I’ve been mildly obsessed with salmon and curry since eating the delicious tandoori salmon skewers from The Taj a few years back. I’m still determined to convert my Big Green Egg into a tandoor oven because it has the ability to be one, but for now, I made this recipe for Indian salmon skewers with a delicious curry sauce because it’s so much easier to do.

Nomu sent me one of their gorgeous spice racks around Xmas time and I have been loving using their high-quality herbs and spices since then. This makes the perfect gift for anyone who loves cooking. Their sweet smoked paprika is one of my favourites and that gets sprinkled into a LOT of my dishes. I used all of their spices to make this recipe, which I adapted from the Indian chicken curry recipe they sent me with the rack.

I also picked up a top tip from a friend via Instagram recently, where she advises grating all the vegetables (onions and tomatoes) that go into a curry because the texture is softer and better. Softening chopped onions can be a long chore and I never really like the crunchy texture of onions that haven’t been softened enough.

This recipe seems difficult because the list of ingredients is fairly long but you could make the marinade the day before and then just quickly pan fry the skewers just before you need to serve them. They cook in a matter of minutes.

How to cook basmati rice?

This is my tried and tested recipe but does vary slightly from brand to brand

The quantity here serves 4

1 1/4 cup basmati rice which you soak in water for 15 – 30 minutes. Then rinse until the water runs clear.

Bring 500ml water 1 tsp salt to a boil with the lid on. As soon as it starts boiling, add the drained and rinsed rice. Put the lid back on and set a timer for 6 minutes. Do not open the lid. Boil over medium heat for 5 minutes then turn off the heat. Do not open the lid.

Allow the rice to absorb for 20 – 25 minutes then open the lid, add butter (as much as you dare) and fluff up with a fork. 

*If for some reason there is still some water in the pot that hasn’t been absorbed, then fluff up over low heat to allow this to steam off.

I used a small can of coconut milk which you can buy in 185ml. Alternatively, you can use half a tin of coconut milk. I don’t normally like to create a recipe using half a tin of something but I think a whole tin would have softened the heat and flavour levels too much, but you could use a whole one if you like a creamier sauce. Or, increase the level of curry blend and paprika to one teaspoon of each.

Recipe – serves 2 (simply double everything up to make enough for 8)

Indian salmon curry skewers

Easy Indian salmon curry skewers

Print Recipe

Prep Time:20 minutes mins

Cook Time:10 minutes mins

Ingredients

Marinade:

• ½ tsp ground cumin
• ½ tsp smoked sweet paprika
• ½ tsp curry blend
• ½ lemon zest and juice – use the other half to cut into wedges to serve
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 3 tbsp plain yoghurt

Salmon skewers:

• 400 gms – 450 gms – salmon fillet – pin boned
• 4 medium-sized skewers
• olive oil to fry

Curry sauce

• 1 onion finely chopped or grated
• 2 clove garlic minced
• ½ red chilli finely chopped
• 15 gms coriander – stalks and leaves separated Use the stalks in the curry sauce and half the leaves to garnish at the end
• ½ tsp ground coriander
• ½ tsp ground turmeric
• ½ tsp smoked sweet paprika
• ½ tsp curry blend
• 1 x 400gm can tomatoes – chopped
• 150 ml fish stock prepared
• 185 ml – 200ml can of coconut milk
• salt

Instructions

• To make the marinade put the cumin, paprika and curry in a small nonstick pan and toast for a minute. Add this to a bowl with all the other marinade ingredients.
• Cut the salmon into thick sizes and then into squares. I like to leave the skin on but you can take it off if you prefer. It is likely that it will come off when fried anyway.
• Coat the salmon in the marinade, cover with a cling and keep in the fridge for a couple of hours or overnight.
• To make the curry sauce, heat a large glug of olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan and add the onion, garlic, chilli and coriander stalks and let this soften in the pan over low heat for about 10 minutes. Stir it regularly.
• Add the ground coriander, turmeric, smoked paprika and curry blend and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes and fish stock and allow this to simmer for about 15 minutes.
• Add the coconut milk and then cook for a further 5 – 10 minutes to thicken. Stir in half the coriander leaves that you have roughly chopped (save the rest to scatter over the finished dish)
• When you are ready to eat, make your basmati rice according to the technique mentioned above or the packet instructions. I used brown basmati rice, which is healthier and has a lovely nutty flavour.
• Heat a non-stick frying pan and add a splash of olive oil. Thread the salmon onto the skewers and fry over medium heat turning to brown on all sides. Be careful not to overcook the fish. Salmon is at its best when it’s slightly pink on the inside.
• Serve the skewers on the rice with curry sauce spooned over. Scatter the remaining fresh coriander leaves to garnish. 

Servings: 4

Author: Sam Linsell

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