SALMON MAKHANI (“BUTTER SALMON”)
PG tested
This is like the familiar New Delhi favorite, only made meatless with tender, silky cubes of salmon. Who says you have to serve this with rice? It would be lovely over pasta, or even enjoyed straight from a bowl, chili- or stew- style, with naan or grilled bread. This version is kid-friendly and very mild, but feel free to add a chile component if your family prefers spicier curries.
1 cup of plain, whole-milk yogurt
1 teaspoon of fine-grained salt — sea salt or pink Himalayan
1-1½ pounds of salmon, bones and skin removed, cut into bite-sized chunks 1½-2 cups dry rice 4 tablespoons butter 1 large (softball-sized) onion, sliced
1 tablespoon whole cumin seeds
Drizzle of oil (olive, avocado, coconut, ghee) 4 garlic cloves, minced ¼ cup of minced fresh ginger (about a 5-inch piece, peeled)
1 tablespoon ground turmeric
2 tablespoons garam masala or your favorite curry powder (I like madras-style)
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 small (14-15½-ounce) can of good quality tomatoes 1 cup heavy cream
1 cup stock, broth, or water
Optional vegetables — corn, broccoli florets, zucchini, diced potato, cut green beans
Optional garnish — chopped almonds or peanuts, minced fresh herbs, wedges of citrus
In a large bowl, whisk together yogurt and salt, then gently fold in cubes of salmon and refrigerate until ready to use (up to 8 hours).
Prepare rice via your preferred method and according to package instructions.
While the rice cooks and the fish is marinating, melt butter in a large frying pan or skillet over medium heat. Cook until it browns, smells nutty and stops foaming (stir often to avoid burning), then add sliced onions, cumin seeds, oil, garlic and ginger. Reduce heat if necessary and saute, again stirring often, for 10-15 minutes or until the onions have slumped, reduced in size by about ⅓ and started to take on a toasted color.
Add all of remaining ingredients (not including garnishes or salmon- yogurt mixture) to the pan. Stir to combine, taking time to scrape up any flavorful browned bits. Allow to come to a simmer, then reduce the heat from medium to low and maintain the simmer for an additional 7-10 minutes. Use the back of your spoon to break up any whole tomatoes.
When the rice is done and you are ready to serve, add fish and all of the yogurt marinade to the sauce, and return the heat to medium. Simmer for 5-7 minutes (reduce heat if it’s bubbling too rapidly; you don’t want to overcook your fish), stirring gently. Taste for seasoning; add salt until the sauce suits your palate. When the salmon yields to gentle pressure from the back of a spoon, it’s finished cooking.
Serve immediately over hot rice.
Serves 4.