This Salmon Tikka Masala is super flavorful, warm, and creamy, perfect to satisfy those curry cravings. Marinated salmon cooked along with tikka masala sauce on the stovetop or in an instant pot. Serve over basmati rice or enjoy with naan for a scrumptious dinner!
Adapted with permission from The Essential Indian Instant Pot Cookbook, copyright © 2018 by Archana Mundhe. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.
Since using the instant pot, I have shared many chicken and lentils/beans dishes, including Chicken Tikka Masala. I shared this delicious coconut shrimp curry but wanted to share more fish curry recipes on the blog.
When my friend Archana Mundhe’s new cookbook, The Essential Indian Instant Pot was released, she offered me to review and share a recipe with you all. I wanted to share this delicious Salmon Tikka Masala recipe from her book. It is finger-licking good, and I am sure you all will love it just as much.
This Indian fish curry with flavorful tikka masala sauce is perfect to satisfy those Indian curry cravings. We loved the curry, and my very picky daughter gobbled it up.
Table of Contents
Watch How to Make Salmon Tikka Masala
Ingredients
- Salmon: I use wild-caught skinless salmon in this recipe. You can use frozen wild-caught fish if you don’t have fresh. You can also use other fish, such as cod and tilapia.
- Spices: Turmeric, garam masala, red chili powder are used for marinating and in the curry, along with lemon juice.
- Aromatics: Use freshly grated ginger and minced garlic. I use diced yellow onions in this fish curry.
- Sauce: I use tomato puree and heavy cream. You can replace cream with full-fat canned coconut milk if you prefer a dairy-free option.
- Finishing: Add dried fenugreek leaves and garnish with fresh cilantro.
How to buy salmon?
I always prefer to buy wild-caught Alaskan salmon. Farmed salmon can be exposed to more chemicals than the wild-caught variety. Typically, wild salmon have fewer calories, saturated fat, and vitamins A and D than farmed salmon but contain more protein. For this fish curry, I bought fresh wild-caught salmon from Whole Foods.
Can you cook fish in an instant pot?
Of course, yes! The fear that most have is that instant pot will overcook the fish. The trick is to use larger pieces and steam the fish with the pot-in-pot method in the instant pot.
Pressure cooked fish is –
√ So tender and full of flavor
√ Cooks quickly without any monitoring
√ It can be cooked with curry or steamed vegetables once for a complete meal.
√ The biggie…no fish smell in the house.
How to make Salmon Tikka Masala Curry?
Let’s go through how to make this easy Salmon Curry. Before you start, gather the ingredients. Making a curry is much easier if you have all the ingredients ready.
Marinate the fish
The first step in a tikka masala recipe is to marinate the fish. This is the main difference from a Makhani (or Butter Masala) recipe, where marinating is not required.
Cut the fish into 2-3 inch pieces. Pat dry with a paper towel to avoid extra liquids. We will marinate the fish in ginger, garlic, lemon juice, and spices.
If you are cooking in the instant pot, I recommend marinating in a steel or oven-safe glass bowl that you can use for pot-in-pot cooking. Here is the link to the pot-in-pot container I use.
Instant Pot Method
Now, we will start making the instant pot salmon curry. Start by sautéing the onions in oil. Then, add minced ginger and garlic.
Then add the tomato puree and spices. Add water and stir well. Deglaze the pot and make sure nothing is stuck to the bottom of the pot.
This is an important step for the instant pot method so that the curry base does not burn.
Now place a trivet and the steel bowl with marinated salmon in the pot. You must use a tall trivet so the steel bowl does not sink into the curry.
Pressure cook the curry and the salmon. Then, quick release the pressure.
Carefully remove the steel bowl and trivet. I use these tongs to remove the hot bowl and trivet. Oven mitts can also be used to remove the bowl.
Stir in the heavy cream and dried fenugreek leaves.
Then, carefully pick the pieces of salmon and add them to the curry. Gently stir and cover them in the sauce. Don’t forget to add any leftover liquid from the bowl in which you cooked the fish to the curry.
Salmon Tikka Masala is ready.
Stovetop Method
Sear the Salmon: This step helps to seal the flavor of the marinated salmon tikka. I highly recommend not to skip this step. Heat oil in a medium pan or Dutch oven on medium-high flame. Then, arrange the marinated fish in a single layer. Let the fish sear on one side, then flip and cook for another 2 minutes until you see a char. This should total take about 5 minutes. Take the fish out in a plate and set aside.
Air Fryer option: You can also air fry the fish tikka and cook for 7 minutes at 380°F.
Bake option: Place a parchment paper and arrange the marinated salmon on a baking tray. Bake at 375°F for 15 minutes.
Make the sauce: In the same pan, add the onions and saute for 4-5 minutes. Then add the minced ginger and garlic and saute for another minute. (Note: if you like a smooth sauce, you can puree the onions at this time and add them back to the pan)
Add the tomato puree and spices. Stir well and cook for 2-3 minutes. Then add the water and cook for about 8 minutes on medium-low heat. Cover the pan and stir in between.
Stir in the heavy cream. Crush the dried fenugreek leaves between your palms and then add to the curry.
Add the salmon to the curry. Cook until you get a gentle boil, about 3 minutes.
