Fish ranks almost as high as lamb for me when it comes to favourite curries. When I was 14 I started tutoring a little girl down the road twice a week. Her mother always made sure I ate before I left. They were Bangladeshi and fish was a regular part of their meals.
That household is where I fell in love with fish curries—something my mother rarely cooked. Up until then I had only known tilapia, cod and salmon. There were so many different fish at their table: different sizes, textures and flavours.
I bought this particular fish, called Pabda, from a Bangladeshi shop frozen in a block. I was intrigued but a little intimidated that it still had its head on. Eeeeeeeek!
Caught between curiosity and squeamishness, I pushed the Pabda to the back of my freezer for a while. Of course I could have cooked it with the head on, but I couldn’t bring myself to do that at first.
A few days ago a friend dropped by for dinner. I had planned a humble Pakistani daal chaawal, which is fine for an everyday meal but felt too ordinary for a guest who loves food. So out came the frozen Pabda.
Reluctantly I cut off the head and cleaned the innards. The process wasn’t nearly as horrible as I’d imagined—I didn’t faint—and now I know I can handle whole fish when the occasion calls for it. With that out of the way I was ready to cook.
‘Bhuna’ is a cooking method that traditionally reduces liquid on high heat with vigorous stirring. When cooking fish, constant stirring often makes the flesh fall apart, which is fine for something like fish keema but not for a whole fillet. That’s why I put quotes around ‘Bhuna’ in the title: I cooked the onions and tomatoes until most of their water had evaporated but they still retained some shape and texture, then gently added the Pabda and let it steam until just cooked.
My friend and I enjoyed this with tadka daal and a zesty salad. Pabda has a delicate, soft texture—its flesh peels away from the bone easily so fishing for bones (pun intended) isn’t a chore. It’s lovely with plain white basmati rice, and I can easily imagine it paired with a crispy naan.
Enjoy, with love x
📋 Recipe
Pabda Fish ‘Bhuna’
30 minutes
30 minutes
2
Print
Rate
Ingredients
-
½ lb
(250 g)
Pabda fish -
2
onions sliced thin and long -
4 cloves
garlic minced -
2
medium tomatoes chopped -
1 teaspoon
whole cumin seeds -
1 teaspoon
ground coriander powder -
1 teaspoon
Kashmiri red chilli powder -
½ teaspoon
red chilli flakes -
2 teaspoon
salt -
0.5 teaspoon
turmeric -
1
green chili for garnish - Fresh coriander for garnish
-
4 tablespoon
oil - Additional oil for frying the fish as needed
Instructions
-
Cut off the fish’s head at an angle and clean the innards with a sharp knife.
-
Rub the fish with 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp turmeric. Let it marinate in a colander for at least 30 minutes.
-
Fry the fish (shallow or deep) for 1–2 minutes in very hot oil. Set aside.
-
In a skillet large enough to hold the fish in a single layer, heat 3–4 tablespoons oil and add the sliced onions and minced garlic. Sauté until lightly brown.
-
Add the tomatoes and spices and sauté on high heat until the tomatoes begin to soften and release some liquid.
-
Arrange the fish in a single layer. Spoon some of the onion-tomato masala over the fish. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.
-
Garnish with chopped coriander and sliced green chilli. Serve immediately.
Notes
If you don’t have Kashmiri red chilli, substitute regular red chilli powder to taste.
This method works well with other fish, bone-in or boneless.
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