As I’ve mentioned before salmon is a staple in my kitchen. For better or worse. Truth be told I’m getting kind of tired of salmon. It’s not the most interesting fish. It’s ALWAYS around. And it’s an easy fish to make look good. Maybe I just need a challenge, but I’m kind of bored with salmon.
Despite being bored, I have a lot of salmon in my freezer to go through which means playing around with different flavours. I’ve been wanting to do a fish with Indian flavours and this recipe by Madhur Jaffrey sounded just about right.
One thing I love about my kitchen is just how stocked my spice cupboard is. I make food from a variety of different cultures so I’m constantly buying new spices. Even I was surprised to see that I had every single spice required for the recipe including brown mustard seeds and fennel seeds. Who knew?
This is one of those dishes that is quick and ridiculously easy. The salmon only has to marinate for 30 minutes and then the actual cooking time is pretty negligible. If you know how to stir and simmer you can make this.
The salmon turned out well, although I wish there was a bit more sauciness to it. There was a lot of flavour because of all the spices and a nice kick of heat from the chilies. I served this with rice and if I weren’t feeling lazy would’ve made a vegetable alongside, but that wasn’t in the cards.
Salmon in a Bengali Mustard Sauce
Rub
3/4 pound skinless salmon fillet
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Other Ingredients
1 tablespoon ground mustard
1/4-1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons mustard oil (use extra virgin olive oil as a substitute)
1/4 teaspoon whole brown mustard seeds
1/4 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
2 fresh hot green and/or red chilies (bird’s-eye is best), slit slightly
Cut the fish into medium-sized pieces (about 2″ x 1″). Rub the pieces of fish with the salt, tumeric, and cayenne and allow to marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
Combine the mustard powder, cayenne, turmeric, and salt in a small bowl with a tablespoon of water. Add another 7 tablespoons water and mix. Set aside.
Heat oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot add the mustard seeds. Once the seeds start to pop and the cumin and fennel seeds. Stir the seeds and add the mustard paste along with the green chilies and allow to come to a gentle simmer. Add the fish pieces and simmer until the fish is cooked through, about 5-7 minutes.
Serve the fish with the sauce.
Recipe from At Home with Madhur Jaffrey © 2010
If you enjoyed this article, please consider sharing it!