While serving, garnish with cilantro. Enjoy with naan (we prefer garlic naan) and cumin rice.
Pro-tips
√ Do not skip marinating the salmon. It lets the fish soak in the flavor of the spices and cook in it, making it much more delicious.
√ You can also make this curry with other varieties of fish.
√ To make this dairy-free, you can use coconut milk instead of heavy cream.
√ Enjoy this fish tikka masala with steamed basmati rice or cumin rice (my preference) or with naan. Drizzle some lemon juice when serving.
√ Storing: You can store this curry in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Common Questions
Yes, one can of tomato puree is about 5-6 tomatoes. You can blend the tomatoes to a puree consistency and use them for this tikka masala sauce. Saute the sauce for 3-4 minutes after adding pureed tomatoes.
The above recipe shows how you can steam fish with the pot-in-pot method in the instant pot. I used marinated fish, but just fish with salt and pepper would work too.
With the pot-in-pot method, 3-4 minutes at high pressure works perfectly to cook salmon in the instant pot.
Salmon Tikka Masala (Instant Pot & Stovetop)
Video
Ingredients
For the marinade
- 1 tablespoon Lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 1 tablespoon Ginger, grated fresh
- 1 tablespoon Garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon Kashmiri red chili powder , or another mild red Chili powder
- 1 teaspoon Garam masala
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground turmeric (Haldi powder)
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1 1/2 pounds Salmon fillet, skinless, cut into 8 pieces
For the curry
- 1 tablespoon Oil , neutral
- 1 cup Yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 teaspoon Ginger, grated fresh
- 1 teaspoon Garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 cups Tomato puree, canned (do not use tomato paste)
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder, or another mild red Chili powder, adjust to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon Ground turmeric (Haldi powder)
- 1/2 teaspoon Garam masala
- 1/2 cup Water
- 1/2 cup Heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon Dried fenugreek leaves
- Cilantro leaves, chopped, for garnish
Instructions
To make the marinade:
- In a bowl, combine the lemon juice, ginger, garlic, chili powder, garam masala, turmeric, and salt and stir to mix. Add the salmon to the marinade and turn to evenly coat with the spices. Set aside. (Use a stainless steel bowl that will fit in the instant pot for that cooking method)
Instant Pot Method
- Select the high Sauté setting and heat the oil. Add the onion and salt and sauté until the onion turns translucent, about 5 minutes. Cover the pot with a glass lid (or other nonlocking lid that fits) to speed up the process. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté until aromatic, about 1 minute.
- Add the tomato puree, chili powder, turmeric, and garam masala. Press the Cancel button to turn off the Instant Pot. Pour in the water and stir well with a wooden spoon, nudging loose any browned bits from the pot bottom.
- Place a tall steam rack in the pot, making sure all of its legs are resting firmly on the bottom. Place the bowl of salmon on the rack.
- Secure the lid and set the Pressure Release to Sealing. Select the Pressure Cook or Manual setting and set the cooking time for 4 minutes at high pressure.
- Perform a quick release by moving the Pressure Release to Venting. Press the Cancel button to turn off the Instant Pot. Open the pot and, wearing heat-resistant mitts, remove the bowl of salmon to a trivet and remove the rack.
- Stir the heavy cream into the curry, then crush the fenugreek leaves with the palms of your hands to release the aromas and stir them in as well. Select the high Sauté setting and carefully add the salmon to the curry, turning it to evenly coat. Cook until the curry comes to a gentle boil and is heated through 2 to 3 minutes. Press the Cancel button to turn off the Instant Pot.
Stovetop Method
- Sear the Salmon: This step helps to seal the flavor of the marinated salmon tikka. I highly recommend not to skip this step. Heat oil in a medium pan or Dutch oven on medium-high flame. Then, arrange the marinated fish in a single layer. Let the fish sear on one side, then flip and cook for another 2 minutes until you see a char. This should total take about 5 minutes. Take the fish out in a plate and set aside.
- In the same pan, add the onions and saute for 4-5 minutes. Then add the minced ginger and garlic and saute for another minute. (Note: if you like a smooth sauce, you can puree the onions at this time and add them back to the pan).
- Add the tomato puree and spices. Stir well and cook for 2-3 minutes. Then add the water and cook for about 8 minutes on medium-low heat. Cover the pan and stir in between.
- Stir in the heavy cream. Crush the dried fenugreek leaves between your palms and then add to the curry.
- Add the salmon to the curry. Cook until you get a gentle boil, about 3 minutes.
Serving
- Garnish the curry with chopped cilantro leaves. Spoon the curry onto plates and serve with rice, naan, and lemon wedges.
Notes
Nutrition
If you like this recipe, check out other popular Indian Curry recipes:
Does this work with other fish types? And if so, which ones?
Hi Dr. Tess – Sure, you can use other fish types such as cod, tilapia, or halibut in this curry as well.
The curry burned before it even pressurized, leaving me without any sauce for the salmon. It very clearly did not have enough liquids (the whole bottom of my instant pot is burned).
Hi Laura – Sorry to hear that you got the burn when making this curry. Did you did add the water listed in the recipe to the sauce and also deglaze the pot by scraping off any brown bits of aromatics stuck to the bottom of the pot? You can surely add a little more liquid about 2/3 cup of water next time and make sure to deglaze the pot well.