Punjabi-spiced Scottish Salmon

This multicultural recipe comes from Scottish chef Tony Singh, an Edinburgh native and chef/owner of Oloroso and Tony’s Table in Scotland, who combines his Sikh heritage with his love of Scottish food — meaning fresh, delicious ingredients (not just haggis and porridge).

Tuesday, April 6th, is National Tartan Day! This multicultural recipe comes from Scottish chef Tony Singh, an Edinburgh native and chef/owner of Oloroso and Tony’s Table in Scotland, who combines his Sikh heritage with his love of Scottish food — meaning fresh, delicious ingredients (not just haggis and porridge).

1 cup chopped tomatoes

4 cloves garlic, finely chopped

4 small chile peppers, finely chopped

5 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon mustard seeds

1 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

1 teaspoon salt

4 (6oz) salmon fillets (Tony uses organic Scottish Salmon but any will do)

1 1/4 cups slivered leeks (for garnish)

Olive oil

1 teaspoon carom seeds (an Indian-food seed with a taste similar to thyme; you could also use caraway seed)

Cooked basmati rice

Tomato Garnish

Salt, pepper, and sugar, for sprinkling

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 cup red cherry tomatoes

1 cup yellow cherry tomatoes

1/4 cup fresh thyme leaves

2 bay leaves, crumbled

1/4 cup fresh tarragon leaves

1. For the Punjabi-Spiced Scottish Salmon: Combine tomatoes, garlic, chile peppers, ginger, cumin, mustard seeds, turmeric, garam masala, and salt in a bowl; add salmon, turn to coat, and marinate 2 hours or overnight.

2. If desired for garnish, fry slivered leeks until crispy; season with salt and set aside.

3. For the tomato garnish: Coat a rimmed baking sheet with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt, pepper, sugar and chopped garlic. Place tomatoes on pan and sprinkle with herbs; drizzle with a few tablespoons olive oil, plus a bit more salt, pepper and sugar. Cook at 200 degrees for 1 –2 hours until tomatoes are warm.

4. To cook salmon, heat about 1 tablespoon oil in a pan just until it smokes, then remove from heat and cool for 1 minute. Add carom seeds to flavor oil, let cool for 1 minute, then add salmon and pan-fry, with all the marinade, until just under cooked. Place on warm plates, each with a portion of basmati rice in the middle with the tomatoes around the outside of the rice, and the fish on top of that. Decorate with fried leeks and spoon round the marinade from the pan.