One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish… now Baked Fish!

Fish! My parents were raised on it since fish is the one thing that is overabundant in Bangladesh, in addition to rice, tea, and people. Whether it be itty-bitty fish turned into shutki (dried fish) or large catfish, there were always at least two to three fish dishes every day of the week. Something expensive like chicken or beef was bought when someone was coming to visit, but the one thing that always was on the table was some sort of fish. So you can only imagine how confused my parents were when they immigrated to the States in the early 2000s to find the opposite to be true here. Some of the fish they loved from Bangladesh they couldn’t even find and ones they could easily source like Rui (Rohu) or Ilish (Hilsa) were super expensive or looked so different from native breeds my Mom would say they were a different fish altogether. For those reasons my Brother and I grew up to be very picky around fish, we hated it for all the bones involved and felt like it smelled horrible and would always prefer having a chicken, turkey, or beef dish over it.

My Mom understood in many parts and adapted to it since she’d rather her kids eat something, even if it meant changing her diet habits. As we grew up and began to cook on our own, she started cooking fish more and more often for just her and my Father, while we made something separate like chicken coconut curry for ourselves. It wasn’t until a day when I got sick of making the same chicken, turkey, and beef rotation for my Brother and me that I felt like finally trying to cook and eat fish just to escape the plainness of our routine. My Mom went with me that day to our local fish market and decided that she would teach me how to pick out fish, just like how she had taught me everything else about cooking from which of our pans to use for what, which seasonings did what, how much she usually used, what oil to use, and everything else that comes with cooking. That’s not to say everything my Mom did is what I do now, I cook in some ways she disapproves of and I disapprove of some of the ways she cooks as well. We ended up picking fresh tilapia filets since the whole fishes were scaring me senseless with their cloudy beady eyes and floppy wet lips. You can use whatever fish you want though! 

The things you will need though at a minimum:

• Your Fish of Choice (I recommend skinless & bone-free)
• Lal Mirch (Lal Mirch)
• Jeera Powder (Cumin)
• Dhaniya Powder (Coriander)
• HoludPowder (Turmeric)
• Shorshe seeds (Mustard)
• Ginger & Garlic (Powder, Paste, Etc)
• Butter/Olive Oil

There aren’t any exact measurements for these ingredients since they’ve never been measured in my house, just half a cap or random spoonfuls. It’s kind of like a game of guess-check where you add or subtract things according to what you think is best, especially since this recipe is often modified based on the amount, type, or general taste of the fish. If you have no clue you can try and cheat a bit by asking Google the “common,” amount of seasoning suggested for your exact amount, but I think the best way to do this recipe justice as well as learn the art of cooking is to just try it out and use your intuition. 

Now do as follows:

1. Preheat your oven first to around 400° F.  (I find baking the best method for fish since you keep all the delicious juices in it + you’re less likely to burn the fish/seasonings on it! It’s also technically the most traditional since my Mom’s family usually used a tandoor which is an oven made of clay)
2. Next, find a tray or oven-safe container where you can bake your fish. You can line the tray with parchment paper or aluminum foil for a quick cleanup, but begin to add some olive oil/melted butter to the bottom of it to keep your fish from sticking to it.
3. Mix around a tablespoon of each powdered seasoning, and around 5 mustard seeds for each pound of fish you have in a bowl. Add a tablespoon of ginger/garlic paste (extra great if you made it yourself!), or otherwise around 1 tablespoon of garlic and ginger powders respectively. 
4. Now coat each filet of your fish on each side with the seasoning mix and a bit of water so it all sticks well on it. Lay out your fish so none of it touches each other on your tray.
5. Spray/Drizzle the top of all your fish with some melted butter or olive oil. You can optionally add some extra red chili powder for color and flavor or perhaps lemon slices.
6. Now leave it to cook for 8-10 minutes per inch of thickness of the filet in the oven. Serve over rice when done and enjoy!

I hope you’ll enjoy my semi-traditional Bengali fish recipe! Let it become yours and hopefully, it’ll taste wonderful!