Tandoori Wild Salmon with Roasted Cauliflower and Beets and Cucumber-Mint Yogurt

Wild salmon marinated in yogurt and warm tandoori spices, roasted until charred at the edges, with cumin-roasted cauliflower and jewel-toned beets and a cool, refreshing cucumber-mint yogurt.

Yield: Serves 4 · Active: 25 min · Total: 1 hr (including roasting the beets) · Best in North America from fall through winter, when cauliflower and beets are at their peak (frozen-at-sea wild salmon is perfect this time of year) · Best eaten: early evening

Ingredients

Tandoori salmon

• 4 wild salmon fillets (about 6 oz each, skin on)

• ⅓ cup thick sheep's or goat's milk yogurt

• 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated

• 1 garlic clove, grated

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• 1 tsp ground coriander

• ½ tsp ground turmeric

• ½ tsp garam masala

• ½ tsp Kashmiri chili powder or sweet paprika

• Juice of ½ lemon

• ¾ tsp Baja Gold sea salt

Roasted vegetables

• 3 medium beets, peeled and cut into wedges

• 1 medium head cauliflower, cut into florets

• 3 tbsp ghee or extra virgin olive oil, divided

• 1 tsp ground cumin and ¾ tsp Baja Gold sea salt, divided

Cucumber-mint yogurt

• 1 cup thick sheep's or goat's milk yogurt

• ½ English cucumber, grated and squeezed dry

• 2 tbsp fresh mint, chopped

• ½ tsp ground cumin, toasted

• ¼ tsp Baja Gold sea salt and a squeeze of lemon

Method

1. Roast the beets. Heat the oven to 425°F. Toss the beets with 1 tbsp ghee and a pinch of salt on their own pan (so they don't stain the cauliflower) and roast 35–40 minutes, until tender.

2. Marinate the salmon. Whisk the marinade ingredients and coat the salmon. Let it sit 20–30 minutes (fish needs much less marinating time than meat).

3. Roast the cauliflower. Toss it with the remaining ghee, cumin, and salt and roast 25 minutes, until golden.

4. Make the cucumber-mint yogurt. Stir everything together and chill.

5. Roast the salmon. Turn the oven to 400°F, set the salmon skin-side down on a parchment-lined pan, and roast 10–14 minutes, until it just flakes and reads about 125°F. Broil the last 1–2 minutes for charred, tandoori-style edges.

6. Plate. Arrange the cauliflower and beets on each plate, set the salmon on top, and add a generous spoonful of cucumber-mint yogurt, plus extra mint and lemon.

Storage: Salmon, up to 2 days refrigerated; vegetables, up to 4 days; cucumber-mint yogurt, up to 2 days.

Nourishment Notes: Wild salmon brings omega-3s (EPA and DHA), vitamin D, selenium, and astaxanthin. Cauliflower offers glucosinolates and choline. Beets bring nitrates, betalains, and folate. Yogurt adds protein and calcium, with live cultures in the raita (never heated). Cucumber and mint are hydrating and cooling, and tandoori spices are traditionally used to support digestion.

For your cycle: Salmon's omega-3s help calm menstrual inflammation, and beets' folate and nitrates make this especially supportive during the menstrual phase.

Sourcing

• Wild salmon — wild Alaskan sockeye, coho, or king, from Vital Choice or a trusted fishmonger

• Sheep's or goat's milk yogurt — organic, plain, and full-fat; raw from a local dairy, or Bellwether Farms

• Cauliflower, beets, cucumber, mint, ginger, garlic, and lemons — organic

• Spices (cumin, coriander, turmeric, garam masala, Kashmiri chili) — organic and non-irradiated; Burlap & Barrel and Diaspora Co. source single-origin spices directly from farms

• Ghee — grass-fed ghee, or homemade from organic grass-fed butter

• Baja Gold sea salt

— Anna aka Food Marshall