Reprinted with permission from The Essential Indian Instant Pot Cookbook, copyright © 2018 by Archana Mundhe. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC. Since using the instant pot, I have shared lots of chicken and lentils/beans dishes, including this Chicken Tikka Masala. I shared this delicious Coconut Shrimp Curry, but I have been wanting to share more fish curry recipes on the blog. When my friend Archana Mundhe’s new cookbook The Essential Indian Instant Pot released and she offered me to review and share a recipe with you all, I wanted to share this delicious Salmon Tikka Masala recipe from her book. It is finger licking good, and hopefully gives you an idea of the tried and tested easy recipes in the book. The book is absolutely gorgeous with 75 Indian classic recipes including a variety of breakfast, chicken, lamb and vegetarian curry’s, dal’s, soups and sweet treats. The book is wonderfully photographed and will be a great resource for Indian cooking with the instant pot. It has detailed instructions with each recipe, so is perfect for novice or expert instant pot cooks. I highly recommend it, do check it out! Back to the Salmon Tikka masala, this Indian fish curry made in the flavorful tikka masala sauce is perfect to satisfy those Indian curry cravings. We loved the curry, including my very picky daughter gobbled it up.
Can you cook fish in an instant pot?
Of course yes! The fear that most have is that instant pot will overcook the fish. The trick is to use larger pieces and steam the fish with the pot-in-pot method in the instant pot. Pressure cooked fish is – √ So tender and full of flavor √ Cooks quickly without any monitoring √ Can be cooked along with the curry or steamed vegetable at once for a full meal. √ The biggie…no fish smell in the house.
How to make Instant Pot Salmon Tikka Masala Curry?
Let’s go through how to make this easy Salmon Tikka Masala in the Pressure Cooker. Before you start, gather the ingredients. Making a curry is so much easier if you have all the ingredients ready at hand.
Marinate the fish
The first step in a tikka masala recipe is to marinate the fish. This is the main difference from a Makhani (or Butter Masala) recipe where marinating is not required. We will marinate the fish in ginger, garlic, lemon juice and spices. Marinate in a steel or oven safe glass bowl that you can use for pot-in-pot cooking. Here is the link to the pot-in-pot container I use.
How to buy salmon?
I always prefer to buy wild-caught Alaskan salmon. Farmed salmon can be exposed to more chemicals than the wild-caught variety. Typically, wild salmon have fewer calories, saturated fat and vitamins A and D than farmed salmon but contain more protein. For this fish curry, I bought fresh wild caught salmon from Whole Foods.
Make the Tikka Masala Sauce
Now we will start making the curry. Start with sautéing the onions, then add the tomato puree and spices.
Can I use fresh tomatoes for the tikka masala sauce?
Yes, one can of tomato puree is about 5-6 tomatoes. You can blend the tomatoes to a puree consistency and use them for this tikka masala sauce.
Pressure Cook the Curry with pot-in-pot salmon
Now place a trivet and the steel bowl with marinated salmon in the pot. You will need to use a tall trivet, so the steel bowl does not sink into the curry.
How do you steam fish in an instant pot?
The above picture shows how you can steam fish with the pot-in-pot method in the instant pot. I used marinated fish, but just fish with salt and pepper would work too.
How long to pressure cook salmon?
With the pot-in-pot method, 3-4 minutes at high pressure works perfectly to cook salmon in the instant pot.
Finishing touches
After the pressure cooking is done, quick release the pressure. Carefully remove the steel bowl and trivet. I use these tongs to remove the hot bowl and trivet. Oven mitts will work too. Stir in the heavy cream and dried fenugreek leaves. Then carefully pick the pieces of salmon and add them to the curry. Gently stir and cover them in the sauce. Don’t forget to add any leftover liquid from the bowl in which you cooked the fish to the curry. Salmon Tikka Masala is ready. While serving, garnish with cilantro. Enjoy with naan (we prefer garlic naan) and cumin rice.
Pro-tips for making the perfect Instant Pot Salmon Tikka Masala:
√ Do not skip marinating the salmon. It lets the fish soak in the flavor of the spices and cooking in it making it much more delicious. √ You can make this curry with other fish fillets too. √ To make this dairy free, you can use coconut milk in place of heavy cream. √ Enjoy this fish tikka masala with steamed basmati rice or cumin rice (my preference) or with naan. Drizzle some lemon juice when serving. I hope you try this recipe and don’t forget to check out the wonderful book The Essential Indian Instant Pot. If you like this recipe, check out other popular Indian Curry recipes:
Mom’s Chicken Curry Coconut Shrimp Curry Chicken Korma Shrimp Masala
