Salmon will have the 'perfect crisp and char' if you ditch the pan for another appliance
Achieve the 'perfect char' and 'perfect crisp' on salmon every time if you ditch the pan and oven when cooking
Salmon is the perfect choice for any quick midweek meal or if you’re after a show stopping centrepiece to impress family and friends. It has the ability to soak up so many different flavours, and can be wonderfully flaky.
Imran Ali, better known as What In The Chef, recently shared his secret to the perfect tandoori salmon. And you certainly won’t need a tandoori oven to make this recipe.
Instead of cooking salmon in a pan or roasting it in the oven, Imran suggested another much-loved appliance for the job. To achieve the “perfect char” on salmon, consider using an air fryer, instead.
In a TikTok video for Channel 4 ’s Served, Imran said: “Perfect crisp. Perfect char. Done in the air fryer, this tandoori salmon with pilau rice.
“Watch how easy it is.”
To give the salmon that deep, aromatic flavour, you’ll need to whip up a tandoori marinade. Imran continued: “Once you make this, you don’t understand how much flavour there is in this, man.”
To make the flavour of the salmon more intense, you can leave the salmon in the marinade for a few hours before cooking. The salmon only needs 10 to 12 minutes in the air fryer before it’s done.
Imran said: “And look how good that looks. Woo! Wow. That was done in a flippin’ air fryer.”
Served’s video has already been viewed over 88,300 times, receiving 5,781 likes and 32 comments. One person said: “Your vids have been saved pregnancy craving now best ring my other half and tell him to get some salmon.”
Dilly wrote: “This guy kills it. Defo trying this.”
Shez Cooks commented, “This might convince me to like salmon it looks soooo frickin good,” while Sam said, “Wow I have to make this!!!”
So if you’re looking for a fragrant salmon dish that you can easily do in the air fryer, here’s how you can recreate Imran’s recipe at home.
Air fryer tandoori salmon
Ingredients
For the tandoori salmon
- Two salmon fillets
- Two garlic cloves, grated
- ½ tsp ginger paste or fresh ginger, grated
- One tbsp natural yoghurt
- 0.25 tsp turmeric
- ½ tsp cumin powder
- ½ tsp coriander powder
- ½ tsp garam masala
- 0.25 tablespoon tandoori masala powder
- 0.25 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- Pinch of kasuri methi
- Wedge of lemon
- One tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp mint sauce
- ½ tsp red food colouring
- 0.25 tsp salt
- Pinch of black pepper
- Fresh coriander, chopped
For the pilau rice
- 100g extra-long grain basmati
- One tbsp ghee
- Two cardamom pods
- Two whole cloves
- One small star anise
- ½ tsp turmeric
- One cup boiling water
- Pinch of salt
Method
Combine yoghurt (one tbsp), garlic (two cloves), ginger (0.5 tsp), turmeric (0.25 tsp), cumin (0.5 tsp), coriander (0.5 tsp), garam masala (0.5 tsp), tandoori masala (0.25 tbsp), chilli powder (0.25 tsp), onion powder (0.5 tsp), kasuri methi (pinch), lemon (wedge), olive oil (one tbsp) and mint sauce (0.5 tsp). Mix, then add red food colouring (0.5 tsp, optional).
Add salmon (two fillets), salt (0.25 tsp) and black pepper (pinch) and coat. Marinate for at least 20 minutes.
Wash rice (100g). Heat ghee (one tbsp), add cardamom (two), cloves (two), star anise (one) and turmeric (0.5 tsp) and cook for one minute. Add rice and salt (pinch), then pour in water (240ml). Simmer covered for 15 minutes, then rest for 15 minutes.
Place salmon on oiled paper, drizzle with olive oil and air fry at 190°C for 10–12 minutes.
Top with coriander and serve with pilau rice.
