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Salmon Tikka, Indian Tandoori Fish

This succulent salmon tikka recipe is a delicious, light and spicy way to change up your “curry” rituals without losing any of the flavour.

Portrait image of grilled salmon tikka served on a cucumber salad

Indian-Inspired Fish Tikka

Most know tikka from the ubiquity of chicken tikka masala. But tikka is nothing more than a marinated, typically bite-sized, piece of food that would traditionally have been cooked in a tandoor.

You can turn anything into tikka! I treat the paneer in my matar paneer like tikka and grill it prior to cooking, I also have lamb tikka too.

A natural extension of this is to make tikka from fish and salmon is perfect.

This Indian salmon recipe adapts the marinade from my bbq tandoori fish and increases the spice levels a little.

To round out your Indian food lexicon, in general parlance, the difference between tandoori fish and fish tikka is that one would be served on the bone, the other boneless. The same would go for chicken.

Then it is threaded onto skewers and it is cooked for minutes under the broiler. You can serve it on the skewers as Indian Salmon Kebabs, but I prefer to slide them off!

If you like the sound of this recipe then you will love my Indian influenced salmon curry, Amritsari fish fry and my masala coley fish recipe.

Portrait overhead image of grilled salmon tikka served on a cucumber salad

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I cook this on a BBQ?

If I were to be honest it is my favourite way to cook these salmon tikka! Make sure that your coals are fiercely hot and that the grid is well-oiled, then chuck them on.

They will take 1-2 minutes a side to cook and you just need to spin them as you go. Make sure you have long skewers unless you want to burn your fingers!

Can I cook these on a stovetop?

Yes, you can also cook these in a pan. You need to make sure that it is nonstick and very hot before you add a little oil.

Again cook them on a skewer for a minute or so on each side.

How long can I leave the salmon in the marinade?

You can leave them in the marinade for 3-4 hours if you want, any longer and the fish begins to cure.

Can I use different types of fish?

Yes, but make sure it is quite meaty so that it does not fall apart when cooking.

You can just about get away with cod and haddock, but if you want to make this with white fish look for halibut or monkfish.

It also works wonderfully with large king prawns.

Close up portrait image of grilled salmon tikka served on a cucumber salad

Serving Suggestions

The images in this recipe show this salmon tikka served with a cucumber salad. Cucumber has a real affinity with both spicy food and salmon.

But this recipe can be paired up in many ways, the obvious way is to add some flatbreads, either naan bread or chapati would be a great start.

Then you need to add freshness and moisture, for me that would be the perfect time to make a kachumber salad and mint raita!

If you wanted to avoid bread then how about this mung bean salad with pickled carrots? The earthy flavours with the zingy carrot would be a great match.

If you wanted to go altogether much lighter then these Indian carrot salad variations would also work well.

Landscape image of grilled salmon tikka served on a cucumber salad

Equipment Used

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

  • Grill aka Broiler.
  • Chopping board.
  • Kitchen knife.
  • Mini blender.
  • Mixing bowl.
  • Weighing scales and or measuring spoons.
  • Skewers, I prefer bamboo skewers.
  • Kitchen tongs or another flipping device.
Square image of grilled salmon tikka served on a cucumber salad
Yield: 2 Servings

Salmon Tikka Recipe

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes

Succulent salmon tikka makes for a wonderful lighter approach to Indian food and one that I love.

Ingredients

  • 400g (14 oz) Skinless Salmon Fillet
  • 30g (Thumb sized piece) Ginger
  • 3 Cloves Garlic
  • 1 Tsp Coarse Sea Salt
  • 1 Tsp Ground Cumin
  • 1 Tsp Ground Coriander
  • 2 Tsp Kashmiri Chili Powder
  • 1 Tsp Garam Masala
  • 1 Tsp Turmeric
  • 1 Tsp Lime Juice
  • 1 Tbsp Cooking Oil
  • 50g (3-4 Tbsp) Yoghurt

Instructions

  1. Peel the ginger and garlic and place in a blender.
  2. Add all of the other ingredients other than the salmon to the blender and blitz into a smooth paste.
  3. Cut the salmon into 2-2.5cm (¾-1") cubes
  4. Add the salmon and allow it to marinate for at least 15 minutes.
  5. Heat a grill or broiler as hot as it will go.
  6. Thread the salmon onto skewers (soaked if they are bamboo).
  7. Cook under the grill for 1-2 minutes per side.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 532Total Fat: 33gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 25gCholesterol: 128mgSodium: 1386mgCarbohydrates: 10gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 47g

Calorific details are provided by a third-party application and are to be used as indicative figures only.

Did you make this recipe?

If you made this recipe, I'd love to see what you did and what I can do better, share a picture with me on Instagram and tag me @krumplibrian and tell me how it went!

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