Chili salmon in coconut milk

Version 1: I used fillet of Salmon for this recipe. You can use steaks too. Cut the fillet into cubes while still frozen, for ease.

I discovered a new South Indian spice I use for Chili fish- you can make your own mix using chili powder, ginger powder, mustard powder, turmeric and salt.  Dust it over the fish pieces and keep it aside. (Microwave if you need to thaw the fish , for about 3 mins or in cold water. Never thaw fish in warm water- the temperature diff will cause delicate fish to break)

Dry roasting spices is a good idea for some dishes- I took a pinch of fennel seeds, coriander, cumin, black pepper corn and fenugreek (common ingredient in most packaged Indian spice for fish)  - dry roasted them and ground them in a coffee grinder.

I used olive oil for cooking this one. Fry the fish pieces lightly on each side separately first , keep aside. (something Bangals call 'satlano'. Sounds like a young Italian chap, doesn't it? ) Fry finely sliced onions, tomatoes, green chilies and grated ginger. Add the fish and the spice mix you prepared. Cook till oil separates.

 Now, you can add coconut milk and your favorite herb. I discovered kasuri methi goes well with this prep.

Version 2: Bake all the ingredients together in a covered baking pan for 20 mins until done.

To make less hot, you can skip the peppercorns and reduce the amount of red chili powder from the recipe. Vegetarians can substitute fish with tofu/paneer.