Ilish Sorse Jhaal

This post was long pending. Cooked the Ilish, shooed everyone away while clicking pictures, had a sumptuous meal, uploaded the pic on my food group..but never really got down to writing up the recipe. Not that the recipe is anything difficult. This is a simple dish prepared in all Bengali households.
 What is not simple is the Ilish..or rather the procurement of the fish. First of all it is a seasonal fish. You only get it for a few months. Then they are costly..really really costly. You can expect the price to start from around 1200 Rs per kg. It is worth its weight in gold.
 Then comes the hardest part. The division. Who gets which portion. There is always a fight for the middle portion with that triangular shape. No one wants to land up with the tail part. This is a very very bony fish and requires a lot of expertise to eat without hurting yourself. And the tail part has the maximum number of bones. A barter system then starts. The one who volunteers to finish the tail part can demand what he or she wishes. My husband has a simple rule. “you want me to finish the tail then along with it I should get the choicest portion..or no deal”. And he ends up like a happy Cheshire polishing off two portions of the Ilish.


Ingredients

5 pieces of Ilish
3 tbsp black mustard
2 tbsp yellow mustard
2 green chillies
1 tomato, sliced
1 potato, cut into wedges
1 tsp kalonji/nigella
1 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste
3 tbsp mustard oil

Toss the Ilish in some salt and turmeric and keep aside. Soak the two mustard seeds in lukewarm water for some time. Grind the seeds to a paste adding a pinch of salt while grinding. This will ensure that the paste is not bitter.
Heat the mustard oil to smoking point. Lower heat and fry the fish on both sides. Keep aside. Add the green chillies and kalonji to the oil. Add the potato pieces. Saute for a minute. Add the tomato, cover and cook till the tomato is mushy. Add the mustard paste, salt and turmeric. Cook till oil starts leaving the sides. Add ½ cup of water and bring to a boil. Add the fish pieces and cook till the potato is cooked. Drizzle some raw mustard oil on top.