Tandoori Grilled Salmon | Indian Style Tandoori Salmon
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I love Indian food! While I can say that because I was born and raised in New Delhi, I can admit that my exposure to Indian food, especially non-vegetarian meals was extremely limited. The menu was capped at either Chicken Tikka or Butter Chicken. Our outing to restaurants was so limited, that it was reserved to get our monthly fix for these delicious treats.
It was only when I came to Canada that my true journey into the various other facets of Indian cuisine began. One of the dishes that came out on top was Tandoori Grilled Salmon, which was a brain-child of my girlfriend. She loves salmon and she suggested we try a tandoori style salmon for a change - after having Oven-Baked Lemon & Herb Salmon for the 95th time.
You know, its simple puzzle pieces like these which I can’t even think can connect together but are actually made for each other. My classic marinade went great with the salmon, however, I needed to make some changes to the marination. I quickly realized that I can no longer include yogurt in the marinade since by the time salmon is done grilling, the yogurt is completely burnt. After all, salmon is already so tender if cooked properly.
Skin-On or Skinless?
Cooking skin-on salmon is a great technique to ensure the salmon is cooked to your desired temperature while keeping the filet juicy. The fish is usually cooked skin side down 80% of the cooking time which helps protect the salmon meat as it cooks. This makes the skin incredibly crispy. Fun fact: you can totally eat salmon skin, and the best way is to have it crispy. Once cooked this way, it is almost like having chips.
In this recipe, the skin does not work as well. The marinade would get soaked into the fish and would prevent the skin from getting crispy. I cook it with skinless salmon filet which allows me to get grill marks which really stamps the tandoori on the fish. Of course, if you have. a barbecue, this fish can cook on the grill as well.
Preparing the Tandoori Grilled Salmon
Begin by preparing the marinade. In a medium-sized bowl, add ginger-garlic paste, lemon juice, deggi mirch, garam masala, dried fenugreek leaves and salt. This marinade is completed with a bit of oil to help with bringing the flavours together.
Mix all the ingredients together.
Add your salmon to the marinade, and marinate for at least 30 minutes. You can marinate for up to 6 hours.
Heat a grill pan or a regular pan on medium heat and carefully place the salmon on the pan.
Let the fish sear on one side for 4-5 minutes to ensure each side gets marked properly. Depending on the thickness of the filet, you may need to adjust your cooking time.
The recommended cooking temperature is a medium salmon, pink down the middle. However, if you prefer a more well-done salmon, you can cook it a bit longer. Flip the filet halfway into the cooking process and cook other side.
Serve the fish over fresh jeera or cumin-spiked rice and a cool cucumber raita.
Watch How to Make Tandoori Grilled Salmon Here:
Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cookingwithanadi. Thank you!