Coconut Salmon Curry

Aromatic Coconut Salmon Curry made with green curry, snow peas, spinach, and large chunks of moist salmon. This one-pot salmon coconut curry is packed with veggies and bursting with flavor from ginger, garlic, and lime. If that wasn’t enough, it’s on the table in just 30 minutes!

Healthy Salmon Curry

Not only is this salmon curry recipe packed with heart-healthy salmon and tons of green veggies, but the curry sauce is a bit lighter than most. A splash of water just slightly thins the sauce, making the whole dish feel a little lighter.

If you love your curry decadently creamy, consider leaving the water out and using two cans of full-fat coconut milk instead of just one.

Tips for making the best curry salmon

Coconut milk: the type of coconut milk you use is important! Use full-fat canned coconut milk. Not all canned coconut milks are created equal, I like Aroy-D coconut milk, Goya coconut milk and Chaokoh coconut milk.

Curry paste: curry paste is a great shortcut ingredient! I prefer curry paste over curry powder in this recipe because it tastes fresher and adds more of an aromatic punch. You can find jarred Thai Kitchen curry paste (which I use often) in most grocery stores, or stop by your local Asian market to find a more authentic jarred curry paste.

Ginger & garlic: it’s important to use fresh ginger and fresh minced garlic here. Ground ginger, garlic powder, or pre-minced garlic just won’t pack the same flavor.

Cooking the salmon: remove the sauté pan from heat when the salmon is nearly cooked through. It will continue to cook off-heat as you add the spinach, fish sauce, and lime.

Fish sauce: if you’ve never cooked with fish sauce, I encourage you to try it in this recipe! Will the recipe fail without it? No, it will still be delicious. But fish sauce adds a delicious savoriness that you just can’t get from anything else. Beware, don’t give it a smell before adding it. Just open, measure and add. 🙂

Seasoning: I rarely give measurements for salt because I find saltiness is largely preference (though I’m 99% sure you’re under seasoning your food). However, for this salmon curry recipe I do give some salt measurements. Between the curry paste and fish sauce, it’s easy to over-season. Before serving, give the curry a taste and season with additional salt, pepper and lime as needed.

Ingredients: 

• coconut oil
• red onion
• fresh ginger
• garlic cloves
• jarred green curry paste 
• full-fat canned coconut milk
• salmon 
• snow peas
• spinach or baby kale
• fish sauce 
• lime
• basil
• cilantro
• cauliflower rice or white rice, such as jasmine or basmati
• Toasted sesame oil, optional

How to make salmon curry:

1. Cook the onions, ginger, and garlic until starting to soften. 
2. Add the curry paste and cook briefly.
3. Add the coconut milk and water, bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook until the liquid has slightly reduced.
4.  Add salmon and peas and cook 3 minutes. 
5. Off heat, stir in spinach, fish sauce, lime juice and lime zest. 
6. Sprinkle basil and cilantro over top.
7. Serve over rice with toasted sesame oil (optional), lime wedges and additional herbs. 

How to make salmon curry: photo step-by-step

Variations & tips: 

• Swap the sugar snap peas for small broccoli florets.
• Swap the sugar snap peas with shelled edamame. 
• Add thin slices of bell pepper. 
• Make it spicy by adding thinly sliced serranos.
• Add julienned carrots. 
• Use a firm white fish, such as cod, if you don’t like salmon.
• Use large shrimp instead of salmon and cook for a minute less.

If you give this coconut curry recipe a try, be sure to let me know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo & tag @zestfulkitchen on Instagram. I love hearing about and seeing your ZK creations!

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