Salmon Curry Recipe (Indian Style)

Treat yourself to a delicious and flavorsome Salmon Curry! This easy and quick Indian curry is made by simmering salmon in an amazingly delicious spicy and tangy curry. Serve this salmon curry over quinoa, steamed rice or flavored rice like Ghee Rice, Jeera Rice or with flatbreads like Chapati, roti, Naan, Paratha or parotta. Made in true South Indian style, this Salmon Curry uses only pantry staples like onions, tomatoes, spices and herbs. You don’t need any bottled or canned curry paste to make it.

Indian cuisine is diverse and is a reflection of various cultures and traditions. You will find every dish being made in numerous ways, with recipes varying by region, community and sometimes even by family.

This salmon curry is the way I make it at home and is not any region specific dish. I love this one particularly for the simplicity. It’s fairly healthy, minimally spiced and comes together in a flash!

For your convenience you can also make this ahead and refrigerate for up to 48 hours.

About Salmon Curry

Salmon curry is an Indian dish where pan seared salmon is cooked in a spicy and tangy curry base made with onions, tomatoes, garam masala, tamarind, herbs and coconut milk. Since this is a Southern style dish, ingredients like curry leaves, coconut milk and tamarind are used.

However if you are not accessible to these, you can still make this salmon curry by using the substitutes mentioned below.

Salmon does not absorb any flavors even if it is marinated. So I usually prepare the dish and rest it for 2 hours before serving. This is when the flavors are absorbed and enhanced.

I prefer to pan fry the salmon first until partially cooked before adding it to the simmering curry. This extra step enhances the flavor. However you can skip this step and add the uncooked salmon directly to the boiling curry. But I always feel this pan frying makes a huge difference.

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How to make Salmon Curry (Stepwise photos)

1. Rinse salmon well under running water. I cut 1 fillet to 2 pieces. Pat it dry with a kitchen tissue.

2. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan. When the oil turns hot place the salmon. Sprinkle salt, turmeric, red chilli powder and garam masala. Also add the curry leaves.

3. After 2 mins, I flipped them and sprinkled the spices along with salt.

4. When they are half cooked remove to a plate along with the curry leaves.

5. To the same pan, add the rest of the oil and let it heat. Add mustard seeds. When they pop, add chopped garlic and curry leaves. Fry the garlic until a nice aroma comes out.

6. Then add onions and green chilies. Fry until they turn golden.

7. Add tomatoes, salt, turmeric, red chilli powder, garam masala and coriander powder.

8. Saute until the tomatoes turn mushy and the masala leaves the sides of the pan. Then pour water and mix.

9. I also added the tamarind water. Add only half and if needed add the rest later. Mix and cook until the onions turn completely soft.

10. The curry should thicken yet be slightly runny. Taste test and add more salt and tamarind. When the curry turned thick, I poured thin coconut milk. If using thick coconut milk, do not add it now. Instead pour it later.

11. Mix well and place the salmon pieces in the curry. Regulate the flame to lowest heat. Cover the pan and cook until the salmon is done. Pour thick coconut milk if using. Mix gently and turn off the stove. Add some coriander leaves.

Rest the curry for atleast 2 hours for best flavors. Serve salmon curry with rice, naan or roti.

Pro Tips

Curry leaves: We love the flavor of curry leaves in this dish. So I use a generous amount of them. If you do not have then just skip them. There is no substitute for curry leaves. But add lots of fresh coriander leaves (cilantro) before finishing the dish.

Spice powders: I use garam masala and red chilli powder (ground red chilies) in this recipe. However it works pretty much the same way even if you replace them with any other curry powder. Just ensure you use a good aromatic powder.

Coconut milk: To make the salmon creamy, I have added a bit of coconut milk. Feel free to skip it or substitute with poppy seeds milk or cashew or nut milk. The curry tastes good even without any coconut milk. To make nut milk, add about 12 to 14 cashews to a grinder and make a fine powder. Pour water just enough to cover the powder and blend to a smooth thick milk.

Curry base: The base of this curry is made from scratch by sauteing onions, garlic and tomatoes. Followed by the spice powders. The dish has a chunky sauce. For a smoother gravy, you can blend the sauteed mixture.

Tamarind: Tamarind or a sour ingredient is a total game changer here. The curry should not be very tangy but should have a well balanced taste of heat, spice & tang. So add tamarind only as needed. If using tamarind concentrate start with a small quantity, as little as 1 teaspoon.

You can substitute tamarind with lemon juice or amchur powder. To use amchur, add 1 teaspoon just before finishing the dish. If using lemon juice, add 2 tablespoons when the temperature has come down a bit.

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