Shorshe Ilish — Hilsa in Mustard Sauce (সর্ষে ইলিশ)

Bengal — both West Bengal (India) and Bangladesh; the Padma river hilsa (পদ্মার ইলিশ) from Bangladesh is the most prized, followed by Hooghly river fish; the dish's status in Bengali culture is equivalent to Burgundy's relationship with Pinot Noir

Shorshe ilish (সর্ষে ইলিশ) is arguably the defining dish of Bengali cuisine: hilsa fish (Tenualosa ilisha, ইলিশ) — the most prized freshwater fish of the subcontinent — cooked in a pungent, pale-yellow mustard sauce that is as confrontational as it is extraordinary. The technique begins with grinding raw mustard seeds (সর্ষে, both black and yellow) with green chilli and turmeric to a smooth, slightly bitter paste, which is then thinned with water and used both as the cooking medium and the sauce. The hilsa steams in this mustard broth under a covered pan, the fish absorbing the sharp, volatile mustard oil and flavour compounds in a way that no other fish can replicate — hilsa's high fat content (15–20%) carries and transmits the mustard's pungency.

Served over plain Bengali short-grain rice (gobindobhog rice, গোবিন্দভোগ, when available). The rice absorbs the mustard sauce and the combination is eaten with sliced green chilli, raw onion, and mustard oil drizzle. The fish bones are picked meticulously — hilsa has many fine bones that are part of the eating experience.