Plenty of the recipes are for skewered meats, including Japanese yakitori or Thai satay, but in these tandoori salmon tacos, the salmon isn’t cooked on a stick. Cooking it on a flattop grill on your stove or under the broiler will lightly char the edges and complement the raita, a sauce you could use on countless wraps, tacos and sandwiches.
Tandoori Salmon Tacos
Sometimes it’s great to be given permission to cheat; do just that and buy a good quality tandoori paste. It will capture all the flavors of a decent Indian takeaway in a jar, meaning you can whip up a delicious dinner in minutes.
— Rosie Reynolds
2 tablespoons tandoori paste
1 tablespoon Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon ground coriander
4 (4-ounce) skin-on salmon fillets
2 red onions, cut into wedges
For the raita:
1/2 cucumber
Handful mint, finely chopped
Handful cilantro, finely chopped
1/2 garlic clove, crushed
3/4 cup Greek yogurt
1 lemon (1/2 juiced, 1/2 cut into wedges)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve:
4 tortillas or chapati
Shredded lettuce or spring greens
2 tomatoes, finely chopped
In a bowl, mix the tandoori paste, yogurt, oil and ground coriander. Add the salmon and turn to coat in the marinade, then add the onions and coat with a little marinade, making sure most of it stays on the fish. Set aside.
To make the raita, halve the cucumber lengthways and use a teaspoon to scoop out and discard the seeds, then chop the remaining flesh. Put in a bowl, then stir in the mint, most of the cilantro (reserving a little for garnish), the garlic, sugar, yogurt and lemon juice. Season and set aside.
Heat the grill to high. Put the salmon skin-side up on a baking sheet with the onions and grill for 4 minutes. Flip over and grill for a further 2 minutes, giving the onions a stir — remove any that are getting too charred; they should begin to soften but retain some crunch.
Heat the tortillas, flake the salmon over each and serve with the onions, lettuce, tomatoes, a big dollop of raita, any reserved herbs and a lemon wedge. Serves 4.
— Adapted from "Posh Kebabs: Over 70 Recipes for Sensational Skewers and Chic Shawarmas" by Rosie Reynolds (Quadrille, $19.99)
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