Traditional tandoors (clay ovens) allow for multiple forms of heat to cook food — direct heat from charcoal for grill marks, smoke for added flavor, hot clay walls for a griddling effect, and radiant heat from the pit of the oven that allows everything to bake together!

While not everyone can have a tandoor in their backyard, you can achieve that flame-kissed flavor with our house Tandoori Masala — a blend of 15 single-origin, freshly-harvested spices sourced from across South Asia — paired with the high heat of an Ooni Pizza Oven. Inspired by classic tandoori fish, this recipe starts with your choice of fillet (we love salmon, but halibut and cod are beautiful here, too) marinated in a mix of plain yogurt, tandoori masala, and a little neutral oil. The marinated fish is par cooked in their cast iron Skillet Pan until charred in spots and then cherry tomatoes are added, and the fish is finished with the oven turned off until the tomatoes heat through and just start to burst. Top with cilantro and serve with pickled onions and lemon for squeezing over the fish.

If you want to round out the meal, you can heat up store-bought naan on the residual heat of the stone when the fish is finishing cooking.

Cook's note: If you don't have an Ooni Pizza Oven, we've included instructions for how to make this in a conventional oven using your broiler.

This recipe was created in collaboration with Ooni Pizza Ovens.

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Ingredients

For the fish

¼ cup plain, full-fat Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon neutral oil, such as canola or rapeseed
1½ tablespoons Tandoori Masala
¼ teaspoon salt
Two 6-ounce (340g total) center-cut, skinless salmon fillets or flaky white fish, like cod or halibut

For the tomatoes & assembly

1½ cups whole cherry tomatoes
4 cloves garlic, peeled and whole
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup cilantro, roughly chopped
Lemon wedges, for serving
Pickled red onions, for serving (optional)

Methods

How to make in an Ooni Pizza Oven

For the marinade, combine the yogurt, oil, tandoori masala, and salt in a medium bowl, and whisk until smooth. Add the fish and coat each fillet fully in the yogurt-spice mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour, up to 6 hours (don’t go longer than this because the enzymes in the yogurt will start to break down the fish).
Preheat your Ooni pizza oven to 662°F (350°C). You can check the temperature inside your oven quickly and easily using the Ooni Infrared Thermometer. Place your Skillet Pan in the oven for 5 minutes to preheat.
While the oven is preheating, place the cherry tomatoes, garlic, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and salt in a medium bowl and toss to coat the tomatoes in the oil. Set aside.
Remove the Skillet from the oven, drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, and place the fish in the pan. Return the Skillet to the oven and cook until the salmon starts to char in places
Cook in the oven for 3 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through until the top of the fish is beginning to char in spots. Remove the Skillet from the oven and pour the reserved cherry tomatoes and garlic around the fish fillets. Turn off the oven and return the fish to the oven to finish cooking in the residual heat of the oven, about 2 to 4 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillet. It’s ready to serve when the fish flakes easily and the tomatoes start to burst.
Garnish with cilantro and serve directly out of the pan along with lemon wedges and pickled red onions, if using. Enjoy on its own or with naan.

How to make using a broiler

For the marinade, combine the yogurt, oil, tandoori masala, and salt in a medium bowl, and whisk until smooth. Add the fish and coat each fillet fully in the yogurt-spice mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour, up to 6 hours (don’t go longer than this because the enzymes in the yogurt will start to break down the fish).
When you're ready to cook the fish, preheat the broiler to high.
Meanwhile, place the cherry tomatoes and garlic on a rimmed sheet pan. Drizzle with the olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and toss to coat evenly, spreading them into an even layer. Broil 6 to 8 inches from the heat source until the tomatoes just start to blister. Make two spaces in the center of the tray and place the marinated salmon fillets on with about 2 inches of space between them (it's okay if the tomatoes are touching the salmon). Continue to broil, rotating the pan halfway through, until the salmon reaches your desired temperature and the tops of the tomatoes start to char in spots and burst, 6 to 8 minutes for medium rare, and 8 to 10 minutes for medium, depending on the strength of your broiler and the thickness of the salmon.
Serve with lemon wedges and pickled onions, if desired.

Asha's Tandoori Masala Fish with Burst Tomatoes

Recipe by: Asha Loupy

Serves 2