items for non-Bengalis who can’t enjoy the silver fish because of its bones. Moreover, this time we tried experimenting with new herbs and present ilish in new avatars,” said chef Rajesh Dubey.

Experiments to introduce new dishes were on for the past two months, with a lot of research on developing the various sauces before introducing them at the festival.

If you have a sweet tooth, try the Kamalar Ilish where the fish is cooked with chilli flakes and orange juice. The dish has a tangy-sweet flavour, a perfect combo. Char-grilled Hilsa, with cheese and herbs, makes for a light meal.

“Being a kaath Bangal, ilish is an integral part of my life. As a musician, we create a lot of fusion melody. Similarly, the chefs have tried to create fusion ilish dishes! My favourites are bhapa, shorshey ilish and ilish pulao,” said percussionist Tanmoy Bose who, along with sitar player Purbayan Chatterjee, was the first to taste the delicacies. “Youngsters who can’t cook these delicacies at home will enjoy the festival a lot,” added Purbayan, who swears by ilish bhaja.

The menu includes Aam Tel Ilish Lau Bhate, Shorshey Ilish, Ilish Bhaja, Ilisher Jhol and Bhapa Ilish.

A meal for two would cost Rs 1,400 (plus taxes).

Sneha Dutta