Recipe for Tandoori-Spiced Salmon Fillet with Sweet Potato Mash

As promised, today I am thrilled to share with you one of my new favorite recipes—and a meal that’s now a regular in my weekly dinner rotation! I mentioned yesterday when reviewing the cookbook Indian Superfood how this dish is both awesome and easy to make, and now you get a chance to make it, too. The below text is straight out of the cookbook—British spelling included—and the recipe is set up to serve as many as you wish (sounds odd, but you’ll see how it works below). Enjoy! —Jenn

Tandoori-Spiced Salmon Fillet with Sweet Potato and Green Pea Masala Mash Recipe

Wildfire is one word that comes to mind when I think of this recipe. Ever since I first created it, it has spread through my friends and beyond, even into Pakistan, setting everyone alight with ecstasy. It meant that, Asian mums who wouldn’t eat salmon, finding the omega-3 rich fish overwhelming in taste, could finally indulge themselves. Consequently, they also found it to be awesomely easy in preparation, almost too easy considering the great-tasting end product—and that’s the “secret” success story behind this recipe.

I guess my friends have never really given me a fair chance to put across to them the health benefits, so here goes. Research has shown that by eating at least one portion of salmon per week, we can decrease the likelihood of a heart attack, and sweet potato lowers insulin resistance in individuals who suffer from diabetes. You can make the salmon with or without the masala mash. I quite often have it with just a salad. With the masala mash, it’s a darn fine successor to Friday night fish and chips—and easier on the waistline too.

Ingredients for the Mash

Per person you will need:
10.5 oz sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into large bite-size pieces
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/3 tsp turmeric
1/3 tsp each chili powder and salt (both optional)
a handful of green peas (fresh or frozen)

Ingredients for the Salmon

Per person you will need:
1 tbsp tandoori masala powder*
1 tbsp cold water
5 ½ oz salmon fillet, skinned
2 tbsp low-salt steak seasoning
1 tbsp olive oil
green salad and lemon wedges, to serve

*Chef’s tip: Tandoori masala powder can be found at Indian grocery stores. If unavailable, substitute it with half a tablespoon of ground coriander, mixed with half a tablespoon of ground cumin.

Directions
1. Before you start, turn the oven on to heat at its maximum temperature setting with a baking tray placed inside.

2. Make the mash. Fill a deep saucepan with water and bring to the boil. Add the sweet potato pieces to the pan, return to boil, cover and cook for about 15 minutes or until the sweet potatoes are tender. Drain well and set aside. (To minimize the loss of nutrients, the sweet potatoes may be steamed or cooked in the microwave, instead of boiling.)

3. Pour the olive oil into a separate deep saucepan, add the cumin seeds and cook over a low-medium heat until the seeds begin to pop—this will take no longer than 2 to 3 minutes. Add the turmeric and cook for 20 seconds, stirring all the time. Add the chili powder and salt, if using, and cook for a further 20 seconds, mixing well.

4. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the cooked sweet potatoes to the spice mixture and mash well. Mix through the green peas, then cover, set aside and keep warm.

5. Prepare and cook the salmon. Mix the tandoori masala powder with the cold water and coat the salmon with this mixture. Sprinkle the steak seasoning on each side of the salmon (use more or less steak seasoning, to suit your taste).

6. Pour the olive oil into a frying pan and heat over a medium heat. When the oil is hot, place the salmon fillet into the frying pan and cook for 1 to 2 minutes on each side or until you have a golden crust both sides. Transfer the salmon to the hot baking tray. Bake at the top of the hot oven for 5 minutes.

7. Serve the salmon fillet and sweet potato mash immediately with a green salad and lemon wedges.

See? Easy and delicious! —Jenn

Some of the above text is an excerpt from the book Indian Superfood: Superfoods + Super Spices = Indian Superfood by Gurpareet Bains. Reprinted by permission of the publisher. Copyright © 2010.