spicy roasted salmon & cucumber mint raita

it's been awhile since i posted a recipe, so i thought i'd better make it a good one. this is an incredibly simple, healthy, and inexpensive dish to make. silver salmon is definitely my most frequently cooked fish. you can get little fillets year-round for super cheap. i made an india inspired spice rub to coat the fish, and then cooled it down with raita.

ingredients for raita
500 g plain unsweetened yogurt
2 cucumbers, grated
1 bag fresh mint, chopped
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp powdered garlic (or 1 clove fresh garlic, minced)
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

ingredients for salmon
4 salmon fillets
30 mL lime juice
1 tsp cayenne (red chili) pepper
1 tsp turmeric
2 tsp cinnamon
3 tsp cumin
3 tsp salt
4 tsp powdered ginger
4 tsp ground coriander seeds

i bought the cumin at coração do brasil and the turmeric at yamaya in takaoka. i bought everything else at e-town in kosugi.

for added deliciousness, listen to fleet foxes.

let's go!

making the raita
1. strain the yogurt. you can use cheesecloth, but i just put a damp paper towel in a metal strainer in a big bowl. it worked great. i really recommend not skipping this step --it doesn't really affect the flavor, but it does wonders for the both the texture and the visual appeal. you know that little bit of yellowish juice at the top of the yogurt container? well, there's loads more--in about 20 minutes i strained off about 125 mL, and was left with lovely thick yogurt.

2. while you're waiting on your yogurt, combine the rest of the ingredients. if you don't have a grater, you can just finely chop the cucumbers. either way, make sure you leave the skin on. raita is also good with coriander leaves (cilantro) if you can find it or a bit of minced onion.

3. mix all all the ingredients into the yogurt, cover, and refrigerate. for best results, start the raita a couple hours before you want to eat, or even the night before. it will taste better if you allow some time for the flavors to blend.

making the salmon
1. mix all the spices together. these proportions will make a medium spicy mix. adjust the cayenne (red chili) pepper to your tastes.

2. coat the fillets first in lime juice, and then the dry spice rub.


3. put fillets in the broiler on an oiled baking sheet, skin side down. cook for about 6 minutes on medium high heat, until flaky.

enjoy!
i served the raita over the salmon with onion chutney i made from this easy recipe and rice mixed with cashews, raisins, and a briyani spice packet from yamaya. it was awesome!