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Keeping things colorful, quick, and cozy with this Saucy 30 Minute Thai Basil Salmon Curry. This curry is for those nights when you’re craving comfort food, but need to keep it healthy….and easy. It’s all made in one pot using good for you ingredients like ginger, citrus, fresh winter greens, and heart healthy salmon. Not only is this salmon curry healthy and comforting, it’s also delicious. Best part? It comes together in just about 30 minutes. Serve this over a bowl of steamed rice for a satisfying dinner that everyone will love.
One of the biggest struggles I have come January is creating recipes that are both healthy and cozy. It’s no secret I love a cozy meal, but January is all about eating a little healthier and getting back on track after the holidays. Since healthy and cozy don’t always go hand in hand, January can be a trickier month. The weather is bitter cold (especially right now, we’ve been in the negatives at night for days). The days are short, and in turn we all crave comfort food.
In an effort to share healthy, but cozy recipes for winter, I turned to my go-to. Saucy curries made with all the healthiest ingredients, that just happen to make up the coziest bowl of food.
Here’s the deal, I know salmon in curry might sound odd, but trust me on this one. This curry is truly so delicious, every bite is full of creaminess and fresh Thai flavors.
The base of the curry is mix of shallots, ginger, lemongrass, and garlic. I really wanted to use some flavorful produce that would also help to fight off my lingering winter cold. Anyone else battling a holiday cold?
This curry is going to heal you. Ginger is a proven cold fighter and I’ve included a good amount in this curry. I also made sure there was plenty of citrus, fresh winter greens, and mushrooms for a nutrient packed sauce.
To make the curry extra saucy and creamy, I used canned coconut milk. Then I simply cooked the salmon right in the curry to make a one pot dinner that comes together in no time at all. I served this over steamed rice (our family favorite), but you could also serve this curry over rice noodles. Just be sure to top each bowl off with fresh basil, lime juice, and salty cashews…toppings make for an extra good curry.
I ended up making the salmon curry over Christmas break, while all of my family was around and willing to be my personal guinea pigs. This was one of the dishes that everyone raved about and loved.
Since so many people were in town, I tried to make as many new recipes as possible. I love when I have fresh palates to try new recipes. It’s always nice to have other opinions. It gives me an opportunity to adjust my recipes to try to make them as close to perfect as possible. Some recipes I made where just OK (and you will not be seeing those), while others went over so well. This was one of the recipes that went over big, and I’ve been dying to share it. The flavors are perfect, just a little spicy, a hint of saltiness, and very herby and fresh. I love salmon with Thai flavors in general, but I especially love it in a saucy coconut based curry.
What’s truly great about cooking the salmon in coconut milk is that you really can’t overcook it. The coconut milk keeps the salmon incredibly moist, colorful, and flavorful. It’s also a little more forgiving. You don’t have to worry as much if you accidentally leave this on the stove a few minutes more than you’d hope to.
After weeks of appetizers, heavy meals, and eating out, I’m looking forward to a Friday night at home with a bowl of curry.
And just like that, the holidays are over, and the homebody in me returns. Typical. So how are you all spending the first weekend of 2019?
If you make this salmon curry, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Saucy 30 Minute Thai Basil Salmon Curry
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 634 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup sesame oil
- 4 small shallots, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 1 lemongrass stalk, finely chopped
- 2 green onions, chopped
- 1 cup mixed wild mushrooms, torn
- 2-3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
- 2 cans (14 ounce) can full fat coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 4 skinless salmon filets
- 2 cups roughly chopped bok choy or kale
- juice and zest from 1 a lime
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro or basil, roughly chopped
- roasted cashews and steamed rice, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Heat the sesame oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the shallots, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, and green onions. Cook 5-8 minutes, until they are fragrant and beginning to caramelize. 2. Stir in the mushrooms and continue to cook another 5 minutes. Add the curry paste and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.3. Add the coconut milk, fish sauce, and honey. Stir to combine, bring the mixture to a boil, add the salmon and greens. Cover and cook 5-8 minutes or until the salmon is cooked to your desired doneness. 4. Remove from the heat and stir in the lime zest, lime juice, cilantro and/or basil. 5. To serve, divide the rice among bowls and spoon the curry overtop. Top with cashews and lime juice. Enjoy!
