Topic: Bombay Duck

[BombayDuck]

Ok some of the younger users might not know why i've names myself after a duck, long and short I haven't. As the more mature Indian enthusiast you will know that the Bombay Duck was a very tasty battered fish starter in all the restaurants back in the day. On my recent trip to Goa I found some restaurants offering it and couldn't wait to remind my taste-buds what it was all about. Needless to say I wasn't dissapointed.
Here is a pic of the starter I had which was reminiscent of exactly what I remember from back in the day. Very thin battered with only a mild fishy taste.



Bombay Duck stopped being a dish in England some time ago due to import difficulties, having it again in Goa was a nice reminder. Did any of our users here have this starter as part of their meal? I am interested to know.

I have to post this pic also, I was in a restaurant in Panjim and asked the waiter if he had any beer on tap, he said sure and brought me one and a half litres of pour it yourself Kingfisher....ingenious! I think you could fit about 3 litres in the thing!



Heres a pic of a typical feast...Curry, Tandoori chicken, Shish Kebabs, panner bhajee, butter nans...



Lastly a pic of one of my fave Goan currys, the traditional Goan fish curry. This time with Kingfish.





 

[london]

I can only remember Bombay duck as air dried fish that smelt and tasted like 5hit, the photo of your looks quite nice, maybe it a regional thing.

London.

[curryhell]

Ah, the Indian restaurant equivalent of Marmite.  You either loved the stuff or hated it.  In my experience, and i had it all the time until it disappeared off the menu due to the usually stupid EU legislation.  Was never served it battered though.  It always came having been either pan fried, my preference, or cooked in the tandoor.  Nothing quite like it, dried and very salty crunchy tasty fish.  It is available again now but it looks and tastes nothing like the original golden cruchy offering from yesteryear. I can remember cooking the stuff at home.  It did have a  somewhat unique and lingering aroma  ;D

Here's the original quality stuff






The inferior stuff now available if you can find it and really want something far removed from the original

[Gav Iscon]

My experience was along the lines of what Curryhell posted and i remember in the very early 80's at the takeaway I frequented thinking 'Bombay Duck..... now that sounds nice' so ordered some with my meal and got a paperbag with some awful salty dried fish in which made me sick after eating it. (Anchovies used to have the same effect).  London does sum it up in a few words for me. Bombay Ducks version looks a million miles away from what I had but does look worth a shot.

PS. And i like the pitcher.

[Onions]

Indeedy. I'm no fan of the EU, but I'd say that was probably the first (and last!) honest days work it did

...I mean, anything even called 'lizardfish'-!!!

[Peripatetic Phil]

In my day (60's/70's), Bombay Duck were used as a condiment.  They were smelly dried fish which one would crumble onto one's curry to (allegedly) improve the flavour.  After one or two attempts, I gave up, and have never eaten one since.  But they were most definitely not battered/breaded !

** Phil.

[chewytikka]

Memory is a funny thing, agree with CH and others
But Not sure how you can judge the quality of the dried fish, from a few random google pics

I think older members will remember Bombay Duck served in restaurants as quite
different to what you describe and show in the Goan pics.

I would class it as an appetiser/side, similar to poppadoms and pickles these days

The Bombay Duck I used to eat was a certain salty dried fish imported from Bangladesh and deep fried or baked crisp for a couple of minutes,
the unpleasant smell used to have a negative reaction from onlooking customers (+the wife) and the main reason it was dropped off menus
around here back in the day.

I used to think it was very exotic and it didn

[curryhell]

Everybody is entitled to their opinion.  I loved the stuff and like many other things that have come to pass, BIR's are a sadder place without it