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This curry is amazing! We tried this recipe for the first time tonight, and it’s definitely a keeper! It was very easy to make and so full of flavour. Thank you!
Brittney
Salmon has never been this good.
I mean, I know we talked a big game with those barbecue salmon bowls, and those salmon burgers with the crunchy slaw may be one of the most-made, last-minute, healthy-delicious meals of my life. And all the myriad other ways that I love to cook salmon.
But I think this one is top of the list for me now. Coconut curry salmon is everything I ever needed to happen to salmon, like, actually happening.
A quality piece of salmon. An aggressively salty-sweet spice rub. A quick high-heat trip to the oven. A simple, creamy, barely spicy, and MEGA flavorful sauce poured over the whole thing. Probably too much (but never too much) lime squeezing. And a steamy rice bed sopping everything up.
Count me in.
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Reasons This Curry Salmon Is My Everything:
- So fast
- So easy
- Comfort food
- Healthy
- High protein
- Lots of good fats
- Creamy but not in a heavy way
- JUST THE FLAVOR HONESTLY
And if you like the curry vibe but you’re not so sure about salmon, no judgment. You are in the right place.
Coconut Curry Salmon: FAQs
If you prefer, you can cut the salmon into steaks, salt and pepper them, and just add them to the simmering coconut curry sauce for 8-10 minutes. This will poach the salmon. I prefer the texture of the roasted / spiced salmon but I have done it both ways and it will work either way! You can also check out all the other myriad of ways to cook salmon.
Nope, not spicy but it does have LOTS of flavor!
Fluffy white rice is sooooo good with this and you could do a little green salad on the side, too.
This works great with chicken or shrimp!
I’d recommend using chickpeas or tofu!
Coconut Curry Salmon
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Coconut Curry Salmon! Broiled salmon with a salty-sweet spice rub, creamy coconut curry sauce, and steamy rice to soak it all up. YUM.
Ingredients
Salmon:
- 1 1/2 lbs. salmon
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon curry powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (more for a larger filet)
- 1–2 teaspoons olive oil
Coconut Curry Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 small knob of ginger (minced)
- 1 tablespoon of lemongrass paste
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon red curry paste
- 1 can coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce or soy sauce
- lots of lime juice and zest
- 3 cups fresh spinach, chopped
For serving:
- cilantro, basil, mint, or other fresh herbs
- rice
Instructions
- Get the oven ready: Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Line a baking sheet with foil. Place one of the oven racks close-ish to the top, about 6 inches or so.
- Make your rice: Cook rice according to package instructions.
- Salmon: Mix the spices and the olive oil to make a paste. Place the salmon skin side down on the baking sheet. Rub the paste liberally over the top part of the salmon. Bake for 6-12 minutes (depends on salmon thickness and desired doneness – I usually opt for 8-10 minutes). See notes and FAQs for potential broiling issues and alternative methods.
- Coconut Curry Sauce: Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic, ginger, and lemongrass; sauté for 5 minutes. Add brown sugar and curry paste; sauté for 3 minutes. Add coconut milk. Season with fish sauce, lime juice, and lime zest to taste. Add spinach; stir into the sauce until wilted.
- Serve: Place salmon over rice. Cover with sauce, lime juice, and fresh herbs.
Notes
If you try broiling the salmon, it can work (I have done it many times) but it is possible for your salmon, when rubbed with the sugar mixture, to light on fire if you get it too close to the heating element of your oven. If you are concerned about this, I would just use the regular oven temp of 450/475 as directed and wait until the oven has preheated to put your salmon in.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Thai-Inspired
Keywords: salmon recipe, salmon curry, coconut curry, curry recipe, seafood curry
More Salmon Faves
- Hot Honey Salmon
- Baked Salmon with Amazing Lemon Sauce
- Perfect Baked Salmon with Lentils and Lemon Herb Sauce
- Yummy Salmon Burgers with Slaw
- Bang Bang Salmon with Avocado Cucumber Salsa
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One More Thing!
