One Pot Bengali Mustard Salmon – Shorshe Salmon
A few weeks ago, I revisited a comforting and classic dish. I made a very slight difference. I pan fried the salmon, and then made the mustard sauce in the same pan. A large cast iron pan to be specific. Small tweaks offering me a Shorshe Salmon that is very flavorful and very easy to boot. For the first time ever I got my family to lap up the crisp skin of the fish. This is an adaptation of my recipe from The Bengali Five Spice Chronicles.
My Shorshe Salmon Story
To accomplish this whole process, outside of soaking the mustard and poppy seeds, the entire process takes about 30 minutes and you are left with one cast iron pan to clean. I use a flat pan, back in the day my grandmother used a karai or wok. Her karai were made of kansha or bell metal. For as long as she did her own cooking, she took great pride in cleaning these herself. Keeping them all nice and shiny.
I have swapped a lot of this for cast iron. A lot of this is related to the fact, that I have constructed my kitchen without family heirlooms for the most part. A lot of my cookware is based on what I can find readily. And of course, then there are new things that change life a lot. In my case, it is the instant pot. It is a fixture in my kitchen that has actually replaced my stove top cooker.
Notes on the name
Now, a note here. This recipe includes a mixture of poppy seeds and mustard seeds. There are many variations of the shorshe (mustard) maach (fish). Sometimes with just the mustard or shorshe. A little posto or poppy seeds is always a good idea. Other shorshe (mustard) dishes include steamed mustard salmon and mustard and yogurt shrimp.
Some tips and tricks
A couple of tips to pay attention to,
- Soaking the mustard and poppy seeds for a few hours. More does not hurt, so you can certainly do this overnight. If you are like me a lot of my meal prep happens at night.
- Use a large pan, and add the seasonings in batches.
- Do not not cook on high heat as the jhol or sauce will curdle.
One Pot Bengali Mustard Salmon – Shorshe Salmon
A simple and classic take on Bengali mustard fish, prepared with salmon and a mustard poppy seed paste.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup whole black mustard seeds
- 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
- 3 green chilies
- 2 teaspoons salt (divided)
- 2 pounds salmon fillet (skin on) cut into 2 inch pieces
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 2 tablespoons mustard oil
- 1 teaspoon nigella seeds
- 1 or 2 dried red chilies broken
- 2 teaspoons fresh ginger paste
- 1 small onion, very finely diced
Instructions
- Soak the black mustard seeds and poppy seeds in warm water for at least 3 hours.
- Place this in a blender with the green chilies and 1 teaspoon salt. Grind to a smooth paste. Do not overgrind as this will turn out bitter.
- Set the prepared paste aside.
- Rub the salmon with the remaining salt and turneric.
- Heat 1 tablespoon on the oil an a flat cast iron or heavy bottomed pan. Place the fish in a single layer, skin side up and cook for 4 minutes and turn and cook for 4 more minutes. Note, the fish when done should be fairly easy to turn.
- Remove the fish from the pan. Salmon is a naturally oily fish, but the fat is good for you. So add the additional tablespoon of oil into the pan with the pan drippings.
- Add in the nigella seeds and the dried red chilies. Add in the ginger paste and the onion and sauté well for a couple of minutes.
- Add in the prepared mustard paste with 1 cup of water and bring to a low simmer. It is important to cook on low heat from this point onwards.
- Add in the fish and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, the sauce should thicken slightly. Serve at once with steaming white rice.
