Pan-Fried Salmon With Green-Coconut Chutney

By Nik Sharma

Pan-Fried Salmon With Green-Coconut Chutney
Nik Sharma for The New York Times (Photography and Styling)
Total Time
25 minutes
Rating
4(172)
Notes
Read community notes

Coastal flavors from India permeate this crispy-skin salmon. The coconut chutney carries the buzz of ginger and green chile, while a drizzle of tadka — a hot, bright red oil infused with mustard seeds, curry leaves and Aleppo flakes — is the crowning glory of the dish. For perfectly crisp skin, resist the urge to fidget with the fish until the appropriate amount of time has passed; the skin will start to crisp at the edges and the fillet will release with ease. Use fresh or frozen coconut to make the chutney. (Desiccated coconut simply doesn’t work as well here.) You can use freeze-dried curry leaves instead of fresh, but you might need to double or even triple the amount, as their intensity is noticeably weaker in comparison.

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Ingredients

Yield:2 servings

    For the Chutney

    • 1cup packed fresh or frozen (thawed) grated coconut
    • 1cup packed cilantro stems and leaves
    • 1fresh, hot green chile, such as a serrano or Thai chile, stemmed
    • 2tablespoons grated fresh ginger
    • 2tablespoons lime juice
    • Kosher salt

    For the Salmon

    • 2skin-on salmon fillets (about 6 ounces each)
    • 1tablespoon ghee or unsalted butter
    • 1tablespoon olive oil
    • Kosher salt

    For the Tadka

    • 2tablespoons grapeseed or canola oil
    • 1teaspoon black or brown mustard seeds
    • 10 to 12fresh curry leaves (or 25 to 36 dried curry leaves)
    • 1teaspoon red-pepper flakes, such Maras, Urfa or Aleppo
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)

754 calories; 63 grams fat; 23 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 23 grams monounsaturated fat; 12 grams polyunsaturated fat; 11 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 37 grams protein; 656 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Prepare the chutney: In a food processor, blend the coconut, cilantro, chile, ginger and lime juice with 2 to 3 tablespoons of water for a couple of seconds to get a coarse mixture. Add a little water (about 1 tablespoon) if needed to loosen. If you prefer a smoother texture, blend the ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth. Taste and season with salt. Transfer to a bowl. (This chutney can be made a day in advance and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.)

  2. Step 2

    Prepare the salmon: Place the salmon skin-side down on paper towels. Heat the ghee and oil together in a medium skillet over medium and swirl the pan to coat the surface well. When the pan is hot, season the fillets on both sides with salt and place them in the skillet, skin-side down. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let the fish cook undisturbed for 8 minutes, until the edges of the skin start to turn crispy and golden brown.

  3. Step 3

    Tilt the skillet slightly and, using a spoon, collect the hot fat that collects at the edge and ladle it over the top of the fish several times. Continue basting the fish until the tops turn opaque and a digital thermometer inserted into the center of the fish reads 125 degrees, about 2 minutes. (The exact cooking time will vary depending on the thickness of the fillet.) Use a spatula or a pair of kitchen tongs to carefully release the fish from the pan. (It should release easily if the skin is crisp.)

  4. Step 4

    To serve, divide the chutney between two serving plates. Place the cooked fish on top, skin-side up.

  5. Step 5

    Prepare the tadka: Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium. When the oil is hot, drop in one or two mustard seeds; they should sizzle if the oil is hot enough. Add the remaining mustard seeds and swirl. The seeds should pop, and turn fragrant in 30 to 45 seconds. Add the curry leaves and cover the saucepan with a lid, swirl the contents of the saucepan, cook for 15 seconds until the curry leaves release their aroma. Remove from heat, add the red-pepper flakes and let the mixture sit for 1 minute. Pour the oil and spices over the fish and the chutney. Serve immediately.

Ratings

4 out of 5
172 user ratings
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Private Notes

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Cooking Notes

Stephanie

I am sure they won’t have the same effect, but can one use dried curry leaves in place of the fresh curry leaves? I don’t have access to fresh curry leaves, unless I order online.

