Grilled salmon in garlic cream spinach sauce with garam masala is a fusion dish that marries the richness of classic flavors with a bold Indian twist. The grilled salmon, with its crispy exterior and juicy, flaky interior, pairs beautifully with the creamy garlic-infused spinach sauce. What makes this dish unique is the addition of garam masala, a fragrant blend of spices that lends warmth and depth to the cream sauce. The garam masala subtly enhances the garlic and spinach, bringing an aromatic complexity that complements the salmon’s natural flavors. This dish is a delightful fusion of Western and Indian culinary traditions, offering both comfort and exotic flair on a single plate.
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Things you need:
Garlic pods—chopped … 4-7
Ginger—chopped … 1inch piece
Cooking oil … few tbsp
Cooking cream
Chopped frozen spinach
Mustard paste
Korean samsang (bean) paste for the umami flavor (not obligatory)
Garam masala, Salt, Chili powder … as per taste
500gm Salmon fillet
I usually buy fresh salmon fillet from the local Makro store and cut them into 500gm pieces and freeze them. Buying fresh salmon fillets and freezing them for emergencies offers several advantages. First, it allows me to enjoy high-quality, nutritious fish at your convenience, ensuring a quick and healthy meal is always available. It also helps reduce food waste, as you can portion and store the fillets for future use, preventing spoilage. Additionally, keeping frozen salmon fillets on hand saves time on meal planning and grocery trips, making it easy to prepare a delicious, protein-rich dish whenever needed.
I usually take the salmon fillet out of the freezer and let it thaw for 10hours before cooking.
I also use chopped frozen spinach for this recipe. I have tried this recipe with fresh spinach and actually I prefer the frozen version.
I use a dash of garam masala. Usually, any Indian garam masala is tasty – I had this open, and it did the trick 😉
I usually prefer a nice and strong mustard paste. Usually, in India cuisine they use fresh mustard seeds, but I have realised that I can use a nice strong mustard paste and it tastes quite well actually.
For that special umami flavor I use a dash of Ssamjang paste. It is a korean fermented bean paste. This is optional…
I chop the garlic and ginger fine
First step is to take a thick bottomed non-stick pan and grill the fish face down. I let it cook for 5 minutes, and around 80% cooked.
I take it out of the pan, and season it with masala and salt
To make the spinach sauce I start by frying garlic and ginger
Then add the frozen spinach
along with SSamjang and mustard paste. I usually add a spoon of each, but it is upto your taste. I cover this and let the spinach gel with the garlic, ginger, mustard…to become a nice consistent paste
I use 200gm of cooking cream
I let it cook for a couple of minutes, before adding the salmon. This time I add the salmon with the skin at the bottom… to ensure it cooks on this side too
I let it cook for 2-4 minutes, and make a cut to see that the salmon is completely cooked before turning the flame off. I avoid overcooking my fish as it becomes dry…
In less than 30 minutes, you have a delicious and healthy meal ready for you