Traditional grilled tandoori salmon is marinated in a spiced yogurt marinade, grilled until tender, and piled on top of fluffy lemon basmati rice.–it’ll quickly become a dinner regular!
*This recipe was updated with new pictures 3/3/2021*
Basically this is the only way I’m eating salmon for the rest of my life.
That and mountain-sized piles of lemon basmati rice. On instant repeat, guys.
I’m a picky fish eater, guys, I’m not ashamed to admit it. If I’m gonna eat fish it’s gotta be prepared only a select number of ways.
This ranges from fish fry (Wisconsin Friday night staple) to fish tacos and a few oddballs thrown in the mix.
Now we can officially add tandoori grilled salmon to the list. Check out these features >
- Garlicky + gingery spiced yogurt marinade for the salmon
- ^ That grills up into the most FLAVORFUL melt-in-your-mouth tender salmon
- A big pile of fluffy lemony basmati rice to serve the salmon with
Tandoori Salmon
The marinade is the first order of business. We’re going to make a quick yogurt marinade using plain yogurt, fresh garlic, a little fresh ginger, and a whooole lot of tandoori spices.
Plan ahead because this salmon requires a 2 hour marinade — necessary for getting the maximum tandoori flavor into the salmon!
For grilling the salmon, I recommend using either a grill pan or a sheet of aluminum foil for cooking the salmon on. Do not place the salmon directly on the grill grates otherwise it may stick.
Lemon Basmati Rice
Rinse your basmati rice several times until the water runs clear and then we’re just going to do a standard rice-cooking procedure.
Rice goes into boiling water, let simmer covered 15-20 minutes until the rice is fluffy. Use a fork to fluff up the rice and toss in fresh lemon juice + s&p to taste.
Then set your BEAUTIFUL salmon atop a large mountain of rice and dig the heck in.
Woohoo, your dinner view doesn’t suck tonight. Nor does it tomorrow. Or the next day.
Or the rest of forever. Because you are making this tandoori grilled salmon every night forever.
Trust me, you are.
If you loved this recipe, you’re going to love these other ways to enjoy salmon!!
- Greek Seared Salmon Couscous Salad
- Miso Ginger Glazed Salmon
- Sheet Pan Greek Salmon and Fingerling Potatoes
Watch this tandoori salmon made step-by-step on Google web stories!
Grilled Tandoori Salmon with Lemon Basmati Rice
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Ingredients
Tandoori Salmon
- 1 tablespoon fresh minced ginger
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon ground tumeric
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 3/4 cup plain yogurt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 4 salmon fillets (1.5 lbs)
Lemon Basmati Rice
- 1-1/2 cups basmati rice
- 3 cups water
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Minced fresh parsley and lemon wedges for serving
- Steamed broccoli for serving
Instructions
Tandoori Salmon
- In a medium shallow bowl, combine ginger, garlic, spices, yogurt, and olive oil until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place salmon fillets in marinade and coat both sides. Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator to marinade 2 hours or up to 8.
Lemon Basmati Rice
- Rinse basmati rice several times until water runs clear. Set aside. Meanwhile, bring water to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and add rinsed rice, minced garlic, and bay leaf. Cover rice and let cook 15-20 minutes until liquid is evaporated and rice is fluffy and tender. Fluff rice and add lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm.
- Grill or pan sear the salmon: If using grill, heat a grill to medium-high. Remove salmon from marinade and place on a greased grill pan or greased aluminum foil on preheated grill. Grill salmon 3-4 minutes per side, flipping once until salmon registers 140F.If pan searing salmon, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil until shimmery in a large nonstick pan. Sear salmon 3-4 minutes per side, flipping once until salmon registers 140F.
- Serve salmon warm on top of lemon basmati rice with steamed broccoli and garnish with parsley and lemon wedges. Enjoy!
Lauren @ Lemon & Mocha says
We eat salmon once a week so I’m always looking for new ideas – this recipe looks so good! My husband is also a picky fish eater so if it made your short list I’m sure he would also love it!
Sarah says
LMK if you make this recipe for your husband, Lauren! Its definitely fish taken to a new level!
Lauren @ Lemon & Mocha says
Update! I made the salmon for dinner last night and it was SO good! I had everything on hand so it took me no time at all to whip up the marinade. I used plain nonfat Greek yogurt and halved the whole recipe since I was only making two servings. I did not want to share it when it was done cooking because I loved the flavor so much! My husband gave it a thumbs up as well. Mine did stick to my grill pan pretty badly, so it didn’t look as nice as yours, but I think that’s completely the fault of my grill pan. Next time I’ll just pan sear it. I’ll have to try your rice next time as well, this time I served it with a sesame peanut kale salad and roasted spiced butternut squash fries. Thanks for a keeper, Sarah!
Sarah says
Yay!! Sorry to hear about sticky grill pans (mine acts up that way sometimes too) but I’m thrilled that both you and your husband loved the flavors! P.S. your side dishes sound AMAZING, omg! 🙂
Sheila says
Dropping by to say thank you for sharing this recipe. We had this last Sunday and it was absolutely fantastic. The combination of flavors and the basmati rice was perfect. Can’t wait for your other recipes.
Sarah says
So happy to hear that, Shelia! Thanks for letting me know!
Valonka says
OMG! Absolutely delish!! ??
Thanks for sharing your recipe with all of us!
Sarah says
Awesome!! Hope you enjoyed. 🙂
Deborah Allsbrook says
Looking forward to making this recipe tonight Skin on or off?
Is it better on outdoor grill or grill pan…… pan seared???
Sarah says
Hi Deborah. I would recommend skin off and using a grill pan sprayed with nonstick spray. Enjoy your dinner!
Gillian Didier Serre says
Excellent recipe
Lubna says
the fish was excellent and full of flavours. my family loved the rice I found it lacking the lemon flavour and will consider adding lemon zest next time to deepen the lemony hint. thank you so much for sharing this.
Sarah says
Thanks for the honest review and for sharing your suggestions, Lubna! I’m glad to hear you and your family enjoyed. 🙂
David Ellis says
I wish there had been more info re doing the salmon, do you remove the marinade, i left it on and burnt the salmon! – wasn’t worth the trouble
Sarah says
Hi David – no, you don’t remove the marinade. It shouldn’t burn when put on the grill, as long as you were using tin foil. It sounds to me like you had your grill too hot and that’s why it burned. Sorry to hear!
Amy says
I made this last night and everyone loved it. After reading the comments about marinade burning, I decided to roast mine in the oven. I roasted at 375 degrees F, for about 25 minutes and it came out so fantastic. My family all agreed that we’ll eat this pretty often. Next time, I plan to make a double batch so we can have it cold the next day.
Sarah says
I’m so happy to hear this salmon is a new keeper in your family, Amy! 🙂