Dk

Hope some home or pro chefs who have made this chutney with dried coconut write in to share their methods -- eg presoaking, large or small cut coconut, addition of coconut or other oil ... or just forging ahead with the dried coconut as written ( Despite Nik Sharma's caveat not to do so) . I've used fresh coconut in other similar recipes, but find it adds a lot of time to the preparation.

Deepti

Just to clarify, the tadka *can be* a "hot, bright red oil", but not exclusively so. This is just one kind. Tadka is the technique of tempering, whereby whole spices, powders, chillies or leaves are roasted briefly in a hot oil or ghee to release flavours before being poured over the dish. If red chilli goes into it, it'll be red, but if it's a curry leaf and chana dal tadka, there won't be much of a colour at all, certainly not red.

Liz B.

The chutney is great but did not come out as intended. I could only find frozen coconut puree, so it was somewhat watery with very little coconut flavor; my chutney ended up pretty thin, although the gingery kick was nice - no pepper as my toddler was eating it. It was a great accompaniment to the salmon. However, the method for crispy skin didn't work - maybe my salmon was too thick, but it ended up oily and took forever to cook. Went without tadka as extra oil was really not needed.

Hayley Arnold

I ended of using dried coconut and it was still delicious. "Restaurant quality" said my family. Couldn't find curry leaves on short notice so just sprinkled some curry powder for the tasks.

Marcel

When making this recipe for the second time I was surprised to find that the chutney was made with coconut. The first time I used a cup of frozen peas by mistake and it was great. Since I have not found frozen coconut locally and using fresh seems like a pain I will stick to using my frozen peas!

Doug Gann

Out of 100 recipes on the NY Times tried so far, this is only one of two that have seriously let me down. I went with the fresh coconut. Followed the recipe to the letter. A huge effort, with results not worth what you can purchase is a sealed pouch at your local supermarket for 1/6th the price and none of the pointless effort.

BJ

Dried/desiccated coconut has a more intense and very different flavor from fresh or frozen coconut. I would not use it for this chutney - it could end up being too overpowering a flavor. I use shredded frozen coconut for most of my chutneys and for making coconut milk. It's easy to thaw in the refrigerator and use. Freeze dried curry leaves are okay to use, they will flavor the oil well. You will just need to use more and remove some of the leaves before serving.

Deepti

Just to clarify, the tadka *can be* a "hot, bright red oil", but not exclusively so. This is just one kind. Tadka is the technique of tempering, whereby whole spices, powders, chillies or leaves are roasted briefly in a hot oil or ghee to release flavours before being poured over the dish. If red chilli goes into it, it'll be red, but if it's a curry leaf and chana dal tadka, there won't be much of a colour at all, certainly not red.

Bill

I freeze curry leaves. I find they retain flavor better that way!

Sudha Bidani

I could marinate the fish with red pepper flakes and/or add the spices to the frying oil instead and not worry about the Tadka, just adds too much oil to the dish.

Kaycee

Can the green chutney be frozen?

Dk

Hope some home or pro chefs who have made this chutney with dried coconut write in to share their methods -- eg presoaking, large or small cut coconut, addition of coconut or other oil ... or just forging ahead with the dried coconut as written ( Despite Nik Sharma's caveat not to do so) . I've used fresh coconut in other similar recipes, but find it adds a lot of time to the preparation.

Banashree

I did use skim milk to soak dry coconut flakes. Albeit the texture is not same as fresh ones but that's what I have. My opinion is, it is better than nothing!

Anu

Can you not find frozen coconut? That feels like the optimum balance between time and taste to me.

Stephanie

I am sure they won’t have the same effect, but can one use dried curry leaves in place of the fresh curry leaves? I don’t have access to fresh curry leaves, unless I order online.

Banashree

I keep curry leaves in the freezer and use them when needed.

Annie

It says in the recipe that you can use dried but to use more than you would fresh. I'm sure they'd be just as good or almost as good as fresh. I'm lucky enough to have an Indian grocery nearby and when I'm there, I buy fresh curry leaves on their stalks. Back home, I pull off the leaves and then store them in the freezer. They freeze very well. Shame that I didn't pick up frozen coconut too while I was there. I'll give this a go with desiccated even though the writer says not to: #Covidmakingdo

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