Salmon Curry

Mahhur Jaffrey served this salmon curry as a party dish for sixty at a benefit for her husband’s chamber music group. Incidentally, a friend of Indian descent made a similar dish at a potluck party. I was not a big fan of salmon and did not even try it. My family and I have developed a serious aversion toward salmon as we grew tired of it appearing on the menu of nearly every corporate or private function we attended. But when everyone raved about the salmon curry dish at the party, I changed my mind and took a bite. It was good. Can this recipe revive my family’s appetite for salmon?

The list of ingredients may be long, but the dish comes together quickly. First, marinade the salmon pieces with salt, cayenne pepper and turmeric. Prepare a poaching sauce consisted of brown mustard seeds, coriander, cumin, turmeric and curry powder, grated tomato, fennel and curry leaves, which takes about 10-15 minutes. This sauce can be made ahead. Then the salmon pieces are poached in the sauce for about 10 minutes in a single layer until they are cooked through. With very little fuss, but a great deal of energetic popping (from the tiny brown mustard seeds) at the start, the dish is ready to serve in short order.

Can salmon make a comeback? After making this dish, I’m convinced that salmon would stand a better chance at our dinner table, when it is hatched in a bed of tasty curry sauce.

Mahhur Jaffrey’s dishes will be featured at IHCC this week. Mustard seeds will be popping up everywhere. To see some of these exciting Indian dishes on the offer, please check the blogroll for details.