This recipe is part of our yummy spinach recipes page. Check it out!
Hi! I love this recipe so much. I’m planning to make it again soon and was wondering if arugula could be used instead of spinach?
Absolutely unreal! Made it exactly as the recipe called for (with fish sauce, not soy sauce) and wow. 10/10 meal. Will be making again soon!
Any other fish you would recommend other than salmon?
This is a family favorite of ours and was thinking about trying it with something different.
Halibut would also be delicious!
Absolutely delicious! I added chopped bell pepper and yellow onion to the curry sauce (sautéed these veggies for about 5 min before what the recipe called for) and it was a delicious touch
Made this recently and combined it with Steph’s version to include the chickpeas. My husband needs more iron in his diet, and I need more fiber and protein, so it was a delicious way to get it all into one meal.
I tried this with salmon and prawns and it was amazing! Cooking it tomorrow with prawns and chicken
Do you have a preferred brand of curry powder? thanks
No specific brand!
This was seriously SO GOOD! My husband said it’s his new favorite way to eat salmon. Definitely a keeper that we will be having again.
Thanks!
I live in Alaska and my husband is a commercial salmon fisher. We love curry and when I saw your curried salmon recipe I had to try it. When my husband sat down to dinner he remarked, what’s this, I thought we were having salmon? And then . . . Oh.my.god. It was so good, we practically ate the whole fillet in one sitting. On to your other salmon recipes! Thank you!
One of our all time favorite dinners!! I make it often and everyone loves it! If I had to pick just one salmon recipe to use from now on (and I make a lot of salmon recipes) this would be it! It’s that good!
This is my new favorite recipe. It’s bursting with flavor and it’s just so yummy!! It will be a new staple in our family. We even left out the lemongrass paste and it was still incredible.
Greetings from the UK! Discovered Lindsay on Insta and have loads of her recipes on hard rotation. This is our fave. Absolutely delicious way of having salmon. We add the crispy coriander topping from her prawn (shrimp 😉) recipe. Deelish!!
I want to try this recipe, but need your guidance on the removing the salmon skin. Does it come off easily after cooking so it can be removed before serving?
Yes, the salmon will just flake off the skin!
So good! And easy! The curry sauce lacked a bit of flavor, so I added a 1/4 tsp of salt and it was perfect.
Made this tonight and we loved it!
Love this recipe, but what is the lemongrass for?
It adds really lovely flavor!
Why did you add brown sugar to this recipe?
Hi! It is mixed with olive oil and spices.
This sounds delicious. What can be substituted for lemongrass paste and red curry paste?
Hello! Those are essential to the recipe.
This was delicious and super easy. The sauce would be amazing on chicken as well. I will definitely make this again!
The best! I make this regularly and everyone in my family loves it! An all time favorite!
This was absolutely delicious as written! My sauce was very thin, though, and I’m not sure if that is the way it was intended or if I missed a step to thicken it. Any advice here?
Love your high protein meals!!
Also, did Abby Anfinson used to work for you? I believe I remember that from the days she used to babysit my babies (now 16 and 14).
Keep up the great work.
Alexis at Powderhorn
Are you trying to drive me crazy with that beautiful picture of the salmon curry? All I can think about is having a bite of it RIGHT NOW! I am literally just about ready to dish out a bowl of yellow curry with chicken which I got here from your recipe…I know it’s going to be great because I’ve made it before. I can’t wait now to do the salmon curry using a couple of delicious pieces of the King Salmon my son caught here this summer (I live in Alaska) and maybe adding a new recipe to my collection! Thank you.
Wow! I made this for tonight’s dinner and it was amazing! I used lemon zest and a little lemon juice instead of the lemongrass paste. I’m moving this recipe from my Pinterest Fish/Seafood board to my Must Serve Again board.
The flavors! OMGoodness!