I had a serious craving for some curry, about 10 pm last night and I didn’t want to wait for any of the frozen meats we had in the freezer to thaw out. Kinda late to be eating a heavy meal, but eating late is the norm for me (and it shows). I hit the pantry and found a couple cans of pink salmon, so I decided to make one of those quick dishes that doesn’t get the acclamation it deserves. BTW, here’s another way to make this dish without the curry: Gourmet salmon from a can?
You’ll Need…
1 can Salmon – 213g (I used Pink Pacific)
1 small onion sliced
2 cloves garlic sliced/crushed
1/4 hot pepper (optional, but adds the kick to the curry)
1 scallion
1 teaspoon curry powder (your favorite)
1 tablespoon oil
dash of black pepper
* You’ll notice that I didn’t add any salt, as I find that most canned foods are already loaded with salt. Add as you feel is necessary.
Prep the onion, garlic, pepper and scallion. Then in a saucepan on medium/high heat, heat the oil. Add the sliced onion and garlic and cook for a couple minutes on medium heat. Allow to soften and release it’s natural oils.
Now add the slices of hot pepper and allow to cook for about a minute, then add the curry powder and stir well. Let that cook (stir) cook for about 2 minutes, then add about 5 tablespoons of water and stir to pick up all the curry that may be stuck to the bottom of the pot.
Turn down the heat to low and allow the curry paste to cook for about 3-5 minutes… until all the liquid cooks off. The next step is to empty the can of salmon into the pot and break apart (add the liquid from the can as well). Try to keep it in flakes, so there’s some texture to the final outcome. Mix in the scallion and tomato and cover. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer (covered).
With the lid on, it will spring some of it’s own juices. Cook this for about 5 minutes or until it thickens a bit. Remember to stir a couple times, but try not to break-up the fish too much.
I had some leftover rice in the fridge, so it was a complete meal. I really wish I could add some slices of cucumber to my plate, but cucumber and late nights does not work well for my digestion.
This is a super-fast way to enjoy a lovely curry fish meal, that’s full of body and a unique punch of flavors. Before I go I’d like to remind you to leave me your comments below (it’s always appreciated), share this recipe with your friends by sending them the link to the website and do join us on Facebook as we grow our already large Caribbean food community. All you have to do is click on the facebook image below to get started.
Not sure of this should be classified as a recipe or not, but I do know it’s affectionately known as “bache” or bachelor food among the people I know. “Bache” usually refers to any food that can be cooked (or not) in under 5 minutes… basically something fast. As a youth this was the norm as part of Good Friday lunch. It’s true that we had access to tons of fresh fish being that we lived on islands, but somehow that salmon that came in a can still made it’s way onto our menu. You either had it on rice or with lovely ground provisions, like yam, eddoes and dasheen. My dad used to top his with olive oil, something only in my adult life did I learn to appreciate.
