STRAWBERRY INFUSED STEAMED ILISH

An old graffito that I read in a book of graffiti is more relevant today than ever before. Eat, drink and be merry (it said) — for tomorrow the prices go up. I have twisted that a bit to underline another phenomenon: Eat, drink and be merry — for tomorrow the hilsa dies.

Just the other day, an environmentally-anxious friend asked me what should be done about the disappearing hilsa. Eat them before they disappear altogether, I advised her. But make the most of the last hilsas by cooking them in innovative ways, I added.

This time every year, I write about the new ways of cooking hilsa. This is also the time that Bengali restaurants start their hilsa festivals and come up with all kinds of interesting dishes. We have gone through the gamut of recipes — from hilsa wrapped in bottle gourd leaves and hilsa biryani to even the Mediterranean harissa hilsa.

This time I thought we could be a little different. I was talking to Anjan Chatterjee of Oh! Calcutta and asked him how the fish would work with Western sauces. Chatterjee, who spends quite a bit of his time in the kitchens of his various restaurants, was most enthusiastic. His main chef at Oh! Calcutta, Subir Kumar Deb, pitched in — and the result was awesome.

Have you ever eaten steamed strawberry-infused hilsa? I had some of it the other day, and found it most interesting. Fillets of the fish had been marinated with the usual masalas, and then the chefs had prepared strawberry oil by sautéing fresh strawberry slices in oil with lemon juice and salt on low flame. This oil was mixed with hung curd, green chilli paste and chopped strawberries. Then the fish was again marinated in this sauce — and finally steamed wrapped in a banana leaf.

KAMLA ILISH

The chef also does an excellent orange hilsa — which he cooks with a bit of Cointreau, orange oil and orange rinds. The sharp flavour of the hilsa goes well with the tanginess of the orange. Chef Subir tells me that when oranges are fresh, the taste is even more delightful. I can believe that.

What I can also believe is the intense work that goes into these recipes. I asked the chef how he zeroes in on his ingredients. Why, for instance, did he use orange and not, say, gooseberries? The chef’s eyes widened. Next year, I have a feeling that he’s going to try out a sauce with gooseberries (called rasbhari in the North and tanpari in the East) to go with the hilsa.

But it’s clear that every step of a new recipe is carefully vetted when it’s being tried out. Chef Subir says that Chatterjee is not just an enthusiastic participant but keeps coming up with new ideas. Not surprisingly, the team has evolved some interesting recipes which they plan to introduce when they have their hilsa festival this year. Two of the dishes are cooked with herbs such as basil leaves and oregano.

HARISSA ILISH

For each recipe, several tests are conducted. In fact, chef Subir says that work for next year’s hilsa will start sometime in September this year. It’s only after a series of trials — keeping in mind such diverse factors as the texture and flavour of the fish, the aromas and tastes of the sauces and the marinades and the disparate palates of the hilsa lovers as well as the hilsa virgins — are the dishes finally chosen.

It never fails to amaze me that a few years ago, I was a hilsa virgin too. My family loved the fish, but I kept it an arm’s length because I was certain I could never navigate the bones. I broke the taboo with a less bony piece (from the stomach of the fish) which had been steamed in a mustard paste. Now even though I am not a hilsa fiend I am quite an aficionado. But unlike the purists who like their hilsa to be prepared either with mustard or with cumin seeds and green chillies, I enjoy all the new ways the fish is now cooked in.

Some years from now, when little children ask me if there was really a fish called hilsa, I know what I’ll tell them. Yes — and how!        

Chargrilled hilsa with cheese and herbs (serves 1-2)

Ingredients

• 2 hilsa fillets (about 500g) • 1 tsp oregano oil • 10g green chilli paste

• 40ml oregano oil • 20ml lime juice • 5g kashundi lsalt and sugar to taste

For the sauce:

• 10g grated cheese • 50ml milk • 15ml cream • 2g oregano powder

Method:

Marinate the fillets with salt, lime juice, kashundi, oregano powder, oregano oil and chilli paste. Keep aside for 15 minutes. Grease a tray with oil and place the fillets on it. Grill in an oven for 20 minutes. Remove and cool, and de-bone if you wish to. Prepare the sauce by pouring milk into a pan. Bring to a gentle boil. Add the grated cheese and blend in. Add cream and oregano powder. Season, and mix well. Reduce the sauce. Place a fish portion at the centre of a dinner plate. Pour the sauce over it. Lightly gratinate in a salamander. Serve hot.