Tala Methi Macchi – Pan Cooked Salmon with Fenugreek

Fish is such a salvation for me on weeknights, it allows me to put something together from the scratch on a busy weeknight without much fuss and usually in less than 30 minutes if I am organized. The number of combinations that I get into with a few basic spices is endless.

It really all depends on how I have arranged the spices back on the rack any particular evening. This evening it is prompting me to make this simple pan cooked salmon with fenugreek or Methi Macchi. Salmon is my go to fish on many a week night and on weekends too. It is satisfying and healthy. An easy fish to pan cook. This works beautifully in the air fryer too!

For many people, it might seem intuitive that fish would be the protein of choice in a Bengali cooks kitchen. However, as with all life decisions, there is is often complexity to the seemingly obvious. The fishes and fillets that form the essence of a lot of my weeknight cooking is very different from anything that I have grown up with. A lot of the fish that I work with including salmon is not what I have grown up eating.

Yes, indeed I have grown up with enjoying fish almost everyday, but this has consisted of natural freshwater fish caught live in their natural habitat.

The fish market (I present a meek exhibit, here) as my mother was very unhappy about my camera in the market. She felt that this severely compromised her bargaining capabilities. However, when I say fish in its natural river environment, think trout in a river stream not tilapia in a horrid tank.

Anyhow, the bottom line is, somehow, my North India discovered fish. His initiation to fish or for that matter all things that are not plant based, began during his college days. And, if you are a product of the engineering system in India called the IIT ,chances are many of your colleagues are Bengali or South Indian. The Bengali is attributed with brains and emotion. And, at the risk of stereotyping the Southerner with brains, emotion and discipline. But, anyhow, back to my husband who via the Bengali friends discovered fish and fell in love. It is thus works as his protein of choice.

Fish on a weeknight cooks up super quickly. So, the hallmark of the fish dishes on our dinner table are fish dishes are are put together in under 30 minutes and this is not a sales pitch for a Rachel Ray commercial. This salmon is not really an exception, a few good ingredients and we are in business. The interesting taste in this one is from the dried kasuri methi, a simple handy flavorful ingredient. This is the first time I added this to fish, I think this is a keeper. And you can try the same technique with dried mint.

You will find a lot of salmon recipes on my site. This is not because I feel that salmon is best suited for Indian cooking. Although it does hold up to both mild and bold flavors. The real reason is more complex. For some reason, my son seems to be allergic to almost all fish except salmon. In fact, even though we cannot pinpoint the reason white fish seems to be a problem. My husband is also rather skeptical of Coho Salmon, because of its paler flesh. A lot of persuasion has made him realize that the Coho is a bona fide, card carrying member of the Salmon family.

This recipe several times over as survived the taste test. The kids love it and eat it happily most evenings. The flavorful seasonings and simple spices also makes this one of my go to share recipe with magazines. I plan to trying this with dried mint one of these days and promise to let you know how it turns out.

This simple recipe also works brilliantly in the air fryer as well. So, I have update with those instructions.

If you like this recipe and want more ideas, do join my Indian Instant Pot Facebook group and Legume Love Group. Of course Instant Indian is ready for order, joining its siblings The Bengali Five Spice Chronicles and Spices and Seasons.