Monday, November 26, 2018

Tomato Kashundi Salmon -- salmon baked with mustard and tomato

Kashundi Salmon Bhapa
After oven

S
ince I have come back, from my short trip to India, I have been super jetlagged. The lethargy has seeped into my bones as has the cold, and so every day, I strive to find easy recipes to make for dinner.

Easy, Easier, Easiest -- has become my motto.

You might look at me with pity and cook your own very difficult chotol maach er muithya from scratch but that is not going to deter me. I will stick to my easy and quick recipes for now. My eldest daughter who takes baking very seriously thinks baking a cake from a box is blasphemy. She doesn't know about me. Yet!

So this recipe is an upgrade of my old recipe called Shorshe Salmon Jhaal. I mean it's an easier oven baked version.
And I don't know if Tomato Kashundi is a thing, given that Tomato is not a native of Bengal. I just made a mustard paste with tomato, garlic, green chili and called it Tomato Kashundi. It is a pretty good mustard paste but I don't think it has shelf life like regular Kashundi

We all love salmon and we love it more when it is bangla-fied. If you don't get salmon, don't fret, use any other fish that you use in a Bhapa recipe (steamed fish). No, leave Ilish alone. Use something like Bhetki, Basa or even Arh fish I think.

Before going in oven


Tomato Kashundi Salmon

When I buy salmon fillet I ask the skin to be removed. Then I cut each fillet in 3"x 3" squares. Okay, maybe some other dimension but small squares or rectangles. Toss the pieces with turmeric powder, and salt and keep aside. I had about 8 pieces of salmon fillet, each 3" x 3"

Tomato Kashundi is not really a thing but we will make it like this
Soak
2 tbsp Mustard seeds
1 tsp Poppy seeds
in a tbsp water for 30 mins -- to 1 hr

Make a paste of
the mustard + poppy seeds
2-4 fat clove of garlic (depending on how potent your garlic is)
1 medium tomato
2 green chilli
1 tbsp Mustard Oil
salt to taste
with a splash of water if needed

Pre-heat oven to 275 F. I have used a counter-top toaster oven for this dish so cooking time may vary with regular oven at same temp.

Grease an oven safe baking dish with few drops of olive oil (or any oil).

Arrange the pieces of salmon in a single layer

Next add the Tomato-Kashundi paste you made. Gently toss all of the fish pieces with the paste.

Chop a small tomato and arrange it on top of the fish. Add some slit green chili for color.

Drizzle 1tbsp more Mustard Oil if you want it more delicious.

Now cover the baking dish and put it in the oven. Set the timer to 30 mins.

After 30mins, the fish will be definitely cooked but the mustard paste will look little watery. If you are ok with it that is fine.
I want a clingy sauce. So I open the cover on the baking dish and put it back in the oven (lowered at 250 F) for 10-15 more minutes.

While serving add some fresh coriander leaves and few drops of Mustard Oil. So delicious.




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8 comments:

  1. Hello Bong Mom. I have been a follower of your blog for many years. You might be interested in this academic book that I have recently published: https://www.rowmaninternational.com/book/homemaking/3-156-90211686-b66c-44e9-b468-c3ed06b03c95 I talk about your blog and your book in one of the chapters. Thank you for your recipes, inspiration and general enjoyment. Best regards, Anindya Raychaudhuri (ar220@st-andrews.ac.uk)

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    Replies
    1. That is indeed wonderful. Is it Ch 3? Would you mind sending me a digital copy of the chapter? Thanks much

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  2. Hi Sandeepa,


    Another mind blowing recipe. I however made salmon baked in mustard paste before. Now I m gonna try this version as well. Am sure it’s going to be delicious ��.

    I have a question which I had for a long time now. In USA, all the mustard oils are labeled as “For external use” or “For massage only”. I am so skeptical about using it in the cooking. Back in home mustard oils are never labeled like this. My question is do you use these external use only oils or did you get a brand that says cooking oil in it??

    Many thanks in advance. ��

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    Replies
    1. Yeah, the warning is some FDA regulation due to some animal study. It is a warning only though. You can still use it for cooking. I use the Tez or Dabur brand of Mustard Oil for cooking. https://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/02/dining/american-chefs-discover-mustard-oil.html

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    2. Thanks, I had the same question. I asked a cashier and she had no idea!

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  3. Can we omit garlic? Shorshe has such a lovely aroma on its own after all....? ASking coz Swapan has decided he hates garlic and smells it even if it isn't there!!

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    Replies
    1. You sure can. You are a master chef yourself Reshmi!

      The garlic with shorshe is something I came across in a Oriya fish recipe called Maacha Besara. But I usually add only a teeny bit. In this case, where it is baked in the oven, the garlic actually lends a nice layer to the shorshe. If I had done as a jhaal, maybe this amount would be overpowering.

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  4. The low heat slow cook on the salmon has changed our lives... I have been marinating salmon in kasundi mixed with some yoghurt, I have tried a butter sauce as well and they were both phenomenal. Thank you

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