AMRITSAR: The Amritsari fish, delicacy of the city of Amritsar is a popular dish not only in Punjab but the entire country. The people of Amritsar are known for their good taste in food and also make good hosts.

Among the various delicacies served in the walled-city, the 'Amritsari fish' remains the hot favorite among the Punjabis and the tourists. The mouth watering variety of the delicacies are the fresh water river fish Sole and Singhara.

The fish verities found in Punjab are well-known and are exclusively available only in Punjab. The craze for the delicacy is so intense that the NRI Punjabis travel half the world to the Indian state to enjoy the delicacy. Whether their native place in Punjab is Doaba, Ludhiana, Jalandhar or Phagwara, they still make their visits to the city of Amritsar.
 
When some of my Bengali relatives sampled the Amritsari fish, they could not believe it could be so tasty,"
 
Apart from being the culinary delicacy, the Amritsari fish also has various healthy properties. It is also known to prevent heart-attack, though its taste and method of preparation remains its main specialty. The fish is best when it is prepared in the city itself, bought from the busy city fish market. People take make the effort to make it to the busy market place to order their favorite fish.

The best fish for the dish are the verities caught from the Harike Pattan and Beas rivers. The dish can be best enjoyed at the various eating joints, the most popular being the 'Makhan Dhaba', which is decades old outlet selling the delicious 'Amritsari Fish'.

When quizzed about the secret of the success of the dish, Makhan Singh, the owner of the Dhaba said, "We purchase fresh fish from the market. Our preference has always been to buy good quality fish. We then deep-freeze the fish for almost a day to use it the next day. It's an art which we learnt from our elders."

The preparation involves frying the fish in gram flour (Besan) and egg white paste, with dry, bread crumbs, making it break easily in the mouth. The good quality of the fish and the proper ingredients flavor the dish.

Dr. Sodhi, a resident of Amritsar, said: "I travelled to England and experienced a variety of sea food. But I didn't find the fish quite as tasty as the fish in Amritsar." 

"I travelled to other parts of the state, but never have I found that taste which is so unique of Amritsar. The Bengalis love fish. And when some of my Bengali relatives sampled the Amritsari fish, they could not believe it could be so tasty," said another customer at the restaurant.

So, next time you are in the city of Amritsar, do not forget to treat yourself to the ever-popular 'Amritsari-fish'.