Salmon in a Tomato-Cream Sauce

Name: Salmon in a Tomato-Cream Sauce
Yield: serves 4
Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds skinned salmon fillet from the center of the fish (where it is thickest), first cut lengthways down the center and then crossways to make 8 pieces; 1/4 teaspoon salt; Freshly ground black pepper; 1/8 teaspoon ground turmeric; 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper; 1 cup tomato puree; 1 cup heavy cream; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon sugar; 1 teaspoon garam masala; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1 tablespoon lemon juice; 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper; 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro; 1 tablespoon olive or canola oil; 1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds

December 9, 2011

I first had this sauce, or one similar to it, in the late 1940s. India had just been partitioned, and a refugee family fleeing from what was to become Pakistan had just opened a small, simple restaurant in the center of Delhi called Moti Mahal. It basically served foods baked in the clay oven called a tandoor. There was one sauced dish, however, Chicken Makhani. A tandoor-roasted chicken was cut up with a cleaver and then heated up in this tomatoey, buttery, creamy sauce. I have always loved the sauce. Over the years, I have played around with it, using it with shrimp, and now with salmon. Serve with Swiss Chard with Ginger and Garlic and Rice Pilaf with Almonds and Raisins.

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