Hilsa (ilish)

The story

Few foods mean as much to Bangladesh as ilish. The hilsa (Tenualosa ilisha) is a silvery, oily relative of the herring that lives in the Bay of Bengal and swims up into fresh water to spawn. Each year shoals push into the estuaries and up the Meghna, the Padma and their branches, and the fishing boats of Chandpur, Bhola, Barishal, Patuakhali and the coast follow them. The monsoon months bring the main catch, and the fish taken in the rivers at that time, full of fat before spawning, are the ones people talk about most. Bangladesh lands the larger share of the world's hilsa, and in 2017 it registered hilsa as a geographical indication.

Where a hilsa was caught is a matter of fierce local pride. Chandpur, where the Padma meets the Meghna, calls itself the home of hilsa, and its fish ghat is a famous place to see the catch come in. Many people say river fish taste richer and finer than sea fish, and the Padma versus Meghna debate never quite ends. The honest answer is that freshness, size and season matter at least as much as the river.

Hilsa stocks fell badly in the past through overfishing of young fish and damage to rivers, and the government now protects them with seasonal bans. Catching jatka, the juvenile hilsa, is banned for about eight months each year, from late autumn to early summer, and for about three weeks in October, around the main spawning peak, catching, transporting, storing and selling hilsa is banned across the country. Some river stretches are closed as sanctuaries in early spring, and all fishing in the Bay of Bengal stops for about two months before the monsoon. The exact dates are announced each year, so check the current notice. Fishers receive rice support during the bans, which are credited with a strong recovery in the catch, although landings have dipped again in recent years.

How to spot the real Hilsa (ilish)

A fresh hilsa shines bright silver with a faint pink, gold or violet sheen, and the scales are firmly attached. The eyes should be clear and slightly bulging, not sunken or cloudy, and the gills bright red, not brown. Press the body: it should feel firm and spring back. The smell is clean and slightly sweet, never sour. River fish tend to be broader and deeper-bodied with a rounder belly, while sea hilsa are often slimmer and longer, though this is a rule of thumb rather than a test. A fish sold as fresh during the October ban is a warning sign. Frozen hilsa is sold all year and can be good if it was frozen quickly, but it should be labelled as frozen.

Buying tips

Price depends mainly on size, with fish of a kilogram or more fetching a clear premium, then on whether it is river or sea fish, how fresh it is and the time of year. Ask the seller where and when the fish was caught, whether it is fresh or frozen, how it will be packed with ice or kept frozen on the way, and how long delivery will take. Salted nona ilish, a speciality of the Chattogram and Noakhali coast, is a separate product: ask how it was cured and how long it keeps.

Each shop on Midmart sets and charges its own delivery, so hilsa from one seller and shutki from another come as two parcels with two charges. Midmart does not handle payment or delivery; you agree both directly with the seller. For a perishable fish, short delivery distance and proper icing matter more than anything else.

Keeping it fresh

Cook fresh hilsa the same day if you can, or keep it on ice in the fridge for no more than a day. To freeze, clean and cut it into pieces, pat them dry and seal them in airtight bags with as little air as possible; frozen hilsa keeps for a few months but slowly loses its flavour. Thaw it in the fridge, not on the counter, and do not refreeze it.

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