Hilsa fish oil on steaming hot rice on a rainy afternoon. With a little fried hilsa. This is the soul of Bengalis. But can you taste the hilsa that you bring from the market? Now Dedar is selling sea hilsa in the market under the name of river hilsa. So to avoid getting lost, it is important to know before buying which is the river and which is the sea. How do you know?

(1) The biggest way to identify hilsa in rivers and seas is the shape of the fish. River hilsa is usually a little bent and chubby. The side of the neck is quite wide and flat in nature. In contrast, the sea hilsa looks slender and elongated. Therefore, it is wise to look for flat and chubby build when choosing hilsa in the market.

(2) Apart from that, the difference can be understood by looking at the shine of the skin. The heart of the river hilsa shines like silver and shines even more when the light hits it. A light reddish or pink line emerges along its middle. On the other hand, the brightness of sea hilsa is slightly less.

(3) Fresh river hilsa flowers will be very bright red. Sometimes unscrupulous traders in the market cheat by spraying red paint. So it is better to rub it with your hands before buying. If it is artificial color, it will come off when touched. Besides, the eyes of river fish will be very clear and bright.

Why is the river hilsa so delicious?

While in the sea, fish mainly eat plankton, which causes a lot of oil to accumulate in the body. But when the hilsa moves from the sea to the river to hatch, it almost stops eating. Swimming in the river flushes out excess waste from the body, reduces excess salinity and breaks down skin oils. It is this change that gives the heavenly taste and aroma to the river hilsa. On the other hand, marine fish oil sometimes smells like gasoline.

The best season to eat hilsa is from the beginning to the middle of monsoon, especially June-July. Before hatching, the hilsa has the highest amount of oil in its body. Especially cooking hilsa weighing one to one and a half kilograms gives both the original taste and oil. So, go to the market now, don't just forget about the illusion of size, buy silver grain by looking at the eyes and shape.