Try these salmon skewers with tamarind sauce from Marcus Samuelsson

When you want to add a little extra zing to your dish, tamarind, a fruit pod native to Asia and northern Africa, is the perfect ingredient. The flavor, used in a number of cuisines, adds an assertive sour note to recipes, enhancing other flavors and making for extra depth to a dish.

These salmon skewers with tamarind sauce, adapted from a recipe by chef Marcus Samuelsson, make a quick weeknight meal but also work well if you’re planning for company. The sauce combines fresh onion and garlic, along with curry pwoder, white wine vinegar, red wine and tamarind, sweetened with a little sugar and seasoned with a touch of salt. Brush the sauce over salmon skewers as they cook up on the grill, then serve the remaining sauce alongside.

KITCHEN PRO TIP: If you’ve never used it before, tamarind might come across as a difficult ingredient. While seedless pulp is available at many markets, it’s frequently packaged in blocks — the pulp (or paste) is often packed with bits of seed and solids, which need to be strained before the pulp can be used. But straining it to make a smooth liquid or pulp is simple. Check out these tips to learn how:

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Los Angeles Times Test Kitchen director, Noelle Carter, shows how to clean tamarind pulp.

SALMON SKEWERS WITH TAMARIND SAUCE

Total time: 1 hour, 10 minutes | Serves 6 to 8

Note: Adapted from “The Soul of a New Cuisine: A Discovery of the Foods and Flavors of Africa” by Marcus Samuelsson. See the accompanying recipe for tamarind liquid. Or you can use canned “fresh tamarind concentrate” (use the same amount as of tamarind liquid).

1/2 cup peanut oil

2 pounds salmon fillet, cut into 2-inch cubes

1/4 cup olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon curry powder

1 cup white wine vinegar

1/4 cup dry red wine

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons tamarind liquid

2 teaspoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1. Pour the peanut oil into a medium bowl. Add the salmon and turn to coat. Set fish aside for 30 minutes.

2. Soak 16 bamboo skewers in water for at least 30 minutes. Prepare a medium-hot grill fire.

3. While the salmon is marinating in the peanut oil, heat the olive oil in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, and saute until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the curry powder, vinegar, red wine, cornstarch, tamarind and sugar. Bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 5 minutes, or until the sauce thickens slightly. Remove the sauce from the heat and let it cool slightly.

4. Transfer the sauce to a blender and puree until smooth; this makes 2 cups. Place 1 cup in a small serving bowl and set aside. Reserve the remaining sauce for basting the salmon.

5. Sprinkle the salmon with the salt and thread it onto skewers. Arrange the skewers on the grill and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, or just until cooked through, brushing frequently with the tamarind sauce.

6. Serve with the bowl of reserved sauce.

Each serving: 334 calories; 23 grams protein; 7 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 23 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 67 mg. cholesterol; 214 mg. sodium.

Love cooking as much as I do? Follow me @noellecarter

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