Prawn Gassi, also known as Yetti Gassi, is a popular coastal dish from Mangalorean cuisine. It is a flavourful and spicy curry made with succulent prawns cooked in a coconut-based gravy. Versatile, prawns have a delicate, sweet flavour and are a great addition to any dish. They are a good source of protein, vitamins and minerals. Additionally, they are low in calories with no carbohydrates. The dish is known for its rich and aromatic flavours, with a perfect balance of spices and tanginess. With its vibrant flavours and mouth-watering taste, this Prawn Gassi curry is a must-try for seafood lovers. It is usually served with steamed rice or neer dosa, and it is a delightful combination of flavours that will leave you craving more.

Ilish fish recipes can be a tad hard to cook, given the fish’s delicate nature, but it takes a simpler form in shorshe diye ilish bhapa, even though the finished dish looks like it took real effort. The entire flavour comes from a paste of mustard seeds soaked and ground smooth with salt and green chillies, then thinned and enriched with grated coconut, beaten yoghurt, a pinch of sugar, turmeric, and mustard oil. Pour this over raw hilsa pieces, seal in a container, and steam for a tender seasonal delicacy. The most important part of this shorshe ilish recipe is soaking the mustard seeds for two hours so that, when they are ground, they don’t make the entire paste turn bitter. A mix of brown and yellow seeds is used in this ilish fish recipe, ground into a smooth paste so the hilsa fish stands out for its texture rather than the paste used to flavour it. The cooking process is also unique: the hilsa pieces are coated in the marinade, placed in a sealed, lidded container (a stainless-steel tiffin box), and the tight seal traps enough steam to cook the fish in its own marinade. This method is also a convenient way to serve the hilsa fish to guests. Everything can be assembled ahead: the fish coated, chillies arranged on top, lid fastened, and left to marinate while earlier courses are served. Setting the tiffin box to steam right as guests sit down means the bhapa is ready by the time the first course wraps up.

This fish fry brings together citrusy brightness and a crisp semolina shell that holds its crunch even after cooling. The lemon-thyme mix wakes up the natural flavour of the fish, while the semolina–rice flour coating creates a firm, brittle crust. Each step is designed to help home cooks avoid soggy coatings or overcooked fillets.