This Indian spiced baked salmon recipe is super flavorful and is incredibly easy to make! Seasoned with warmth of ginger, fresh chillies and black pepper, it's elevated by the rich aroma of coconut oil and curry leaves. Perfect for a light weeknight dinner with a side of roasted vegetables or fragrant cumin spiced basmati rice. It is excellent for meal prep! You can cook the salmon in an oven or air fryer, I am including both methods in this post.
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Confession- I did not like salmon for many years after coming to the United States. I was used to eating white fresh water fish back in India and almost always ended up comparing the taste and texture.
However, after my kids were born, I pushed myself to include indian style fish dishes regularly in our meals and slowly adapted salmon to work in those treasured recipes. It became our family favorite ! It took me a while to learn how to cook salmon right (if you struggle too, I have plenty of tips later in the post). But, once you do it right, it's firm, meaty texture stays wonderfully moist and flaky!
About My Recipe
- I prepare a fresh ground masala paste with aromatics like shallots, ginger, garlic, curry leaves, chillies and spices. The inspiration comes from south indian style "fish fry" dishes where a similar freshly ground masala is stone-ground and rubbed on seafood before pan frying. Here, I bake or air fry the fish instead which makes this recipe quite hands-off but still preserving the bold flavor.
- Fresh curry leaves or kadi patty are an integral part of the flavor we are trying to achieve. They are easily available in Indian grocery stores or online. Unfortunately there's no substitute. But, if you cannot find them, I recommend you add herbs like cilantro leaves or even tender cilantro stems can help bring forward a herbaceous freshness.
- I intentionally keep ground spices to a minimum to avoid shifting the flavor profile toward a tandoori-style salmon. Instead, this recipe highlights the depth and brightness of fresh ingredients.
- During multiple recipe testing rounds, I figured that a "low and gentle" baking at 350F brings out an ultra moist salmon instead of blasting it at 400F. Not
- Since I posted it originally, I have now started including couple tablespoons of yogurt in the masala - its rich creamy tang really flavors well with taste of salmon.
Ingredients
How to Make Spicy Baked Salmon
- Begin by preparing the wet masala by adding shallots, ginger, garlic, chilies, curry leaves, lemon juice, salt, coconut oil, black pepper and turmeric to a small blender. Blend until thick & smooth. The lemon juice and coconut oil should be enough to grind. Avoid adding water. Taste and make sure that the masala is quite intense and sharp salty- this will make sure that the fish is going to be seasoned well.
- Place the salmon skin side down on a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment. Pat dry using a paper towel.
- Generously brush the masala all over the salmon. Leave for 10 minutes on the kitchen counter while you preheat the oven.
Cook in one of the following ways
Oven Baked Salmon
Preheat your oven to 350F. Bake the salmon in middle rack for 12-18 minutes. To check for doneness, gently press or twist the salmon flesh using a fork, it should easily flake, look opaque and separate into layers. If you like charred edges, you may broil for additional 1-2 minutes.
Air fryer Baked Salmon
Preheat air fryer to 400F. Spray or brush the air fryer basket/wire with some oil to prevent the skin from sticking. Place the salmon skin side down on the basket. If using portions, place in a single layer. Air fry for 7-10 minutes. Check if salmon has fully cooked as explained above else air fry for additional 1-2 minutes.
Salmon Cooking Temperature (Food Safety)
Using meat thermometer :- USDA recommends cooking fish to an internal temperature of 145 degree F (63degrees C). Check the temperature in the thickest part of the fish. Once you remove from the heat, salmon will still continue to cook in carryover heat.
Serving & Storage
- Serve as a side to steamed rice and dal (lentils) .
- You can also add it to rice or quinoa bowls with vegetables of choice.
- You can turn it into tacos, wraps or add to salads.
- One of my favorite ways it to pair it with roasted broccoli, zucchi or asparagus.
Store the salmon refrigerated for 3-4 days. To reheat simply heat up microwave for 30-45 seconds.
