Fish Fry

Mmm! My once-beloved once called this dish "a shocking waste of good bass". I was horrified at his philistinesque dismissal of this Bengali snack-to-formal meals all-round champion, without even trying it first. But things evened out when I came home that summer, and offered to introduce my parents to his way of cooking bass. My father stared at me in appalled silence, and my mother sternly pronounced it a shocking waste of good bass, rendering a delicious fish with such flavour-potential bland and inedible. So now I consider the two culinary cultures quits :-)

Therefore, without further ado:

Marinade: pasted garlic, ginger, green chilies and one small red onion; chopped coriander leaves/cilantro; a quarter teaspoon powdered sugar; half a teaspoon salt and ground black pepper. Leave the bhetki/bass fillets in these for a couple of hours (or more). Break an egg over this (pic from the very similar chingrir cutlet recipe) and mix thoroughly. Coat them lightly in breadcrumbs and deep fry.

 

 

Fish-fry, pea polau, salad.

The salad:
There's one, no-frills, basic accompaniment salad I've had all my life, and it's delicious. And it takes a second to make. Slice red onions, cucumbers and tomatoes. Squeeze lemon juice over it right before serving. Sprinkle with salt. This is a perfect accompaniment to our various fried protein, like the prawn cutlet. And of course, the fish fry.

 Or, of course, you could opt for the tangy dip. In this case, the tomato-amshotto-cashew-sultana chutney :-)

 

(Previous pujo-food posts: chingrir cutlet, pea polau, mocha r ghonto, kosha mangsho)