Fish, be it of any kind, is a good choice for maintaining healthy eyes, hair and overall health. Being a lean, low-calorie source of protein, with very little fat, Katla fish can be eaten in a variety of ways. It is a major South Asian, river water carp fish and is a favourite among people of Bengal, Odisha, parts of North India and Bangladesh.
What kind of fish is Katla?
Katla, also known as a major South Asian carp fish, is from a family of river water fish with large and broad heads. It bears a lot of similarities with the other popular carp fish, namely Rohu, but is smaller in size. It has a large protruding lower jaw and an upturned mouth. It has large, greyish scales on the upper side and is whitish on the belly. It may stretch up to 182cm in length and 38.6kg in weight. It is mainly transported on ice across states and is consumed in the form of traditional curry with rice. Bengalis are the major consumers of Katla fish and prefer buying the fish in weights ranging between 1 and 2 kg.
Where is it popular?
Katla is most popular in Bengal. It is also popular in parts of Northern India, Odisha, Myanmar, Pakistan and Bangladesh. In Bengal, Odisha and parts of North India, Katla is found in most rivers and freshwater bodies.
What kinds of recipes are meant for Katla?
Katla is used in traditional fish curries prepared with mustard oil, black cumin seeds, tomatoes, chillies and turmeric powder. Pieces of the fish can also be fried in mustard oil with salt and turmeric and enjoyed with rice or khichdi.
Another popular method of cooking Katla is with yoghurt. At Licious, we have Bengali Cut Catla, in large and medium sizes & we also do a peti cut. These pieces are perfect to be cooked with a fine paste of onion, ginger, red chillies, spices (garam masala for eg.), simmered in ghee and finished off with generous dollops of yogurt. This is also known as ‘Doi Katla’ in Bengali households.
All our fish, seafood & other meats are cut, thoroughly cleaned in R.O purified water, and sealed using vacuum-pack technology to maintain freshness. What does this mean for you? It means you can get fresh meat & seafood home delivered in 90* minutes which can go straight from the pack and into your pan with absolutely no prep at all!
Raw mango curry made with green mango pulp and Katla fish is also very popular among Bengalis.
What cooking methods are most suitable for Katla?
Katla can be fried, boiled or slow-cooked depending on the type of dish being prepared. If you’re looking for inspiration, check out the ‘Delicious Recipes’ section of our blog. We regularly post great recipes using fish like Katla, other seafood, chicken, mutton, eggs and more, that you can easily make at home.
For Katla specifically, you might enjoy these recipes:
Thanks for taking the time to read up on Katla with us today, if you have any other questions let us know in the comments and we will address them. Also, if you cook up one of our recipe suggestions, we would love to take a look. Snap a few pics and tag us on Instagram with #MadeWithLicious, you may even win some Licious Cash for sharing!