Salmon in Mustard Sauce

The First One: Salmon It Has To Be

Ok I really don’t know how this is going to pan out. I mean I am supposedly a good cook (okay, I am an AWESOME chef) but actually writing down my recipes? That’s scary, especially given that I don’t always follow the exact same recipe for a dish. But I’ll try to be as honest and consistent as possible. Oh by the way, I am not very good with exact measurements (which is kind of ironic given that I am a professional scientist ); but once again, I’ll try to be as good as possible. Anyway, enough preaching, let’s get cooking.

Salmon in Tomato Mustard Sauce

Every time I think of that one dish that I’ll send to a cooking competition (to WIN, of course) I get into a fix. I guess I don’t really have a signature dish, but if I had someone point a gun to my head, I guess this salmon dish would probably be the closest to it.

Ingredients:

• Salmon, cut into steaks (with or without bones or skin, whichever way you like your fish); let’s say you have 16 pieces of fish
• Tomatoes, freshly chopped and pureed (it’s okay to use canned tomato PASTE but for whoever’s sake, DON’T use tomato PUREE) – 4 medium tomatoes, scale up or down based on the size of the tomatoes you are using.
• Mustard paste (this is where it kind of gets hairy: if you are Bengali and want to use your traditional shorshe bata, you are welcome to use it. If you don’t have easy access to shorshe bata, you can use kashundi like I do . You can also use Creole or Dijon or English mustard, just remember those have quite a lot of vinegar in them, so be mindful of the extra acidity.
• Plain yogurt – 2 teaspoons
• Mustard Oil (white oil is also more than okay)
• Green chilies or Jalapenos – 4, slit
• Sugar – a pinch
• Salt – to taste
• Turmeric Powder
• Onion seeds – the friendly Bengali KALOJIRE
• Red chili powder – a pinch
• Warm water

Method:

1. Rub the fish pieces with salt and turmeric powder and fry them till light brown in mustard oil. Retain the oil after frying the fish. (Remember that salmon cooks quite fast, in fact it should be cooked only till medium rare, so don’t over-fry it, especially given than the fish will also be simmered in the gravy.

2. In the same oil in which you fried the fish pieces, put the onion seeds and fry till they crackle and then put the slit green chilies in.

3. Once you smell the chilies frying add the tomatoes and cook on high heat (this will take a while) till the fat leaves the sides. While it cooks, add a pinch of salt, turmeric, a pinch of sugar and the red chili powder. Depending on how red your tomatoes were to start with, you should see a beautiful rich red colored mass in the pan.

4. In a small bowl or cup mix together the mustard paste (whatever form you are using it in), the yogurt and half a cup of water. Add the mixture to the tomatoes in the pan and stir well to mix. Cook till you can’t smell the raw yogurt anymore.

5. Add the warm water and bring to a boil. How much water you add should depend on how much sauce/gravy you want. Add the fish pieces GENTLY (salmon is soft and might break, depending on quality) and let the fish pieces simmer in the gravy for about 8-10 minutes. The dish tastes best if you actually go for a sauce (less liquid) as opposed to a gravy (yeah you guessed it right, more liquid), but I will let you be the judge.

6. Check the seasoning and serve hot with white rice. You can do things like drizzling some raw mustard oil over the fish or adding a couple of more slit green chilies – your choice really.

This dish can easily be made with other varieties of fish as well. You can use rui, katla, tilapia, cod or any other type of white fish, depending on your palate, your geographical location and the availability of raw materials. Try it and let me know how you liked it. I am always available to answer your questions.

Cheers.