Wednesday, August 5, 2009

Salmon Fillets with a Tamarind Sauce

Wanting a recipe to use up some leftover tamarind concentrate in the fridge that I used to make chutney, I found this recipe for Salmon Fillets with a Tamarind Sauce from Fresh by Michele Cranston. Tamarind is the pod of a tree, native to Africa and now grown mostly in India, SE Asia, the Pacific Islands, Mexico and other warm climates. It is a souring agent, used in a variety of sweet and savory dishes to add a tangy note. You can find it in various forms; fresh, paste, water, or concentrate in many ethnic grocery stores. In keeping with the tropical vibe, I made some coconut-lime rice to serve it over for an easy summer dinner.  


Salmon Fillets with a Tamarind Sauce
Fresh, Michele Cranston
(Serves 4)

60 ml (1/4 cup) tamarind water
1 tsp fish sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp honey
4 x 140g (5 oz) salmon fillets, skin removed
1 Tbsp sesame seeds
steamed rice
coriander (cilantro) leaves
lime wedges

Put the tamarind water, fish sauce, sesame oil, soy sauce, and honey into a large glass or plastic bowl and stir together. Rinse the salmon fillets in cold water and pat them dry with paper towels, then add them to the tamarind mixture. Cover and marinate for an hour or overnight in the fridge.

Heat a nonstick pan over a high heat and sear the fillets, shaking off any excess marinade before you put them in the pan. When the fillets begin to brown, flip them over and reduce the heat.

Pour the remaining marinade into the pan and sprinkle the tops of the fillets with the sesame seeds. Simmer the fillets for 5-8 minutes or until they are just cooked through and the marinade has reduced to a thick sauce. Serve with rice, coriander leaves and lime wedges.


Notes/Results: Very Good. The tamarind makes it lightly tangy and the salmon was very moist. I used a nice wild sockeye salmon fillet and marinating the fish overnight in the tamarind sauce gave it lots of flavor. My tamarind is a concentrate so I mixed it with some water to thin it out a bit. For the rice I used Lotus Foods Kalijira Rice, which is a miniature long grain rice, like a smaller basmati, that comes from Bangladesh. It cooks in about 10 minutes and has a great, texture. After cooking the rice, I added some fresh coconut flakes and pieces, the zest of a lime and some sesame seeds. With a light salad, this was a quick, simple dinner, ready in about 20 minutes. A keeper recipe and a great way to work in some healthy Omega-3s. 

17 comments:

  1. I love tamarind. But I never would have thought to use it as part of a marinade for salmon, how inspired!
    Salmon is the king of fish, what a great way to showcase it.

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  2. Salmon is my favorite fish - broiled, grilled, poached, pan fried, etc. Combined with the right sauce its flavor can be mellowed and perfect.

    This sounds delish!

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  3. I have a container of tamarind paste that I bought in the Bahamas sitting in a box somewhere. I think you just provided me with a means of using it! Great recipe, especially since it uses my favorite fish.

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  4. love tamarind and fish Indians use it a lot

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  5. This sounds and looks delicious. Wonderful use of tamarind!

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  6. The salmon sounds excellent, love the addition of tamarind here!

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  7. I really wish I could eat fish! I'll have to try the sauce on some grilled chicken :)

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  8. This sounds delicious, Deb. I really like tamarind, but don't actually use it very often. And every once in a while I just crave a Tamarindo Soda!!

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  9. Tamarind is the one ingredient we've wanted to buy and keep on hand. There have been so many times we could've add a dollop here or there. With salmon, it's probably great.

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  10. Oh yum! I keep saying that I want to cook more salmon, but I really must!

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  11. You had me at fish sauce - I love the sweet, sour, salty combination. Soooo much flavour.

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  12. What a great combination of ingredients. I love tamarind and its elusive sour taste, so thanks for a great idea.

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  13. have eaten tamarind by itself but never as a sauce, sounds delicious!

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  14. I love having different salmon recipes. This one with Tamarind looks good.

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  15. I love tamarind - this looks really good!

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  16. I just picked up some tamarind paste! Perfect timing!

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