7 Seafood Dishes to Savor in Mumbai
Photos by Meher Mirza
Consider this Mumbai seafood trail a journey that will take you meandering down the western coast of India, from Maharashtra, onwards to Goa and Karnataka (the Konkan Coast), with a postscript via the state of Kerala. The flavors of each state spill into one another, creating an edible tapestry that dips into ingredients that are easily available down the coast; a typical Konkani dish uses tart kokum fruit to cut the richness of the coconut and tame the heat of the spices.
Most of the places on my list would qualify as “canteens,” unremarkable, basic dining areas with quick service, and unshowy but full-flavored food that is devoid of fuss and frippery. The dishes do not lend themselves to niceties: the most satisfying way to savor them is by plunging in with your hands. You have been warned.
1. Butter-Garlic Crab, Trishna
Let us start in touristy Kala Ghoda. In and around its warren of lanes, you’ll find a welter of charming cafés and restaurants, but most importantly for the purposes of this trail, Trishna seafood restaurant. Trishna is somewhat upmarket, and one of the few places that has an alcohol permit. A permanent placement in any Mumbai guidebook, it finds its place onto this list by sole virtue of its butter garlic crab. The crab is a hands-on dish. Crack open the crustacean, scoop out its soft flesh, and swipe it through the moat of garlicky melted butter it sits in.
2. Fish Gassi, Mahesh Lunch Home
Then move on to Mahesh Lunch Home, for its excellent fish gassi, a thin coconut-based curry from Mangalore city (in Karnataka state). Ask for whatever fish is freshest, the creamy-fleshed pomfret that is a Mumbai favorite, rawas, surmai or the underrated bangda. Avoid the basa though; it is a fish that tastes of nothing.
3. Clam Sukka, Ankur
I find myself drawn, time and again, to the excellent Mangalorean food at Ankur. Born in 1941 as a vegetarian restaurant, it cannily put seafood on its menu in 1994 and now it is one of Mumbai’s best. A bevy of dishes will vie for your allegiance here, but the one I order oftenest is the clam sukka, a mess of clams dry-fried with coconut and spices. Mangalorean cooking is assertive, not scalding, but nevertheless, remember to order the cloud-soft neer dosas (rice pancakes) to eat alongside.