This post was originally published on January 4, 2019
Made this tonight and it’s another instant fave in our house! Perfect for this super snowy day in Toronto. Tieghan, your recipes are brilliant! Planning on cooking only HBH this week ❤️
That is so great! I am so glad you loved this!
Do you think this would reheat well? I’m dying to try it, just a little apprehensive about leftover fish!
Hi! Leftover are delicious! Just add a splash of water of the sauce gets a little thick. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much!! xTieghan
I made this last night. It was delicious! Wonderful depth of flavor. Thank you!!
I am so glad you loved this! Thank you Jen!
Made this last night after a long day and wow was it ever delicious! Cozy and fresh at same the time! And also so easy and fast. Exactly what we need in January!
I am so glad you loved this Nayla! Thank you!
Going to make this for dinner tonight – my son is under 1 .. okay if I omit the honey?? Also, I have lemongrass paste, not fresh lemongrass, can I substitute and how much paste should I add?
HI! You can omit the honey and I would use 1 tablespoon of lemongrass paste! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much!! xTieghan
Would this still work without the honey? Trying to keep it Whole30 compliant.
Yes! it will be just fine. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much!! xTieghan
Sounds great! Might be adding it to my growing list of regular HBH recipes! I’m not so keen on mushrooms, do you have a suggestion for a good substitute?
Thanks 🙂
HI! I would use broccoli. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much!! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan – I haven’t had a lot of Thai food, but I feel really drawn to this recipe since I love salmon, lime, and anything with the taste of coconut 🙂 Can you tell me about the red curry paste? Is it super spicy? Unfortunately, I can’t handle real hot food. Also, I spotted something called red curry sauce at Trader Joe’s – how does that differ from the paste, and could I use it instead in this recipe? Thank you, and I love your blog and recipes!
Hey Marcie! The curry paste is not too spicy, but why dont you start with 1-2 teaspoons and see how you like that? I think the Trader Joes red curry paste is the same as the Thai curry paste, so you can use that! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much!! xTieghan
Just made this tonight for dinner and it was so delicious! Can’t believe how well this turned out! Thank you for posting this!
Also. I made cauliflower fried rice with great rosemary, garlic, seasoned with garlic powder and salt and pepper instead of white rice and was delicious. The cauliflower rice paired well with the curry :))!
Thank you so much Angelica!
This was a huge hit with family! Delicious and nourishing on a cold night. Loving your healthy January recipes.
Thank you Eleanor! I am so glad you loved this!
Do you remove the lemongrass before serving or does it cook down enough to not be tough and chewy? My experience is lemongrass can be very fibrous. Looking forward to making this tomorrow during the snow storm!
HI! I do not remove the lemongrass, it cooks down and is not chewy. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe. Thanks so much!! xTieghan
This is very quickly becoming my new fav spot for recipes! This curry is DELICIOUS! All the flavors were perfection! ??
Thank you so much Stephanie!
Hey, Tieghan! This recipe was too full of yummy promises to be true, but it kept them all – and then some! AWESOME! From Germany, Eike
Thank you so much Eike! I am so glad you enjoyed this curry!
Made this for dinner with brown rice on the side. Absolutely fantastic, lovely for cold weather, and very healthful. Plus, doable in a weeknight! Thank you so much!
Thank you so much! I am so glad you loved this!
I loved making this!!! It was easy and fun combining all the ingredients! And such well-rounded, developed flavors in only 30 minutes! I would never have thought to use salmon in a curry, but it is amazing! The coconut milk complements the salmon so well! This is going on my list of favorites!!! I also got your cookbook for Christmas and I can’t wait to test out everything!!!
I hope you love everything in the book! And I am so glad you loved this recipe, Deanna! Thank you!