Welcome to May! As spring really starts to take hold, many of us find ourselves with a lot to do and not a lot of time to do it. Whether it's preparing for upcoming graduations or planting the garden that's going to be putting everything from cucumbers and tomatoes to eggplants and onions on your table, we're all in a rush when spring hits its stride. So save yourself a lot of hassle and find some quick and easy ideas for making dinner … like this broiled salmon drizzled with a quick blender curry sauce.
If you do not have garlic paste or ginger paste, you can grate 2 tablespoons of the fresh versions of each and use that instead. You can use a different color of bell pepper, but I adore the bright color a red one brings to the blender sauce. If you don't have the individual spices called for in the recipe, substitute your favorite curry powder in equal measures. And if you don't like salmon skin, either purchase salmon without it or trim it before or after broiling.
About a week ago, I highlighted a recipe for Mixed Dal (dal is the Hindi word for lentil). This is an excellent accompaniment for this curried salmon and the dal is a perfectly reheatable leftover for a busy night - to the point that I always cook that dish with leftovers in mind. That said, you can certainly also serve it over cooked brown or white rice or couscous. I've even just set it on a bed of lightly sautéed green beans or asparagus. Enjoy!
Quick Curried Salmon
- 2 large yellow onions, chopped
- 2 tablespoons each garlic and ginger paste
- 1 cup roughly chopped carrot
- ½ red bell pepper, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup ghee or canola oil - use canola oil for dairy free
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground fenugreek
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 4 (6 oz.) salmon fillets - I prefer skin on
- 2-3 tablespoons Indian seasoning of your choice - I used Vindaloo seasoning from Penzeys
Place the chopped onions, garlic and ginger paste, carrot and pepper in a blender and add ½ cup of water or stock. Blend until smooth; set aside.
Heat the ghee or oil in a pot over a medium-high heat and stir in the ground turmeric. Let it sizzle for about 30 seconds or until it turns a tone or two darker; pour in the blended onion mixture. Stir continuously to cook the onion mixture in the oil for a couple of minutes before stirring in 2 cups of water or stock.
Bring the mixture to a simmer and add the remaining ground spices (cumin through garam masala). Cover the pan to simmer for about 15 minutes or longer if you like to reach your desired consistency.
While the sauce simmers, rub the salmon fillets with the Indian seasoning of your choice. Place the fillets on a broiler pan and broil for 4-5 minutes per side about 5" from the heating element, according to your desired levels of doneness. Serve the broiled fish topped with some of the curry sauce. I also served the fish on a bed of creamy mixed lentils also drizzled with curry sauce.
- Yields: 4-6 servings
- Preparation Time: 25 minutes