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Come monsoon, Bengali cuisine gets a lease of new life with the many different regional renditions of hilsa fish or ‘ilish’. This fish is prized in Eastern India and Bangladesh as it migrates considerable distances upstream to breed in freshwater rivers and also offer a unique flavour.
This fish is celebrated for its rich, oily texture and its natural juices ensure no hilsa recipe is dry. Despite its standout flavour, hilsa is notorious for its numerous small bones, which require careful handling during preparation; at times hilsa bones can be too fine to be visible easily which is why it’s largely remained a local delicacy.
Although you can ask your vendors to clean your hilsa for you, if you’re ordering it in online or are buying it from the neighbourhood bazaar, you can easily prep hilsa at home. You only need a sharp filleting knife, kitchen scissors and some lime.
Begin by rinsing the hilsa fish under cold running water. This helps to remove any surface slime and debris. Make sure to handle the fish gently to avoid damaging its delicate flesh. Using the back of a knife or a fish scaler, remove the scales from the fish. Start from the tail and work your way towards the head. Be thorough but gentle to ensure you don't cut into the flesh. Rinse the fish again to wash away the loosened scales.
Using kitchen scissors, cut off the fins of the fish and carefully snip them off, taking care not to cut into the body of the fish. Remember, cleaning the fish may seem tricky. But cutting hilsa into longer, barfi-like pieces can make sure you get meaty cuts.
Place the fish on the cutting board with its belly facing up. Using a sharp filleting knife, make a shallow incision from the vent (near the tail) up to the gills. Be careful not to cut too deeply to avoid piercing the internal organs.
Carefully open the fish along the incision and use your fingers or a spoon to remove the internal organs. Discard the organs into the waste bowl. Rinse the inside of the fish cavity under cold running water to remove any remaining blood and debris.
Depending on your recipe, you may choose to remove the head and tail of the hilsa fish. Using a sharp knife, cut off the head just behind the gills. Similarly, remove the tail if desired. Some traditional recipes, however, use the whole fish, including the head and tail.
Cutting the Fish into Pieces
Hilsa fish can be cut into steaks, fillets, or left whole, depending on your recipe. Steaks are the most common cut for hilsa, especially in Bengali cuisine.
To cut the fish into steaks, place the cleaned fish on the cutting board with its belly facing you. Make sure the fish is stable and doesn't slip around. Using kitchen scissors, cut off the dorsal, pectoral, pelvic and caudal fins. This step is optional but recommended for easier handling.
Hilsa fish is typically cut into 1-2 inch thick steaks. Visualize or lightly mark the cutting points along the fish's body. Starting from the tail end, make the first cut perpendicular to the body, ensuring the knife goes through the flesh and the bones. Use a rocking motion with the knife to cut cleanly through the bones.
Continue making cuts at regular intervals (about 1-2 inches apart) along the length of the fish. Ensure each piece is of uniform thickness for even cooking. Handle the fish pieces gently to avoid breaking the delicate flesh.
