Hilsa is not just a fish: it is a name bound up with Bengali food culture and feeling. Whether at a festival, a holiday lunch, a meal for guests or a family feast, a table seems complete when there is hilsa on it. Cooked with mustard paste, in a thin curry or fried, the fish has a taste of its own.

But it is disappointing to pay a high price for hilsa at the market and then find, once it is cooked, that it does not taste as expected. Many people believe the bigger the hilsa, the better, and buy the largest fish they can see. Yet size alone is not a sound way to judge a hilsa. Its weight, build, freshness and where it came from all need to be considered.

For taste and ease of cooking, many people prefer a hilsa of about 1 to 1.5 kg. A fish of this size is usually mature enough and holds a good amount of natural oil and fat. During cooking that oil is released into the flesh, giving it a distinctive flavour and tenderness.

That does not mean a hilsa of more than one and a half kilograms tastes worse. Larger hilsa can also be delicious. How fresh the fish is, how it is built and whether it has been stored properly also have a big effect on the taste.

When buying hilsa, look beyond the weight. Check that the eyes are clear and bright, that the body is firm and shiny, and that the belly has not gone unusually soft. A fresh hilsa usually has a natural silvery sheen.

So next time, instead of looking only for the biggest hilsa at the market, choose a medium-sized, fresh and well-shaped fish.

A hilsa of about 1 to 1.5 kg can be an excellent choice for taste and cooking. In the end, though, the real flavour of a hilsa also depends on the freshness of the fish, its source, the season and the way it is cooked. The report drew on India Today.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.