Indian Salmon Curry with Yoghurt Sauce

Indian salmon curry with a gloriously crispy skin sat in a golden yoghurt-based sauce is the perfect curry in a hurry midweek dinner.

The preparation for this easy fish curry recipe takes a leisurely 10 minutes and cooking is done in around 20 minutes!

Salmon Curry in a Hurry

You don’t have to spend much time perusing my site before you trip over an Indian inspired curry and this delicious salmon and yoghurt number is the latest.

Indian flavours are often typified as big, bold and heavily spiced. You may not think that aligns well with delicate fish.

But that is not the case, with appropriate spicing Indian-inspired fish dishes are things of great beauty!

I have dishes that utilise boldly flavoured fish like this salmon tikka and this Goan inspired mackerel curry to more delicately flaovured fish in my sea bass curry and cod in my Bengali macher jhol recipe.

This recipe crisps up the skin of salmon fillets in a little mustard oil. Then a yoghurt-based curry sauce is made in which the salmon is “poached” to perfection.

Flavour-wise, we of course have a little chilli and garlic as well as lots of lovely curry leaves.

Then ground coriander, cumin and turmeric give a wonderfully earthy background to the tart yoghurt sauce.

All you need to do is finish it with lots of fresh coriander and dinner is served in around 30 minutes!

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to use a meat thermometer?

No, but it does help in this recipe with not only checking the fish but also the sauce. This helps you avoid a split sauce.

Can I use dried curry leaves?

They are not my favourite and I would rather omit them than use them. As far as I am concerned they add very little flavour!

However, fresh curry leaves are widely available in Indian stores and they freeze wonderfully.

My sauce has split what have I done wrong?

There are a number of reasons why the sauce in this curry splits and there are steps you can take to prevent this from happening.

1. Using low-fat yoghurt: This is the number one cause of the sauce splitting.
2. Thermal shock: Ensure that you remove the yoghurt from the fridge and then you should not skip step 14 which tempers the yoghurt.
3. Boiling the sauce: You must avoid this once the yoghurt goes into the pan and a meat thermometer can help with this!

Is there a guaranteed way to stop this sauce from splitting?

The “nuclear” option is to stabilise the yoghurt with some flour, but it is not something I like to do. This is because it can turn the sauce gloopy and it also needs more fish stock.

If my sauce has split can I pull it back together?

First of all, this dish is still edible, in fact, it is just as tasty if the sauce splits, so don’t throw it away.

If it does then you can remove the fish from the pan, take a little of the sauce and whisk it into some extra yoghurt.

Whisk this yoghurt back into the sauce, it will not be perfect but it will be more “presentable”.

Serving Suggestions

This Indian-inspired salmon curry is a real saucy affair, and we all know that means you need some flatbread to mop it up!

As ever my favourite is a nice tandoori-style naan bread but a couple of chapatis would work equally well.

Rice is always a solid option for a curry too and this one is no different. I usually opt for plain steamed or boiled rice, but a nice pilau rice or something like this jeera (cumin) rice would also be wonderful.

If you wanted something a little different how about some potatoes?

Both my aloo methi and roast Bombay potato recipes would be fab alongside this fish curry.

Equipment Used

I only mention specific brands of equipment if I think they make a material difference to a recipe if you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.

• Stovetop.
• 30cm or 12″ nonstick frying pan.
• Weighing scales and or measuring cups and spoons.
• Chopping board.
• Kitchen knife.
• Ladle.
• Mixing/prep bowls.
• Stirring/serving spoons and a fish slice/palette knife.
• Quick read meat thermometer (optional).