Sri Lankan Salmon Curry

I love fish and I eat a fair bit - well, lots of it.  Smoked salmon on corn crackers (100% corn - who knew?), hot-smoked trout in salads, salmon pieces baked in the oven, or flaked into stir-fries, sardines smooshed onto toast, barramundi made into - well, you know, you've read my posts.  You name it, I'm there.  

So I made this fishy curry for Cookbook Club, 'cos they were all doing Pressure Cooker recipes (I don't have one).  We have an all-year theme also, which is any recipe from Delicious magazines or books.  This recipe is from the Delicious mag., May 2014.  There are so many recipes I want to try from this mag.  To parody musician Frank Zappa: "so many recipes, so little time."   

fishy deliciousness

Serves  4:

ingredients:

2 garlic cloves

3cm/1.2 inch piece of fresh ginger, sliced

2 tsp of panch phora (aka phoran)  AND of whole coriander seeds

1 Tbs Madras curry powder (they say mild, I say medium)

2 small green chillies, chopped

2 Tbs sunflower oil (or any neutral oil)

1 onion, chopped

4 tomatoes, chopped into small pieces

10 curry leaves

1/2-1 tsp sea salt flakes (test for saltiness; add more if you please)

1 bunch broccolini  (add some snowpeas too for extra greens)

270 mL/9 oz can coconut milk

125 mL/4.2 oz water

600g./21 oz skinless salmon fillets, cut into 3cm pieces

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Shredded coconut, lime wedges, chutney and warmed roti or naan bread, to serve  (I had garlic naan)

Method:

First make your curry paste, either in a mortar and pestle (eek!) or throw the garlic, ginger, spices and chilli into your food processor, and zap till well-blended

Add the oil to a deep frypan or saucepan over medium heat, and cook up the onion for several minutes

Now add the curry paste into the pan and stir in for a few minutes

Tip in the tomatoes, curry leaves, salt and veg., and cook for a couple of minutes

In go the coconut milk and water; bring to a simmer, add the salmon and let it cook till the fish is just right for you (I like mine tender and just done)

Check for seasoning; add more salt and some pepper if you fancy

Sprinkle on the coconut, and serve with the lime wedges, chutney and warmed bread

Notes:

I bought 660 grams of salmon with skin-on, which ended up as 520 grams after skinning (it was fine)

I used green cayenne chillies, which were soooo mild.  Next time I'll go for hotter ones, and a medium curry powder

spices from Herbie's (not an ad.)

ingredients gathered

zap your paste

zapped!

chop those onions

frying up the onion, curry paste, leaves and tomato

in goes the fish - look how juicy!

serve with warmed bread (and my homemade mango chutney on the side)

just a few recipes I want to try from this one :=)

c. Sherry M.

Another childhood story: Dad was crippled from childhood polio; mum went out to work. One day we came home from school, to find our young cat deceased.  Dad said the neighbours down in the valley below us had shot her; it wasn't till many years later that my brother told me Dad had actually taken a pot-shot at her in a Sherry-ridden haze (the drink, not me!).  He saw her eyes glowing red in the darkness under our house!!  Maybe he thought she was the Devil incarnate :=)