Pan-seared Salmon in Tamarind Sauce

Monday, October 31, 2016

This is a quick take on how to cook a pan-seared salmon with a sauce of some kind. 

Farmed salmon is cheaper these days. They freeze well and defrost quickly. My Mum-in-law's helper will pack the fillets individually and we will take out a few on nights when we are doing a quick dinner.

This recipe is quick and simple. Pan-sear it. Set aside. Cook the sauce and then pour it over the salmon fillets. Garnish and serve.  

Pat dry your fillets. If it is still a bit cold on the inside, it's alright. Heat up a pan. Add a very thin layer of oil. Note that salmon is an oily fish and you really do not need  a lot of oil in the pan. You just need some to ensure the fish is not burned or stuck to the pan. Non-stick pan is good for this.

Dab dry you fillets. When the pan is heated, add the fillets, meat side first. I normally will just use my fingers  to place them on the pan. Move and slide it a bit to ensure that the flesh is not sticking to the pan. After a minute, turn it around and place the skin side on the pan. You want to crisp the skin as much as you can without overcooking the fish. Leave it on the pan for about one and a half minutes.

Now I should say that the time to cook through the fish depends on how thick the fillet is. I like the flesh to be creamy (slightly cooked) and skin to be crisped.

Remove the fillets an plate it.

Using the same oil in the pan, add some diced ginger and chillies. Meanwhile, mix the sauce: tamarind, fish sauce and kecap manis. Sour, sweet and salty, just balance the sauce to your liking. Add some hot water.

When the ginger and chillies has been fried for about 2 minutes, add the sauce. Give it a quick stir to mix and then immediately pour on the fillets. Garnish with spring onions and serve immediately.

There are many type of sauces you can make, depending on what you have in your larder or fridge.  You can hardly go wrong if you taste and mix the sauce beforehand. Use yellow onions and add garlic if you prefer.

This is a simple recipe. It can be done within half an hour.



Share This Story

Tags: , ,

You Might Also Like

4 comments

  1. nancyNovember 1, 2016 at 4:02 PM

    Hi, how much tamarind? fish sauce and kecap manis? do you use please? thanksies!

    ReplyDelete
  2. nancyNovember 1, 2016 at 4:26 PM

    Hi, how much tamarind? fish sauce and kecap manis? do you use please? thanksies!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Terry WongNovember 1, 2016 at 4:29 PM

    Try this ratio: A tbsp of tamarind, 1 tsp of fish sauce and 1 tbsp of kecap manis

    ReplyDelete
  4. nancyNovember 2, 2016 at 10:18 AM

    Got it, thanks!

    ReplyDelete

//]]>