Keralan Black Treacle Salmon
- 10m Prep Time
- 20m Cook Time
- 30m Ready In
Salmon fillets are poached then simmered in a South Indian-style sauce with tomatoes, treacle, and spices, finished with spinach, pomegranate seeds, and cilantro.
Ingredients
- 2 green cardamom pods crushed
- fresh root ginger
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- 4 skinned salmon fillets
- 0.5 lemon
- 44.4 ml vegetable oil
- 1 small green chilli pierced
- 14.8 ml yellow mustard seeds
- 200 g canned chopped tomatoes
- 1.23 ml ground turmeric
- 2.46 ml chilli powder
- 14.8 ml black treacle/molasses
- 100 g spinach washed and shredded
- 0.5 lemon juice of
- 2.46 ml salt
- 29.6 ml pomegranate seeds
- 0.5 bunch fresh coriander/cilantro roughly chopped
Nutrition (per serving, estimated)
Estimated based off 13 of 18 identified ingredients (per 100 g food data, scaled by amount).
Vitamins & minerals
- Calcium: 381 mg
- Iron: 6.98 mg
- Magnesium: 149 mg
- Phosphorus: 615 mg
- Potassium: 1628 mg
- Zinc: 4.67 mg
Let's Prepare
Collect
Gather these ingredients — no prep needed yet.
- fresh root ginger
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- 4 skinned salmon fillets
- 0.5 lemon
- 44.4 ml vegetable oil
- 14.8 ml yellow mustard seeds
- 200 g canned chopped tomatoes
- 1.23 ml ground turmeric
- 2.46 ml chilli powder
- 14.8 ml black treacle/molasses
- 2.46 ml salt
- 29.6 ml pomegranate seeds
Prepare
- Crush 2 green cardamom pods
- 1 small green chilli, pierced
- 100 g spinach, washed and shredded
- 0.5 lemon, juice of
- 0.5 bunch fresh coriander/cilantro, roughly chopped
Let's Cook
-
Step 1.
In a large pot over high heat, combine the crushed cardamom pods, ginger, garlic, cinnamon stick, and 1 liter (4¼ cups) water. Bring to a boil.
-
Step 2.
Reduce the heat to low, add the salmon fillets, ensuring they are fully submerged. Cover and simmer gently for 5 minutes, until the salmon is cooked through and tender. Remove the salmon from the liquid and set aside to cool.
-
Step 3.
While the salmon cools, heat the vegetable oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the pierced green chilli and yellow mustard seeds; fry until the seeds pop and turn dark brown, about 1–2 minutes.
-
Step 4.
Reduce the heat to medium. Add the chopped tomatoes, ground turmeric, chilli powder, and black treacle. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly.
-
Step 5.
Add the shredded spinach, lemon juice, and salt. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring, until the spinach has wilted.
-
Step 6.
Add the poached salmon to the pan and cook for 5 minutes, gently turning once, until the salmon is heated through and coated with sauce.
-
Step 7.
Just before serving, sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and chopped fresh coriander.