Tips for Perfect Baked Salmon Every Time
- Dry the salmon surface for better texture. This helps the masala stick properly and also prevents steaming in the oven.
- I cannot stress enough about how much better room temperature salmon cooks. If you do not have 30 minutes, just 15 minutes out of the fridge before beginning to cook will help the fish cook evenly. Also, I noticed that the albumin leakage(the white protein) is lesser.
- Marinate the salmon after rubbing it with masala for a little longer (20 minutes) if possible. Seriously better flavor!
- Each salmon fillet varies in thickness and size. Please adjust the baking time In the recipe accordingly. I usually check for doneness using a fork. When you are choosing a fillet at the store, try to go for as uniform thickness fillets or portion as possible, this makes sure that the salmon cooks evenly.
- Lastly, I just feel that salmon bakes better with skin on. Skin oils contribute to deliciousness of bottom layer where we do not put the masala.You can peel away the skin before serving.
Spicy Indian Baked Salmon Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb salmon (or cut into 2 inch thick portions)
- 1 shallot roughly chopped
- 1 inch ginger roughly chopped
- 4-5 garlic cloves roughly chopped
- 10 curry leaves skip if not available
- 3 indian green chillies (super hot) adjust to taste substitute with any hot green pepper like 1-2 Serrano or thai bird eye chilies
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1.5 tablespoon coconut oil
- 2 tablespoon greek yogurt or thick curd
Spices
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
- ¾ teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- ¼ teaspoon garam masala
Instructions
Prepare The Wet Masala (Fresh Spice Paste)
- Add shallots, ginger, garlic, chilies, curry leaves, lemon juice, salt, coconut oil, and all the spices to a small blender jar. Blend until you get a fine paste that's thick & smooth. The yogurt, lemon juice and coconut oil should be enough while grinding. Avoid adding water. Taste and make sure that the masala is quite intense and sharp salty- this will make sure that the fish will be seasoned very well.
- Place the salmon skin side down on a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment. Pat dry using a paper towel.
- Generously brush the masala all over the salmon. Leave for 10 minutes on the kitchen counter. You will have some leftover spice paste that you can refrigerate for 5-6 days and use for marinades.
- Cook The Salmon in ONE of the following ways
- Oven Method Preheat your oven to 350F. Bake the salmon in middle rack for 12-18 minutes. To check for doneness, gently press or twist the salmon flesh using a fork, it should easily flake, look opaque and separate into layers. If you like charred edges, you may broil for additional 1-2 minutes.
- Air FryerPreheat air fryer to 400F. Spray or brush the air fryer basket/wire with some oil to prevent the skin from sticking. Place the salmon skin side down on the basket. If using portions, place in a single layer. Air fry for 7-10 minutes. Check if salmon has fully cooked as explained above else air fry for additional 1-2 minutes.
Notes
- Dry the salmon surface for better texture. This helps the masala stick properly and also prevents steaming in the oven.
- I cannot stress enough about how much better room temperature salmon cooks. If you do not have 30 minutes, just 15 minutes out of the fridge before beginning to cook will help the fish cook evenly. Also, I noticed that the albumin leakage(the white protein) is lesser.
- Marinate the salmon after rubbing it with masala for a little longer (20 minutes) if possible. Seriously better flavor!
- Each salmon fillet varies in thickness and size. Please adjust the baking time In the recipe accordingly. I usually check for doneness using a fork. When you are choosing a fillet at the store, try to go for as uniform thickness fillets or portion as possible, this makes sure that the salmon cooks evenly.
- Lastly, I just feel that salmon bakes better with skin on. Skin oils contribute to deliciousness of bottom layer where we do not put the masala.You can peel away the skin before serving.
- Serve as a side to steamed rice and dal (lentils) .
- You can also add it to rice or quinoa bowls with vegetables of choice.
- You can turn it into tacos, wraps or add to salads.
- One of my favorite ways it to pair it with roasted broccoli, zucchi or asparagus.
- Store the salmon refrigerated for 3-4 days. To reheat simply heat up microwave for 30-45 seconds.
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