Fish fry or bhetki fry is a popular Bengali street food. Coated with crumbs and then deep fried, the dish is also called diamond fry in Calcutta. It is similar to a fish cutlet and was developed during the British rule when Kolkata was the capital. At that time, Indian cooks were asked to replicate European food. The exact ingredients weren’t available and so, ingredients were mixed and twists were added to Western recipes. This is how the fish fry was born. Heritage cafes, cabin-style restaurants and street vendors have been responsible for popularising the dish. It is usually made with the sweet water fish barramundi, which locals call bhetki, and goes well with kasundi, a Bengali mustard sauce.
