Main dish

Salmon and Chard Curry recipe

Name: Salmon and Chard Curry
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: 2 salmon fillets (around 120g each, I use skin-on); 1 tbsp vegetable or rapeseed oil; ½ cinnamon stick; 3 black peppercorns; 2 cloves; 1 small onion, chopped; 1 tbsp fresh ginger, chopped (I use frozen); 2 cloves of garlic, chopped; ¼ tsp garam masala; ½ tsp ground cumin; 1 tsp ground coriander; ¼ tsp ground turmeric; ¼ tsp chilli powder (I use deggi mirch); ½ tsp sugar; ½ tsp fine sea salt (I use 1 tsp of kosher salt); 200g ripe tomatoes (I use cherry tomatoes); 200g rainbow or Swiss chard (or spinach); 100g dried brown basmati rice; chapatis; mango chutney; lime pickle

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My go-to salmon curry recipe adapted from a Meera Sodha recipe. Crisp up the salmon skin to serve on the side (optional but recommended).

Prep15m
Cook35m
Total50m

fish indian meera-sodha

This is a beautiful salmon, chard and tomato curry, which I've halved to feed two but it can easily be doubled.

I never have quite the right quantities of ingredients but it’s a forgiving recipe. Spices don’t need to be measured precisely and I occasionally use frozen spinach and tinned tomatoes instead of fresh.

Meera Sodha says:

“Some dishes don't need explanations. This is one of my favourites, and I'm sure it will become one of yours.”

I agree. I think I've cooked it over a hundred times and that's no exaggeration.

Usually “serve with mango chutney and lime pickle” is a suggestion but I really recommend it here. I’ve fallen in love with Geeta’s Premium Lime and Chilli Chutney. It came into our house as an eyebrow-raising substitute for mango chutney and now I have backups of backups so I never run out.

Notes

The first step is optional as I'm a big fan of crispy salmon skin. Buy skinless salmon if this doesn’t appeal to you.

I'm still banging the drum about frozen ginger, which I use here. It's peeled and chopped before it goes into the freezer and couldn't be more convenient.

Recipe credit

Salmon and Spinach Curry from Made In India by Meera Sodha.

Recipe

Salmon and Chard Curry

Prep15m
Cook35m
Total50m

Serves: 2

Ingredients

Curry

2 salmon fillets (around 120g each, I use skin-on)
1 tbsp vegetable or rapeseed oil
½ cinnamon stick
3 black peppercorns
2 cloves
1 small onion, chopped
1 tbsp fresh ginger, chopped (I use frozen)
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
¼ tsp garam masala
½ tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp ground turmeric
¼ tsp chilli powder (I use deggi mirch)
½ tsp sugar
½ tsp fine sea salt (I use 1 tsp of kosher salt)
200g ripe tomatoes (I use cherry tomatoes)
200g rainbow or Swiss chard (or spinach)

To serve

100g dried brown basmati rice
chapatis
mango chutney
lime pickle

Method

Salmon skin (optional): Place a medium-sized frying pan (I use a 24cm deep frying pan) over a low to medium heat. Place 2 salmon fillets skin-side down into the dry pan and leave for 2 minutes. Remove the fillets from the pan and slide a knife under the skins to separate them. Place the skins back into the dry pan, turning occasionally until crispy. Remove from the pan and set to one side.
Curry: Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable or rapeseed oil into the pan. Add ½ a cinnamon stick, 3 peppercorns and 2 cloves and fry for 1-2 minutes.
Add 1 chopped onion to the pan and fry for 5-10 minutes until soft and slightly coloured, then add 1 tablespoon of chopped ginger and 2 chopped cloves of garlic. Fry for 5 minutes.
In a small bowl, mix ¼ teaspoon of garam masala, ½ teaspoon of ground cumin, 1 teaspoon of ground coriander, ¼ teaspoon of turmeric, ¼ teaspoon of chilli powder, ½ teaspoon of sugar and ½ a teaspoon of salt. Once the onions are ready, add the spices to the pan and fry for 1-2 minutes.
Add 200g of chopped tomatoes to the pan and fry for around 10 minutes until the tomatoes have broken down then add 200g of chopped chard or spinach.
Once the chard has wilted (around 5 minutes) add the salmon fillets to the pan, covering them in the sauce. Cook for 3 minutes on one side, turn, then cook for a further two minutes. Once the salmon is cooked to your liking, taste the sauce. Add more salt and 2-3 tablespoons of water to loosen the sauce if needed then turn off the heat. Serve immediately with rice, chapatis, mango chutney, lime pickle and the crispy salmon skin, if using.