Salmon Coconut Curry is an easy weeknight dinner bowl that’s on the table in less than 30 minutes. We’re talking big juicy chunks of salmon and fresh spinach in a light Thai inspired red curry sauce ~ popped with the holy trinity of lime, cilantro and fresh ginger.
Do you eat enough salmon??
Keeping up with health news can be confusing, and things change week to week, but everybody agrees that we should be eating lots of salmon…twice a week, in fact. So this meal is really the perfect storm of healthy, easy, and delicious ~ what more could you ask from dinner?
Salmon is by far the favorite fish in our house, and it’s well represented in my recipe index ~
- 7 Layer Smoked Salmon Dip
- Salmon Cobb Salad
- Mediterranean Sheet Pan Salmon
- Creamy Lemon Dill Salmon
- have you tried my Smoked Salmon Cheesecake??
These are just a few examples, if you’re a true salmon lover you need to check out the whole collection of salmon recipes, here.
What you’ll need to make this bowl tonight~
- rice, either leftover or fresh cooked. I like jasmine rice for this dish, and if you’re in the mood, my Coconut Rice would be perfect. But plain old white rice will do.
- a pound of skinless salmon filet.
- a can of coconut milk, full fat (it’s a good kind of fat, so don’t worry.)
- fresh garlic and ginger
- Red curry paste ~ look for the little jars in the Asian/Thai section of your grocery store.
- fresh lime juice
- fresh spinach
- fresh cilantro
- 30 minutes
Farmed or wild salmon?
It’s the question I struggle with every single time I’m at the fish counter.
- Wild salmon is a better choice, but it’s pricey.
- If you do need to buy farmed salmon, know that farming practices are getting better all the time, and try to buy it at a reputable source like Whole Foods that has implemented strict standards for farmed fish.
- Think about buying frozen wild salmon, it’s a better buy, and just as fresh as ‘fresh’! (Its a fact that all fish is frozen at the source, and then some of it is thawed for sale, so there’s no such thing as truly fresh fish at your supermarket.)
Coconut milk gives this curry a luxe feel without adding any unhealthy ingredients.
While your rice is cooking you can make the quick curry. The pretty golden color comes from the red curry paste and a little bit of turmeric. I’ve always loved curries made with coconut milk because the texture is so silky and it has the most beautiful subtle flavor.
I’m all for healthy January recipes, but they have to have tons of flavor.
Red curry paste (or the green variety) is a great secret weapon to keep in the fridge. The small jar will last you a while because you only need a spoonful to flavor a whole meal. I love using pastes like this because they contain so many different spices and ingredients (like lemongrass and kaffir lime peel) that make a dish taste authentic. It’s so much easier than having to stock so many different ingredients.
Do you hate cilantro?
A good number of you do, and it’s not your fault, you were born that way. Some people have a gene that makes cilantro taste unappealing.
- no worries, fresh basil works just as well in this dish.
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Salmon Coconut Curry
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion, peeled, halved, and sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger (more to taste)
- 1 Tbsp Thai red curry paste
- 1/2 tsp powdered turmeric
- 1 Serrano pepper, thinly sliced into rounds
- 15 ounce can full fat coconut milk
- fresh lime juice, to taste
- sea salt to taste
- 1 lb salmon fillet, cut into large chunks (or you can do smaller chunks if you prefer)
- 3 handfuls of fresh clean spinach leaves
garnish
- lots of fresh cilantro
- lime wedges
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pan and saute the onion, garlic, and ginger for about 5 minutes, until softened but not browned.
- Add the curry paste, turmeric, and hot peppers to the pan and stir to combine. Continue sauteeing for a few more minutes, stirring almost constantly.
- Add the coconut milk and a tablespoon of lime juice (you can add more to taste.) Bring the mixture up to a bubble. Add salt to taste.
- Add the chunks of salmon and let the pot gently simmer, covered, for 5 minutes, just until the salmon is cooked, it doesn't take long. Stir to cover the fish with the sauce. Add the spinach and cook just until it wilts.
- Check the seasoning again, and serve the curry over hot rice
Notes
- The sauce can be made a day in advance. Don’t add the fresh cilantro until ready to serve.
Nutrition
I made this recipe just as written with only one change. My piece of salmon came with skin. Raw fish can challenging to remove the skin. When it was time to add the fish to the stew, I put the whole piece of salmon in for just 1-2 minutes. After that I was able to easily remove the skin and separate the fish into large chunks. Then I added the spinach and finished the curry. It was delicious served over coconut rice.
I bet the skin added nice flavor, too!
Loved this! We live on Lake Superior so actually made it with fresh local whitefish.
Sounds delish!
This salmon recipe was FANTASTIC! The ingredients were easy to pull together and it was quick start to finish. I left out the serrano pepper but otherwise followed the recipe. This is definitely a new favorite!
This is delicious!!! I added 1 cup of water with the can of coconut milk, and used ginger in a tube. Will definitely make this again and again.
Glad you loved it Maria 🙂
What a great recipe! Fast, tasty, and healthy. Made it as written and now want to try it with shrimp. Thank you for a wonderful addition to the dinner rotation.
Made this last night – my husband and I loved it. For some reason we both said it wasn’t a dish we would want very often but loved the flavors. Very nice to have a different way to do salmon. We ate most of it! I’m hoping I get the rest for lunch…
Thanks Shirley! Even though this is a super healthy recipe, it’s also fairly rich, so I see it as a one every few weeks kind of meal. I’m always working on new salmon recipes because it’s my fave fish 🙂
Oh Sue, this was flat out fabulous! What a wonderful and quick dinner idea! Mr. Squash and I gobbled up nearly the entire recipe in one sitting with just a little left over for lunch today!
Cheers!
I’ve never had curry-ever. I heard it was spicy hot so I never indulged. Could you tell me a little more about the curry flavoring, is it spicy or is there a type that isn’t? Looks delicious though
Curry is a general term that refers to many different Asian and Indian dishes, so it’s understandable that you’re confused. Curry is a spiced saucy dish that can range from Indonesian to Indian to Japanese and beyond, and there are endless variations. This particular curry is base on classic curry powder that you’ll find in any supermarket, and isn’t particularly hot or spicy unless you use the fresh chili peppers. Just leave them out if you aren’t fond of hot food.
This looks so good! We participate in a CSF and have a freezer full of wild-caught Bristol Bay sockeye salmon and I’m always looking for new ways to cook it (we mostly oven roast it in parchment). Thanks for the recipe!
Sounds like this is perfect for you, I like it because it’s so quick. Enjoy 🙂
This looks beautiful and delicious. The idea of cooking the salmon directly in the soup is particularly appealing. I will make it ASAP.
Thanks Candace, and I agree, cooking it in the curry sauce is efficient, adds flavor to the sauce, and keeps the fish really moist.