Thursday, March 26, 2009

Seafood Delight

So, I don’t have a new recipe as yet but do have some “good seafood” places that I can suggest which I am sure can buy me some time. Born and brought up in Bombay (still getting used to calling it Mumbai) to a hardcore North Indian foodie family has me strongly inculcated into the seafood culture.


Seafood connoisseurs would look down at me but my favorite fish is pomfret and I prefer it over all seafood delicacies! I still have childhood memories of eating the yummiest fried fish from Jai Jawan, located on Linking Road in Mumbai. If you can reach National College I am sure your nose can guide you to his shop from there. This one is not for the hoity-toity and some of you may not be able to sum up enough courage to eat from here. My dad is always on the lookout for places with great food even if they seem like a “hole in the wall” kinda place and this one was his discovery. Everyone who visits Mumbai has heard of Trishna and Mahesh Lunch Home (apparently their crab is to die for but I am not a crab lover) but other little known places which my husband and dad love to visit are Sayaba, again in Bandra and Gajalee at Vile Parle (E). Needless to say, you cannot go very wrong ordering anything off the menu in the latter two places.


India has great Seafood available in Southern India but I shall leave that for another post… though I can’t sign-off without mentioning Singapore (http://www.wutravel.com/hotels/singapore/singapore/?a_aid=6358565b). The seafood in Singapore is meant for the Indian palate. You cannot complete a visit to the city without having the famous fish head curry at Muthu’s Curry restaurant. The fish head curry as the name suggests is a huge head of fish eye staring in a sumptuous spicy curry ready to be devoured. I am attaching a picture of what was left of the fish after we were done eating. The chicken dish next to it was untouched (usually prefer chicken over fish) is proof enough that the fish curry was heavenly! Another must try in Singapore is the chilli crab at any restaurant at Boat Quay but Jumbo Seafood is highly recommended by my husband.



I shall try to put up more global seafood restaurant recommendations but till then enjoy the upcoming weekend!

6 comments:

Ivan Arthur said...

Sea-food lovers like you would surely have heard of the Versova Machlimar Fish Festival, an annual event. Here the fish is prepared by the Kolis themselves, and who should know fish better than they. My sister-in-law buys from a lady fishmonger who delivers fresh fish to the house. Sometimes, when she has the time, she offers to cut the fish and prepare a dish of her own recipe. Generally turns out good. Of course, the recipes are all native, none of your fancy fillets in butter-garlic or anything like that. When we were with my son on this deserted island in Pirottan, Gujerat, we would harvest fish from the sea and just roast them whole over a tawa with the salty sea water still dripping from the fish. You then just peel the skin off and eat the fish. A lesson in how much you kill the taste of good fresh fish by adding masala etc. to it.

Ivan Arthur said...

I love food and am grateful for suggested new eating places, small, big or even mobile. If you are interested in fish, there is a sea-food festival that the kolis of Machlimar, Versova hold every year, where they prepare the food themselves. As people who understand fish best, much of the fare dished out is quite good. None of your fancy fish fillets with butter garlic or tartar sauce, but tasty native stuff. My sister-in-law gets fish at the door and the fisherwoman sometimes offers to clean and prepare the fish dish herself and she does a good job. Speaking of fish, when my wife and I visited our son on a deserted island called Pirottan, we would harvest fish from the sea with our bare hands and then take it, dripping with salty sea water to roast it as is over a tawa. Then peel off the skin. It was a lesson in how plain fish, untreated with masalas can be one of the best ways to eat it.

Rahul Bhatnagar said...

I love sea food and unlike ruchi, I love crabs... The Spicy Crabmeat Soup is one of my favorite soups.. I love the way my mom cooks pomfret.. She has it sliced in the middle and marinates it in green chutney, garlic, ginger, green chillies and other ingredients.. I suppose it is because of her that dad, ruchi & I love the pomfret.. I also love to eat at Mahesh Lunch Home when they have their Crab Festival..

Michelle C said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Michelle C said...

Came across this blog while browsing thru a friend's FB page....Fantastic!
I just love sea food and being a true Goan, my forte is whipping up all the regular mouth watering Goan delicacies...Racheado Bangda, Squid ambotik, crab curry, Prawn balchao....U jst name it!!! Well....could post some recipes for all to enjoy trying out!!
I think Ivan's way of cooking fish straight out of the sea is SUPERB!!! would love to do that sometime!

Rahul Bhatnagar said...

Some places which could be visited in Bombay are Soul Fry Casa at Horniman Cirle or Soul Fry at Pali hill, Fresh Catch at Mahim, Konkan Cafe at The Taj President. These are awesome..