Heard Of

Nona Ilish

? Know All About The 'Cured' Fish Speciality Of Bengali Cuisine

Quick Summary

Hilsa fish season is marked by the many hilsa recipes, and while these might not be enough to satiate the craving, given the surplus that sometimes happens, certain communities tend to preserve the fish. This preservation technique yields the creation of nona ilish, where ‘nona’ refers to ‘salty’ and ‘ilish’ refers to the hilsa fish. Salt is used to dry and preserve the fish, which is sun-dried to yield ‘shutki maach’ that can be stored for a longer time than the fresh, tender and oily flesh of the hilsa fish, and used in many dishes.

Deep Dive

The preparation of nona ilish starts with salting the hilsa fish and then sun-drying it until it is almost brittle. Then this dried fish is packed into earthen jars and left to cure for weeks or months. Unlike fresh ilish maach, which Bengali households typically cook within a day or two of buying it, this preserved fish is prepared for storage during the months when the rivers in the Eastern region run low on catch. This practice took root in East Bengal, and it remains a defining item in Bangladesh and among Bengali communities in Tripura and India's Northeast, even though it never became a fixture in West Bengal's kitchens the way fresh hilsa did. 

Why Nona Ilish is More Affordable Than Fresh Hilsa

Fresh hilsa has become one of the most expensive fish sold in Kolkata and Dhaka markets. Depending on size and season, a kilogram of fresh hilsa can sell for anywhere from roughly Rs 900 to over Rs 2,000 in Kolkata, and considerably more in Dhaka, where prices have climbed further amid falling catches and periodic export restrictions between the two countries. 

A short window when the fish travels from the Bay of Bengal to rivers to spawn is when this premium fish is caught. The fishing season for hilsa yields up to 6000 tonnes of this fish, and usually between August and September, hilsa floods the market. The salted, dried version is usually made from smaller or less premium hilsa fish. Salting and drying also draw out water weight from the fish, so a portion of the cured fish delivers more concentrated flavour per rupee than the same weight of fresh fish.

Why Fresh Hilsa Has Grown Scarce

Hilsa numbers have been falling for decades, which is part of why the cured version of the fish is a great alternative when you want the fish and is actually perfect if you live away from the fish markets of the east. Some of the reasons for this decline are overfishing during the spawning season, pollution, and changes to the river deltas. 

India's fisheries scientists have documented the scale of this decline in a 2024 study by researchers at the ICAR-Central Inland Fisheries Research Institute, Barrackpore, which found that India's share of the world's hilsa catch has shrunk to just 2.41%, translating to roughly 14,000 tonnes per year. This fish’s migratory route was also disrupted by the Farakka Barrage, but the government successfully replenished its numbers by breeding in hatcheries and releasing hatchlings and adults into the rivers, which were monitored, with positive results, including fish appearing as far as Chandauli in Uttar Pradesh.

The Curing Process of Nona Ilish

In regions like Chandpur in Bangladesh, considered the unofficial hilsa capital of the world, the curing process involves gutting the fish first, then removing the fins and scaling it. Smaller fish tend to be kept whole while the larger ones get cut. The fish is then marinated in rock salt and turmeric, with fat from the fish’s entrails rubbed onto the flesh. 

The salted fish is put inside earthen jars, sealed, and left to cure underground for several months. Over this time, the salt draws out moisture, and the fermentation process breaks down proteins, fatty acids and lipids in the hilsa fish. This is what gives the cured fish its pungent aroma and flavour. The process also produces ‘nonar-tel’, a fish oil that is sometimes kept aside and used to season other dishes.

Nona Ilish Recipes You Should Try

Much like any cured meat or seafood product, nona ilish has an excess of salt and needs to be softened and desalted before it can be used in any hilsa fish recipe. The fish needs to be rehydrated before cooking, which is done by soaking the fish for 30 minutes to a few hours, with the water changed a couple of times to get rid of the excess salt. Once rehydrated and soft, this cured fish shows up across Bengali and Tripuri kitchens in several forms:

• Ilish Bhorta: the fish is fried using the tail cut, then mashed with onions, garlic, and green chillies into a coarse, spicy paste called ‘bhorta’, eaten with rice.

• Ilish Bhuna: unlike bhorta, the bhuna recipe does not mash the fish pieces, but instead pan-fries and simmers them in a simple curry.

• Ilish Bora: pieces of cured fish are stuffed into pumpkin leaves with chopped onion, garlic, and chilli, then dipped in batter and fried.

• Ilish Luna Chutney and Luna-r Torkari: Tripura's own versions of a chutney and a curry, both built around the same soaked, desalted fish.

• Nona Ilish Aloo Begun Diye (cured hilsa with brinjal or potato): a simple, everyday preparation that uses mustard oil, ginger-garlic paste, red chillies, kalonji (nigella seeds), turmeric and salt.

Each nona ilish recipe on this list makes the pungent fish the centre of the recipe and balances out the saltiness and strong flavour with pungent aromatics of onion, garlic, green chilli and the mustard oil the East typically uses.

Nona Ilish vs Fresh Hilsa

Is Nona Ilish Good For You?

Fresh hilsa is a nutrient-dense fish, and curing doesn't strip away that. Research on its composition shows roughly 22g of protein and about 19- 20 g of fat per 100g, with a fatty-acid profile rich in omega-3 PUFAs, including EPA and DHA, compounds linked to heart and brain health in fatty fish, something that the human body cannot make and needs from food sources. What curing does is add a significant amount of sodium, since salt is the entire preservation method. Anyone managing blood pressure or following a low-sodium diet should treat this dish as an occasional indulgence rather than a daily habit.