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Bangladeshi · Bengali

Shorshe maach

Non-vegetarian

সর্ষে মাছ · shorshe maach

Lightly fried fish simmered in a sharp, pungent sauce of freshly ground mustard seeds, green chillies and mustard oil — a defining flavour of Bengali cooking.

Shorshe maach is a Bangladeshi curry, ready in about 45 minutes and made with hilsa, mustard seeds and mustard oil. It serves 4 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking
Bengali mustard fish: pieces of catla fish in yellow mustard gravy in a white bowl
Photo: Pkd2512 / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
25 min
Cook
20 min
Total
45 min
Serves
4
Level
Intermediate
Calories
456

Ingredients

4 servings

For the fish

For the mustard paste

To cook

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Rub the fish with the turmeric (opens in a new tab) and salt and leave for 10 minutes while you make the paste.

    • 2 min

    Food safety: Keep raw fish chilled and wash hands and boards after handling.

  2. Step 2

    Drain the soaked mustard seeds (opens in a new tab) and grind them with the green chillies, salt and a splash of the water to a smooth paste. Stir in the rest of the water.

    Grind briefly in short bursts — over-grinding makes mustard bitter.

    Spices being ground in a mortar and pestle
    How it looks · Photo: https://kaboompics.com/ on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Heat the mustard oil (opens in a new tab) in a frying pan until it just starts to smoke, then reduce the heat. Fry the fish for about 1½ minutes per side until lightly golden; lift out.

    Food safety: Hot oil spits when the fish goes in; lower the pieces in away from you.

  4. Step 4

    Pour the mustard mixture into the same pan with the slit chillies and bring to a gentle simmer. Return the fish and cook, spooning the sauce over, until the fish flakes easily.

    • 8 min
    • medium-low heat

    Food safety: Fish is done when the flesh is opaque and flakes easily (63 °C / 145 °F).

    A curry simmering in a pot
    How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels

  5. Step 5

    Drizzle over a little extra raw mustard oil (opens in a new tab) if you like, scatter with coriander and serve with plain rice.

    • 1 min
    Fresh herbs scattered over a finished dish
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Bengal (Bangladesh and West Bengal, India) · Commonly attributedMustard-based fish dishes are central to the cooking of the whole Bengal region. Hilsa (ilish) is the classic fish; this version uses any firm white fish.Also popular in Bangladesh, India
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Curries · Main courses
Cooking method
Shallow-fried, Simmered, Marinated / cured
Taste
spicy (chilli heat), bitter, savoury, aromatic / warmly spiced
Diet
Pescatarian · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Keto-style · Low-carb · High-protein
All labelsPescatarian · Non-vegetarian · Whole-food focused · Paleo-style · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Keto-style · Low-carb · High-protein · Calorie-conscious
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
One-pan
Cook more with
Mustard seeds · Mustard oil · Turmeric · Green chilli
Techniques
Shallow-frying · Simmering · Marinating · Curing

Allergens

  • Contains: Fishfrom hilsa
  • Contains: Mustardfrom mustard seeds, mustard oil

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

456 kcal per serving

Estimated

1 serving ≈ 232 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 24%
  • Carbohydrate 3%
  • Fat 73%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy456 kcal196 kcal
Protein27.4 g11.8 g
Carbohydrate3.3 g1.4 g
Net carbohydrate2.1 g0.9 g
Sugars——
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre1.1 g0.5 g
Fat36.7 g15.8 g
Saturated fat6.4 g2.8 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol——
Sodium808 mg348 mg
Salt equivalent2 g0.9 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
672 mg
Calcium
97 mg
Iron
2.6 mg
Magnesium
75 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
53 µg
Vitamin C
22 mg
Vitamin D
—
Vitamin B12
0.2 µg
Folate (DFE)
36 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: coriander leaves.
  • Hilsa: Raw American shad used as a stand-in; hilsa (Tenualosa ilisha) is a closely related, similarly oily shad.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Let the mustard sauce simmer only gently — boiling hard makes it bitter.

Common mistakes

  • Using only black mustard seeds, which can be harsh; mixing with yellow seeds softens the bite.

Serve with

  • Serve with steamed white rice.

Storage

  • Best eaten the same day; keeps 1 day refrigerated.

Reheating

  • Reheat gently, covered, without boiling.

Variations

  • Shorshe rui (India): Made with rohu, the everyday freshwater carp; bhetki is also used.
  • Bhapa maach (India): The fish is coated in mustard paste and steamed in a covered dish.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

For the fish

Used in step 1

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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