Ceylon Fish

Ceylon Fish is a seafood label whose range on our shelves is made up of traditional Sri Lankan fish preparations. Ceylon is the old name for Sri Lanka, and the range reflects the island's coastal cooking: dried fish fried until crisp, and ambul thiyal, the sour, dry fish curry of the south that is cooked with goraka and black pepper.

Fried dried fish in herring, queen fish, sail fish and seer fish sits in our dried fish and prawns collection, while the tuna and sprats ambul thiyal is in tinned fish. Both belong to the fish category of our tins and ready meals department, alongside Maldive fish for seasoning.

Fried dried fish is served in small pieces with rice and curry for crunch and saltiness, with kiribath at New Year, or tossed with onion, chilli and tomato as a quick sambol. Seer fish is meaty and prized, queen fish is firm, and herring is the boldest and saltiest. Ambul thiyal was traditionally cooked in a clay pot until almost dry so it would keep for days without a fridge, and its sharp goraka sourness and black pepper bite sit well with plain rice, string hoppers and pol roti. The tuna version is classic; sprats give a smaller, crunchier bite.

Keep fried fish sealed and dry, and in the fridge once opened in warm weather, so it stays crisp. Ambul thiyal is quite intense, so a small portion goes a long way beside milder curries. To compare Ceylon Fish with another Sri Lankan seafood brand, browse the Serendib range or our goraka to cook ambul thiyal from scratch.