Salmon and Spinach Curry
This light, simple salmon, spinach and tomato curry from Meera Sodha's brilliant Made in India cookbook is a perfect midweek meal.
From the book
Made in India: Cooked in Britain: Recipes from an Indian Family Kitchen
130 mouth-watering Indian recipes made simple
Aromatic curries and flavourful dals
Homemade chutneys and pickles
Introduction
My mum scratches her head. 'I don't remember eating a lot of fish in Kampala, although we did live near the water. They certainly didn't have salmon though.' 'So how did this dish come about?' I ask. 'You loved salmon, and so did your sister, Sonal, so I created it especially for you.'
Some dishes don't need explanations. This is one of my favourites, and I'm sure it will become one of yours.
Ingredients
| 2 tbsp | rapeseed oil |
| 1 | cinnamon stick |
| 6 | whole peppercorns |
| 2 | cloves |
| 1 | large onion, chopped |
| 1/2 tsp | brown sugar |
| 250g | ripe tomatoes, roughly chopped |
| 4cm | ginger, peeled and finely grated |
| 4 | cloves of garlic, crushed |
| 1 | fresh green chilli, finely chopped (optional) |
| 1/4 tsp | garam masala |
| 1 tsp | ground cumin |
| 1 1/2 tsp | ground coriander |
| 1/4 tsp | ground turmeric |
| 1/2 tsp | chilli powder |
| 1 1/4 tsp | salt |
| 500g | spinach leaves |
| 400g | skinless, MSC-certified salmon fillets |
Method
Put the oil into a large, lidded frying pan on a medium heat. When it’s hot, add the cinnamon stick, peppercorns and cloves, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until they start to release their aromas.
Add the onion and brown sugar and cook for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden and caramelized. Stir in the tomatoes, put the lid on the pan and leave to cook for 5 minutes or so, until the tomatoes begin to soften.
Add the ginger and garlic (and green chilli if you would like a little more heat), and stir in the garam masala, cumin, coriander, turmeric, chilli powder and salt. Keep stirring to ensure the spices don’t catch on the bottom of the pan. After around 8 minutes the mixture should start to look quite pastelike. When it does, add the spinach, turn down the heat and pop the lid back on and leave it to wilt.
Cut the salmon into big chunks, around 6cm x 6cm, and add to the pan. Coat the salmon in the tomato and spinach sauce, taking care not to break up the salmon pieces. Put the lid back on and leave for around 5 to 7 minutes, so that the fish cooks through.
Remove the cinnamon stick and check for seasoning. Serve with chapattis or rice.
