Spicy, tangy, succulent pieces of salmon fish grilled to perfection makes for a delectable treat. Enjoy with rice, naan, rotis and other breads.
Though fish is an essential part of our diet, I am easily bored making the same fish curry or masala fried fish over and over again. We love this Amritsar style fried fish, but again, I was getting tired of all the frying! And that’s when I decided to surprise the family by putting together two of their favorite things – succulent fish and delicious tikka.
I chose salmon steaks because they are big and bold in both size and flavor. They take pretty well to all the marinating and grilling involved with making fish tikka kebab. But if white fish is all you will eat, try this recipe with any white fish by all means.
The fish is generously slathered with spices like coriander, red chili, cumin and garam masala. Ginger and garlic make up the aromatics, and tenderizers like yogurt and lime juice round up the marinade. After a short rest, it’s time to thread the fish pieces onto skewers and throw them on the grill or fake-grill them in a super hot oven. It comes out perfect whichever method you choose.
Salmon is naturally quite fatty, so they retain their juices quite well while grilling/baking. But I still like to baste it with a light touch of ghee for flavor. Alternate the fish cubes with thick-cut slices of red onions or bell peppers. Roll the tikka pieces in a soft roti, drizzle some cilantro raita and enjoy your own delicious fish tikka roll.
Boy is a lover of fried fish. He appreciates all the deep-fried or shallow-fried variations of fish that he can find. It could be the spicy Kerala style meen porichathu or the crunchy but mild English style fish and chips. He likes them all. And he found my fishy take on tikka rather interesting. So, that’s a win in my mommy handbook. He did find these a tad bit spicy, so I’ll be careful to use Kashmiri chili powder or paprika for color the next time.
Serve these fish tikka the next time you have company coming over. I’m sure they’ll love it and it will be a welcome change from the same old chicken tikka and tandoori chicken. You can serve them as appetizers or one of the mains. Needless to say, it goes great with a cold beverage.
Like I said, this is easily done in an oven in under 30 minutes. Just broil the kebabs on high for the last minute or two to develop some char on the fish and onions. Yum is the word!!
Read on for the recipe.
- Salmon filets - 1.5 lbs
- Turmeric powder - ½ tsp
- Red chili powder - 1 tbsp (can use paprika for a milder version)
- Coriander powder - 1.5 tsp
- Cumin powder - 1.5tsp
- Garam masala powder - 2 tsp
- Ginger garlic paste - 1.5 tsp
- Salt - 1.5 tsp (or as per taste)
- Thick yogurt - 3 tbsp
- Lime - 1
- Low sodium soy sauce - 1 tsp (optional, great for adding color rather than flavor)
- Red onion - 1, peeled and cut into big chunks
- Ghee (or butter) - 1 tbsp, melted
- Remove the salmon skin if you can, but the recipe works for both with the skin on or off. Slice the filets of fish into 2" thick chunks (I got around 20 pieces from 1.5 lbs).
- Squeeze the juice from half a lime over the fish. Rest for 5 minutes. Then wash the fish thoroughly, drain and pat dry with a paper towel. This step is optional but it helps to get rid of the pronounced 'fishy' odor to an extent.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the fish with all the spice powders, ginger garlic paste, salt, yogurt, lime juice and soy sauce. Make sure the pieces are coated thoroughly. Cover with cling wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, soak 4-5 wooden skewers in water and pre-heat the oven to 400 deg.F.
- Thread fish and pieces of red onion alternately onto the skewers without any gap in between the pieces.
- Place the skewers over a roasting rack or a foil-lined pan and bake for 20 minutes, turning them over once midway. Baste with melted ghee or butter and broil for the last 1-2 minutes.
- Remove from oven and serve immediately or keep warm lightly wrapped in foil till needed.
Now for the delicious accompaniments to this oven-baked fish tikka, serve them with thinly sliced red onions, tangy lime wedges and lots of cilantro leaves. I also chopped up some cilantro leaves and added them to thick yogurt for a quick cilantro raita. It is so good eaten with naan or roti.
Don’t you just want to dig into these succulent spicy fish tikka? Why wait? Make them now. Or PIN and SAVE for later!!
Do you like tikka? Have you tried fish tikka? Do try this recipe and tell me if you like it.
Here is the Amritsari Fish Fry that I mentioned earlier.
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I am sharing this over at Fiesta Friday, FoodieFriDIY & Saucy Saturday.
Hey Anjana! Just found you on Pinterest looking for a fish tikka recipe. Love your site and your photography is amazing! Read your about me section. I spent 4 months in India in 2008. It was interesting! Given that you’re Hubble is in tech, you may also be in the Bay Area?
Anyway, nice to e-meet you!
Nice to e-meet you too, Caren. And thank you for your kind words. Which part of India did you visit?
We are down south in Texas!
I was in the north. Started in Rishikesh, went up to darmsala, then followed the ganga to Calcuta. also spent some time in goa.
Hope you’re enjoying south Tx. I tried your recipe tonight. It was freaking awesome!!!!
Thanks Caren. This is a favorite at our home. Glad you liked it too 🙂
Like you, I love fish, I could probably eat it in various ways 5 out of 7 days a week :). This is certainly one I’d love to try. Love all the Indian flavors, there’s nothing quite like tenderizing it with a bit of yogurt in the marinade too. Have you ever tried grilling it on the barbeque? I somehow don’t have much luck when I grill fish on the barbeque, it seems like it does get stuck no matter how much I prepare and oil the grates ahead of time. Thanks for bringing this to Fiesta Friday, have a great weekend!
Oh yes, the yogurt is best for tenderizing meat/fish and making the other spices stick to it. As for grilling on a bbq, I have a little hack for meats that stick. I make little sticks or rods of aluminum foil and line them up like a rack on top of the grill. Meat/fish skewers can be grilled on top of this foil rack and there will be no sticking!!
I never thought to cook salmon this way–great idea. I bet it would be good marinated in tandoori spices and yogurt, too.
Yes, of course. And as far as tandoori spices go, it is the same as a tikka marinade.