Baby shark cooked in a thin, spicy gravy with mustard oil, garlic and green chilies. A coastal specialty of Cox's Bazar and the southern coast, where shark is abundant.
Shark curry is a coastal specialty of Cox's Bazar and the Chittagong southern coast, where small shark (mystus or baby shark) is caught by the fishing fleet and sold fresh in the coastal markets. The shark meat is firm and boneless (the cartilage softens during cooking), with a mild, slightly sweet flavour that takes well to the assertive spices of Bengali coastal cooking. The curry is a thin, spicy gravy made with mustard oil, garlic paste, onion, turmeric, green chilies and a little tamarind for tang. The shark is simmered briefly (15 to 20 minutes), as overcooking makes it tough. Eaten with rice, the dish is everyday food in the coastal fishing communities, and it is rarely found inland.
Firm, boneless pieces of mild shark in a thin, garlicky, spicy gravy, the mustard oil sharp, the green chilies warm. The texture is satisfyingly firm and meaty, unlike any bony river fish.
The technique is a quick simmer in a thin curry base. The shark is cut into steaks, marinated briefly in turmeric and salt, then lightly fried in mustard oil. A paste of onion and garlic is fried until golden, turmeric and chili added, then water. The shark pieces are added and simmered for only 15 to 20 minutes, the cartilaginous bones softening during cooking. Green chilies and a little tamarind are added toward the end. The curry remains thin and soupy, meant to be poured over rice. The shark must be fresh; frozen shark is watery and flavourless. The cooking time is critical: too long and the meat toughens.
Variations
Some add coconut milk for richness. A dry version with less water is also made.
On the Palate
Where Coxs Bazar Shark Curry sits in the Bangladeshi flavor cloud
Ingredients
Serves 6How it's made
5 steps · 20 min
- 15 min
Cut 800g baby shark into steaks; marinate with turmeric and salt.
- 25 min
Lightly fry in 3 tbsp mustard oil; remove.
- 36 min
Fry 1 onion paste and 1 tbsp garlic paste until golden; add turmeric, chili, and 500ml water.
Watch outFry the onion-garlic paste until golden before the water goes in — that browning builds the base flavor of a thin curry that has little else to lean on.
- 46 min
Add the shark; simmer 15 to 20 minutes; add green chilies and tamarind.
Watch outSimmer the shark just fifteen to twenty minutes — the timing is critical: too long and the meat toughens and dries; the curry should stay thin and soupy to pour over rice.
- 54 min
Serve with rice.
