The 3 fish

There was no going out. Everything was in lockdown. He had sneaked out very early in the morning...when it was still dark. Four hours of being out in the sea and all he had caught were 3 pomfrets. He felt like putting them back in the water, but stopped himself. His wife was now in her seventh month and not eating well enough. He would make Lasooni pomfret for her. She could have two, he’d manage with one.

Lasooni pomfret

1 small size pomfret (approx. 200 gm.)

1 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. haldi

1 tsp. red chili powder

1 tsp. salt

½ tbsp. mustard sauce9 jp8bbsp

½ tbsp. refined oil

½ tbsp. butter

1 tbsp. minced garlic

Clean pomfret & give 3-4 cuts on the skin on either side. Marinate for an hour in lemon juice, haldi, red chili powder & 1 tsp. salt. Pat dry with a kitchen cloth. Blend garlic with ½ tsp. salt & ½ tsp. mustard into softened butter & rub it all over the fish. Keep for 30 min. Fry lightly in a non-stick pan or on a heavy bottomed tava. Alternately, cook in a tandoor or oven on a metal rack with a drip heat-resistant dish kept under the rack for 10 min. Rest for a few minutes before serving.