Fish Salan Recipe

Boneless fish salan gets cooked in a lovely light curry base to create a fish curry that is wholesome and weeknight friendly! Read the tips below on how to make for the fastest cooking!

All proteins are not the same. This is one of the tenants of cooking that has been passed down from my mom to me, from my grandmother to her. What this means is that if I am making a Fish Karahi then my approach to it will be different than a chicken one and if I am making a Fish Salan or a then my approach will be different. You simply cannot treat red meat like you do chicken and chicken like you do fish.

Fish has a milder taste, cooks quickly, and can quickly be overpowered if not treated with a light hand. This Salan recipe reflects that by dialing down the masala and the tomatoes to keep the dish feeling harmonious.

Fish Karahi, Fish Masala, Fish Salan: Same same or different?

You likely know this already, but yes they are different in the world of Pakistani cooking. Now I say Pakistani here specifically, because I always want to acknowledge the incredible diversity within South Asian food, especially India. Most Pakistani food has more in common with North Indian food than South Indian where naming conventions may be very different.

Fish Karahi	Fish Masala	Fish Salan (Curry)
- No onions	- Moderate onions	- More Onions
- Lots of tomatoes	- Less than karahi	- Less tomatoes
- Less "gravy" or sauce	- Moderate amount of a sauce	- Enough gravy or sauce that you can eat it with rice

Quick Cooking Tips for a Fish Salan

Here are a few time management tips for making a fish curry that you can apply to any dish, but before anything remember

You MUST cook the fish masala in a saute pan big enough that the fish can be layered, not stacked. This saves time, but also results in the fish keeping it's shape.

1.) Pat your fish dry and marinade first before anything else: this gives your fish time to absorb flavour and drier fish is what you need for that, it'll slide right off wet fish.

2.) The fine dice: The finer your dice the quicker the onions and tomatoes will saute and meld so a few minutes extra here save you lots of cooking time.

3.) Chop your garnishes while the masala cooks: this ensures that when the curry is done, so are you.

The Salan Creating Dance:

If you are a seasoned cook then you know that creating a homogenous curry requires three key steps:

1.) Sauteing the masala (Bhunna) to create a flavorful base

2.) Cooking said masala with water to break down the components (onions and tomatoes)

Expediting this with modern technology (immersion blenders or regular ones) works, but remember to cook the paste you have made until the water and oils separate a little for full flavour

3.) Adjusting the consistency: this is when after the masala has melded and now you add water to it to get the right consistency. Now you MUST bring it to a boil after this to ensure the flavours combine and it doesn't taste raw.

Choosing the right Fish

This is actually remarkably easy. Anything white and firm works. Naturally thin fillets like Sole are a hard no, and I don't particularly love tilapia here, but you do you. Traditional fish curries are made with bone in fish, but this recipe uses boneless. You can use Haddock, Cod, Snapper, Basa if you eat it, etc.

Boneless fillets can break easily so please handle with care and use a wide bottomed pan for best results!

Made this Salan? Would love it if you left a review below! As always I am SO thrilled to see your recreations on Instagram over @flourandspiceblog