Mustard Catla Fish Curry Recipe

Packed with flavor and deliciousness, this Bengali-style mustard Catla fish curry is a must-try when you’re craving a bit of seafood. 

With the rustic, earthy flavor of the mustard sauce, and the tenderness of the Catla fish (aka south Asian carp), this mustard Catla fish curry is an iconic dish in Bengali cuisine. 

You might come across a lot of Indian fish curries, but what sets this one apart from the rest is the use of the fresh mustard paste, which lends the dish a unique flavor.

Jump to:

• Ingredients For the Recipe
• How to Make the Mustard Catla Fish Curry
• Tips & Tricks to Nail the Mustard Catla Fish Curry Recipe
• Mustard Catla Fish Curry Recipe

Whip it up on a weekend and take your taste buds for a ride! Ready to give it a shot? Read on to discover everything you need to know about the recipe. 

Ingredients For the Recipe

You’ll need three sets of ingredients to make the curry. 

For the fish 

• Catla Fish (or fish of your choice): 300 gms
• Turmeric powder: ½ tsp
• Red chili powder: ½ tsp
• Salt: 2 tbsp
• Oil: For deep frying

For the mustard paste

• Black mustard seeds: ¼ cup
• Garlic cloves: 5-6
• Dry red chilies: 5-6
• Green chilies: 2-3
• Water: As required

For the gravy

• Mustard oil: 1 tbsp
• Cumin seeds: 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder: ½ tsp
• Red chili powder: ½ tsp
• Prepared mustard paste
• Water: As required
• Prepared fish
• Lemon: 1 tbsp or as per taste
• Salt: 2 tsps or as per taste
• Coriander leaves (chopped): For garnish

How to Make the Mustard Catla Fish Curry

Got all your ingredients ready? Here’s how to make the curry from scratch. 

In a deep bottomed vessel, take the fish pieces and add the turmeric powder, salt, and curd. Marinate the fish properly. 

Let the fish rest for about 15-20 minutes. 

Next, heat oil in a vessel and deep fry the fish pieces. 

For the mustard paste, take a small bowl and add the ingredients mentioned under mustard paste. Add a little bit of water and keep it aside for 10 minutes. 

Add the above mixture to a blender and make a smooth paste. 

Once the fish pieces are fried and the paste is ready, it’s time to make the gravy. 

Heat oil in a pan. Add the cumin seeds and let them crackle. 

Next, add the turmeric powder and red chili powder and saute. 

Add the mustard paste next and saute. Keep sauteing until you can see the color change of the mustard. That should take around 8-10 minutes in slow to medium flame. 

Once the paste is well-cooked, add water to make a gravy. 

Once the water starts boiling, add the fried fish pieces. 

Let the mixture simmer for about 5 minutes. You can adjust the consistency as per your preference. 

Next, add salt as per taste and garnish with freshly chopped coriander. 

Serve hot with steamed rice. 

Can I Try This Recipe With Another Fish?

Yes, you can. If you don’t have Catla or just prefer using another fish, you could do that too. Asian sea bass, barramundi, tilapia, small catfish, baata fish, and rohu fish are all excellent choices you can opt for. They have a taste and texture that goes really well with the mustard curry base, which is exactly what you want. 

What Else Can I Add to the Mustard Catla Fish Curry?

This fish curry tastes best when it is made in the authentic Bengali way, but if you really want to go the extra mile, you can add some coconut flakes or a bit of coconut milk into the mix. This will balance out the intense flavor of the curry and give it a nice, creamy taste too. 

How Do I Store the Leftovers?

It is best to consume the mustard Catla fish curry as soon as you can for two reasons. One, mustard tends to ferment really quickly, which is why the paste will lose its flavor and texture if you store it for too long. Secondly, fish is a soft protein, and refrigerating and reheating it might cause it to fall apart and break down in the curry. 

If you must, transfer the curry to an airtight container and then refrigerate it. Also, remember to be careful not to stir the curry too much while reheating it. 

Tips & Tricks to Nail the Mustard Catla Fish Curry Recipe

Think you’ve got the recipe all covered? Don’t miss out on these super tips and tricks which will ensure that you nail the recipe. 

• Depending on your taste preference, you can use black or yellow mustard seeds to prepare the paste. Black mustard seeds are much more pungent, while the yellow variety has a mild taste. You can also use a combination of both to balance it out. 
• Soaking the black mustard seeds for a while in warm water will make the process of grinding them much easier. If you can, use a mortar and pestle to grind the mustard seeds. This will separate the outer ‘skin’ of the mustard seeds, which you can remove. This step will also keep your curry from getting bitter. 
• You can keep the mustard paste rough and grainy or grind it into a fine, smooth paste- it all depends on what you prefer. 
• Mustard oil, just like mustard seeds, has a strong, pungent taste and aroma. If you want to tone it down, you can heat the oil in a pan until it starts to smoke and then allow it to cool down before you actually use it for the recipe. 
• You can also add some yogurt into the mustard paste to mellow down the sharpness of the mustard paste. 
• Don’t have yogurt but still want your curry to have a bit more gravy? You can add some finely chopped or pureed tomatoes to the curry and allow it to simmer for a while. 

Serving Ideas & Suggestions

Ready with the mustard Catla fish curry? Top it with a generous sprinkle of chopped coriander or some Nigella seeds before you serve. 

The curry is ideally served with steaming hot Basmati rice (or lemon rice if you prefer something spicy) or chapatis, or both. 

If you’re making this as a part of a complete Indian meal, you can team it up with some Aloo Posto (Bengali poppy seed potatoes) and some jaggery Gavvalu to finish it up.