Then, when I was writing my cookbook – Taste of Eastern India, I came across a Bangladeshi store close by. For several years after that, I pretty much stopped making fish curries Bengali style. After I moved to US, I had prepared this exact curry using salmon few years back. Growing up, I never liked macher jhol (fish curry) and that could be because I was bored of eating it every other day. KEY POINT to remember is to not overcook the salmon or else, it will turn rubbery and definitely not tasty. Just a simple pan fry before adding to the gravy. When preparing Macher Jhol with Salmon, you don’t need to deep-fry the fish fillets. The fish is deep fried before adding it to the gravy.
It is a species of fish from carp family. Traditionally, this fish curry recipe is prepared using Rohu fish (rui mach). In Bengal, you would use a local carp called rohu in this recipe, but using a filleted meaty white fish in its place such as cod or halibut works just as well.
If you absolutely don’t want to use it, you can use your choice of vegetable oil instead.Īs you can see from the list of ingredients, this Macher Jhol is extremely simple and very mildly spiced. Mustard oil gives a lovely pungent flavor. Like most Bengali fish curries, this too is prepared in mustard oil. So, if you want it spicier, definitely chop the green chilies and sauté it with onion in the beginning of the cooking. I throw these whole just for flavor and because our kid is still not into spicy food. Salt and sugar for seasoning.įresh Green Chili – Almost every Bengali fish curry calls for fresh green chili. Salt, Sugar and Turmeric – Turmeric will add the gorgeous yellow color. This is definitely quite easily available in most Indian stores, but you can also get it online. Finding this spice can be a little tricky as it often gets confused with black sesame seeds, onion seeds or black cumin. In this fish bhuna, dorade steaks are seasoned with bright turmeric and fruity Kashmiri. This spice has a mild bitter taste, a gorgeous pungent flavor that completely rules the flavor of the curry. Bhuna is the term used for a thick and paste-like South Asian curry. Nigella Seeds – The only spice that goes in this fish curry and you absolutely cannot substitute this spice. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat cook the fish in the oiled skillet until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Tomatoes – Juicy red tomatoes and you should not replace it with canned tomato puree. Take a broad frying pan and heat mustard oil till smoking point, reduce the heat and gently lower the fish into the oil. Bring the tomatoes, cumin, turmeric, salt, and water to a boil in a four quart saucepan reduce heat to medium and maintain a simmer. Onion – I would suggest red onion because that goes very well with macher jhol.
Salmon Fillets – I used skinless but you can use fillet with skin on too. You will need very few ingredients to prepare this macher jhol with salmon curry. What ingredient goes in Macher Jhol with Salmon Not to mention this salmon curry is really easy and quick! But you can prepare the exact same dish with salmon and it’s delicious. Typically, Bengali fish curries are prepared with fresh lake water fish, which is not easily available everywhere.