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Home » Healthy Dinner Recipes » Coconut Salmon Curry with Snow Peas & Spinach

January 14, 2021

Coconut Salmon Curry with Snow Peas & Spinach

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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!

white bowl filled with cauliflower rice, large chunks of salmon and green curry sauce

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.

white bowl filled with cauliflower rice, large chunks of salmon and green curry sauce

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.

white bowl filled with cauliflower rice, large chunks of salmon and green curry sauce

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
overhead image of ingredients mise en placed in white bowls; including raw chunks of salmon, spinach, garlic, ginger, basil, cilantro, a lime, snow peas, red onions, curry paste and fish sauce

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

step-by-step grid of images showing how to make a coconut green curry
step-by-step grid of images showing how to make a coconut green curry with salmon
large gray saute pan filled with green coconut curry sauce, green vegetables and large chunks of salmon

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.
white bowl filled with cauliflower rice, large chunks of salmon and green curry sauce

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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white bowl filled with cauliflower rice, large chunks of salmon and green curry sauce

Coconut Salmon Curry with Snow Peas & Spinach

  • Author: Lauren Grant
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 15 minutes
  • Total Time: 25 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Main Dish
  • Method: Stove top
  • Cuisine: Thai
  • Diet: Gluten Free
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Description

Creamy Coconut Salmon Curry featuring crisp-tender snow peas, spinach, and moist chunks of salmon. Full of flavor, this creamy green curry is delicious spooned over rice or cauliflower rice. 


Scale

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil or olive oil
  • 1 medium red onion, halved and cut into ½-inch thick slices (about 2 cups)
  • 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1 (2-inch) knob fresh ginger, minced (about 3 tablespoons)
  • Black pepper and kosher salt
  • 3 tablespoons green curry paste 
  • 1 can full-fat coconut milk (14.5 ounces)
  • 1 ½ cups water
  • 1 skinless salmon fillet (1–1 ½ pounds), cut into 2-inch chunks
  • 1 cup snow peas, trimmed
  • 5 ounces baby spinach or baby kale, chopped (5 cups, packed)
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce 
  • 1 lime, juiced and zested, plus lime wedges for serving
  •  ¼ cup chopped fresh basil, plus more for serving
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for serving
  • Cooked cauliflower rice, or white rice such as jasmine or basmati
  • Toasted sesame oil

Instructions

In a large sauté pan or braiser, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium. Add onion, garlic, ginger, ½ teaspoon pepper and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften, about 5 minutes. Add curry paste and cook, stirring frequently, 3 minutes.

Add coconut milk and 1 ½ cups water; bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-high and simmer until liquid is slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. 

Lightly season salmon with ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Stir in salmon and sugar snap peas, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently until just cooked through, 3–5 minutes (*see notes below). Off heat, stir in spinach, fish sauce, 1 tablespoon lime juice and 1 teaspoon lime zest. Sprinkle basil and cilantro over top.

Divide rice and curry among bowls, finish with a drizzle of toasted sesame oil, if using. Serve with lime wedges and additional herbs. 


Equipment

sauté pan

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fish sauce

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green curry paste

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full-fat coconut milk

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Notes

SNOW PEAS: both ends of the snow peas should be trimmed. To do this, gently snap the tapered ends and pull down the sides to remove the stringy, fibrous sides.

SALMON: the thickness of the salmon will determine how long it should simmer in the sauce. The thinner your salmon is, the less time it will need to cook. The thicker your salmon fillet is, the more time it will need to cook (also, the thicker the fillet, the better). Check the salmon periodically for doneness, breaking pieces open if needed. An instant-read thermometer is a great way to test for doneness. Salmon is cooked through at 145ºF (62ºC). It will continue to cook as it sits in the hot curry, because of that, remove the salmon from heat when it reaches 130–135ºF (54ºC–57ºC). 

LEFTOVERS: revamp this coconut curry into a curry soup. Reheat leftovers over medium-low and add a few cups of vegetable broth. Serve over cooked rice noodles. 


Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1/4 of the recipe
  • Calories: 493
  • Sugar: 3g
  • Sodium: 847mg
  • Fat: 36g
  • Saturated Fat: 7g
  • Carbohydrates: 11g
  • Fiber: 3g
  • Protein: 37g
  • Cholesterol: 91mg

Keywords: salmon curry, salmon coconut curry, green curry, coconut green curry, salmon curry recipe

Did you make this recipe?

Leave a comment below and tag @zestfulkitchen on Instagram and hashtag it #zestfulkitchen!

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Filed Under: 30-Minute Meal, Healthy Dinner Recipes, Lunch & Dinner, Recipes Tagged With: Dairy-Free, Fish, Gluten-Free, One-Pan, Salmon, Seafood

About Lauren Grant

Lauren Grant is a professional culinary food scientist, food writer, recipe developer, and food photographer. Lauren is a previous magazine editor and test kitchen developer and has had work published in major national publications including Diabetic Living Magazine, Midwest Living Magazine, Cuisine at Home Magazine, EatingWell.com, AmericasTestKitchen.com, and more.

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Welcome to Zestful Kitchen!
I'm Lo, a professionally trained Culinary Food Scientist, Journalist, and former food magazine editor. I'm all
about cooking healthy-ish—aka healthy recipes that don't sacrifice on flavor. I'm here to help you find confidence in the kitchen and LOVE what you eat.

Click here to learn more about Lo and ZK

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