Salmon Daal

Ingredient Notes

These notes are here to help make this recipe a success; they cover some but not all ingredients. For a complete ingredient list, check out the recipe card below.

Salmon fillets: You can use fresh or frozen skinless salmon fillets for this recipe, but ensure they are thoroughly defrosted if frozen. My fillets are roughly 6oz/170g each. 
Broth: You can use chicken or vegetable broth for the daal. Both will add a lovely flavor. If you don't have broth, just use cold tap water, but you may need to add more salt at the end of cooking. 
Oil: Any neutral oil is fine here. Or, if you have it available, you can use ghee. 
Onions: I use regular brown onions. You can also use a yellow or white onion. 
Garlic: The recipe has lots of garlic in it (8 cloves in total), but as with all my recipes, measure garlic with your heart. 
Curry leaves: If you can't find these, the daal will still be delicious, but they add great flavor. You can often find them in those plastic envelopes in the fresh herb section. Or look for bigger bags of them dried near the Indian section of the grocery store. 
Dried split red lentils: These are the little red ones you can find in all grocery stores. They are pictured below. You can also find them in Indian grocers labeled masoor dhal. 
Ground fennel:You can find this in larger grocery stores or online. It is a beautiful spice often used in Indian and Italian dishes. If you can't find it, just leave it out.

The Tarka

Also known as a Tadka, this is a sizzling flavored oil that's poured over the finished dish. It is an optional step, but totally worth it. Firstly, fry some thin half-moons of onion in oil over medium heat until cooked through. Then, turn the heat to high, and as the onions start to really sizzle, remove the skillet from the heat and add cumin seeds, mustard seeds, and curry leaves. This will sizzle and smell amazing. Immediately pour this over the salmon daal for a wonderful flavor boost! 

Recipe Tips

We've tested this recipe at least 3 times to ensure it works well for you. Have a look at our tips for getting the best dish you can!

• The salmon doesn't need to stay in the marinade long. I do that step first and then start the daal. By the time you are ready to cook the salmon, it has had enough time. But you could leave it for up to 12 hours.
• Add cold broth to the lentils, then bring to a simmer without a lid. This dramatically reduces the chances of your pan boiling over.
• Cook the lentils over a low heat. You want them to slowly absorb the broth without sticking to the bottom of the pan. Toward the end of the cooking time, stir the daal every couple of minutes or so to ensure it doesn't stick.
• When cooking the salmon, use medium heat. This ensures it cooks through and gets a nice crisp crust without the spices starting to burn.
• With the Tarka, cook the onions until they are soft but not colored. Then, increase the heat, and when everything is sizzling hot and the onions start to color, remove the skillet from the heat and add the whole spices. After about 20 seconds, pour the tarka over the daal.

Why You'll Love This Salmon Daal

• Lentils are a very affordable side dish, so even though the salmon is more pricey than some proteins, this works out to a reasonably priced meal. 
• It is elegant and beautiful, but it is also truly comforting food.
• You can easily swap the salmon for other proteins.
• It is easy to make but fancy enough for guests.

Recipe Adaptations

These are all just suggestions and things that have worked in our test kitchen, but it is your dinner, so adapt it to suit your family. That is the beauty of cooking; we can all create our own delicious meals.

• Add spice to the daal by adding chopped chili when you add the garlic and ginger. You can also add dried chilis to the Tarka at the end.
• Swap the salmon for a white fish like mahi mahi. Swordfish would also be amazing. These can be marinated in the same way.
• Swap the salmon for some chicken breast cutlets; they can be marinated in the same way.
• Add spianch to the daal to make a saag daal. Defrost some frozen leaf spinach while the daal is cooking and stir it through at the end.
• The recipe card's directions are to pan-fry the salmon, but you can cook it in the air fryer. To do this, Preheat the air fryer to 400°F/200ºC for 2 minutes. Place the salmon fillets in the fryer basket with ½-inch space between each fillet. Air fry for 7-8 minutes.  

Serving Suggestions

Sides: You could serve this with rice; our Basmati Rice or Indian Pilau would be perfect. But I usually skip the rice and make some easy garlic naan or a spicy bullet naan. They are ideal for scooping up the last of the daal. And as with most currys on my site, a side of kachumber is never a bad idea.

Wine: As this curry is mild with an almost creamy finish, you can choose a wine with some acidity, like a Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio/Gris, or a dry Riesling. If you want a red, go for a lighter, lower, alcohol red like a Valpolicella or a Ganache. 
If you have added extra spice to the dish, then balance this with an off-dry Riesling or a Gewürztraminer.