Whole Grilled Baby Salmon

Spicy Grilled Baby Salmon

Last week, while shopping for groceries at the supermarket I cam across whole baby salmon for a very reasonable rate.  So I decided to take the plunge and carefully selected one that looked good.  I have numerous recipes that I have been saving for a rainy day and I found one that I wanted to try.  Grilling salmon is very easy.  Since it is an oily fish, all you have to do is marinade it overnight and transfer it to the grill or oven the next day.  The result was delectable and Nehru & I finished it all by ourselves.

The Recipe:

1 whole baby salmon, about 600 gms, scaled, gutted and washed with salt.  Retain tail and side fins.

For the Marinade:  1tsp chilli powder; 1/2 inch piece ginger, minced; 1 tsp garam masala powder; 2 cloves garlic, minced; 2 tsp coriander powder; 1/2 tsp jeera powder; 1/2 tsp coarse black pepper powder; salt to taste and 1 dsp olive oil.  Grind to a coarse paste and rub all over and inside the salmon.  Marinade in the refrigerator overnight.  Next day, bring the salmon to room temperature before grilling it.  Discard the watery part of the marinade.  Line an oven tray with foil and preheat oven at 250 C (grill setting).  Wrap salmon in foil or banana leaves (this makes it easier to turn the salmon over) and grill 10 minutes each side.  Open the foil and return salmon to the oven and grill top again for 5 minutes till brown.  Serve with green salad and warm garlic bread. A must try for busy days when there's simply  too much to do.

NB:  Once the salmon is grilled, you can peel off the skin before browning the flesh.  I left it on and peeled it off while eating.