What is Tandoori?
Traditionally, tandoori refers to anything that has been cooked in a tandoor, or an Indian clay oven. This type of oven can get intensely hot, and creates dishes that are seared and crisp on the outside while staying juicy inside. I don’t own a traditional tandoor, but I can still make tandoori salmon using my oven! This recipe for baked tandoori salmon uses a traditional tandoori marinade of spices, lemon, and yogurt plus a standard oven preheated to 400°F/200°C to create a similar dish without any fancy equipment. If you like making Indian food at home, be sure to try my Butter Chicken, Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala, and Crispy Onion Bhaji recipes too! Zoe
Tandoori Salmon Recipe Highlights
Tandoori Salmon Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make this amazing baked tandoori salmon: Complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Salmon Filets: The marinade here will cover 1 ½ pounds of salmon fillets. You can leave the skin on or remove it. It’s up to you! This recipe works well with wild salmon or farm-raised salmon. Yogurt: Make the marinade using plain, unsweetened Greek yogurt. If you can find it, hung or strained yogurt is a bit more traditional. Lemon, Garlic, and Ginger: These ingredients should be fresh! Mince the garlic well and grate the ginger using a fine grater like a microplane. Dried Spices: Garam masala, coriander powder, cumin, paprika, turmeric, cayenne, and ground black pepper. Salt: Kosher salt will perfectly season the fish and bring out all of the amazing flavors.
How To Make Tandoori Salmon
Start out by preheating the oven to 400°F (200°C) or 180°C for a fan oven.
Recipe Tips
Check for pin bones. Even well-butchered salmon filets can have a few bones left behind. Feel for the bones using your hands and remove them with tweezers if you find any. Line the pan. The yogurt marinade on the fish will cause the filets to stick to the pan. To avoid this, line the pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper first! Adjust the cook time as needed. Depending on their size, your salmon filets may take a few fewer or extra minutes to cook. You can use a meat thermometer to check for doneness and remove the fish from the oven once it reaches 125-135°F (52-57°C). Resting is important! Allow the fish to sit undisturbed for a few minutes before serving it. This will ensure that the fish is tender and not dried out.
Storing Tips
While tandoori salmon is most delicious when enjoyed right away, leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. Cold leftover salmon will make a delicious wrap with yogurt flatbreads.
What To Serve With Tandoori Salmon
For a delicious meal, I suggest serving your Tandoori Salmon with Cumin Rice, sliced red onions for crunch, and extra lemon wedges. A creamy mint cilantro raita (yogurt sauce) is the ideal condiment. Simply mix a cup of Greek yogurt with as much chopped mint and coriander leaves as you like! Add two cloves of minced garlic and the juice from a lemon or a lime. Season to taste! You can also try my creamy cucumber yogurt sauce or tzatziki sauce.
Is Tandoori Salmon Spicy?
This recipe’s flavors are spiced but not necessarily hot. If you’re concerned about heat, you can leave out the cayenne pepper.
What temperature should I cook salmon to?
It depends on who you ask! The FDA recommends that salmon be cooked to 145°F/63°C, but many professional chefs prefer it to be cooked a bit less than that, to around 125°F/52°C.
How long does it take to bake salmon?
Using this method, with the oven at high heat, it only takes about 5 minutes to cook the salmon filets most of the way. We’ll finish the fish under the broiler for another 5 minutes, making the total cooking time about 10 minutes.
Should I remove the skin from Salmon Filets?
This is a personal preference. Leaving the skin on the salmon will give the fish more flavor, and help to keep the fish from falling apart. But if you remove the skin before cooking, the fish is easier to serve and to eat.
Can I Grill Tandoori Salmon?
You can! Marinate the fish as directed in the recipe, then cook it over a hot gas or charcoal grill. For more tips, follow the method I use in my Grilled Salmon with Lemon and Garlic recipe. You can also cut the salmon filets into smaller pieces and thread them onto skewers to make tandoori salmon kabobs.
What is the white stuff on cooked salmon?
While you are cooking your tandoori salmon, you might see some white “goo” coming out of the meat. This is totally normal! It’s a protein in the fish that solidifies when heated. This easy recipe for Tandoori Salmon is so simple to make at home in your oven! Save this recipe and enjoy it the next time you’re craving a really flavorful fish dinner. © Little Sunny Kitchen
