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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
I was so excited to make this last night, I’d been dreaming about salmon curry and this recipe looked amazing. I hardly ever follow recipes to the letter, but I did with this one because it seemed really great, and reviews were good. When I finally tasted it, I was really disappointed. It was just so incredibly bland, which I was not expecting given I added 3.5 tbsp of curry paste and followed all the instructions. I have checked the ingredients 5 times over to see if I missed anything, but I didn’t…The one change I did make was using lite-coconut milk, which I acknowledge could have watered it down. However, I did boil it uncovered while cooking the salmon to get some of that extra water out. I was expecting a spicy, flavourful, fishy curry, but found it incredibly mild and creamy so maybe I was just expecting the wrong thing? I think if I made it again I would maybe pan-fry some of the salmon with the shallots and then only use one can of coconut milk to avoid watering it down too much and simmer it to get some of the fishy flavours into the sauce. I think I would use kale or spinach instead of bok choy, since I think that added to the water content as well. I would also probably add more spices, cayenne pepper, salt and maybe the full jar of curry paste as my husband and I like it spicy. Overall, obviously lots of people liked it, and it was an okay curry, but just not what I was expecting.
Hi Jesse, it sounds like you just needed to add more curry paste to you and your husbands taste. Additional spices like cayenne will also add heat and flavor. Where all of your ingredients fresh? What brand curry paste are you using? What the curry paste freshly opened? And what brand coconut milk?
Sorry this didn’t seem to meet your expectations. Let me know how I might be able to help you. xTieghan
This soup is scrumptious! 🙂 We got another cold snap in Toronto over the weekend, and this soup was a lifesaver after a long day! So tasty and comforting.
I also read in your other post that your brother was in St. John’s last week, they were hit pretty badly there, I hope he made it home safe.
Thank you for the recipe, dear Tieghan!
Hi Marija! Oh wow, I am so glad this soup turned out so well for you!! He actually has not made it home yet, but has a flight tomorrow and hopefully it takes off! Thank you so much! xTieghan
Hi
Any tips on what veggies I can add to this? Making this dish for Vegetarians?
I can’t get fresh lemongrass near me, but I do have some frozen lemongrass I got at the grocery store. Any idea how much frozen lemongrass would be equivalent to one stalk? Thanks! Can’t wait to try this, it looks delicious!
HI Kathleen! I would use 1 tablespoon. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I made this with my daughter tonight, it was wonderful, my family loved it!
I am so glad you all enjoyed this Jenny! Thank you so much! xTieghan
Fantastic! I was so impressed by the lovely subtle blend of flavours in the sauce. Easy and delicious. I did made a few substitutions based on what was in my fridge:kafir lime leaves instead of lemongrass and celeriac instead of mushrooms but your recipe delivered a great and quick meal. Thank you!
Thank you Jane! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
This looks amazing! We make and love tons of your recipes at home. One thing we are always wondering, does the calorie count include the rice and all toppings? We made your curry chicken meatballs two nights ago and the greek chicken skewers last night and loved them both, but would just love to know what is included in a serving calorie count. Thanks!
HI!! The calories include the toppings, but not the rice. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I am so glad you love this recipe and others too! Thank you! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!! xTieghan
A perfect dinner for a cold wet Sunday evening in England. So quick to prepare & cook, delicious flavours & lovely & light! Definitely going to keep this recipe ?
YES! I love to hear that Angie! Thank you so much! xTieghan
The preparation is delicious, but I am confused by the calorie count. The recipe indicates it will make four servings, and each serving is 289 kcal. But the per serving amount (1/4 of 28 oz or 7 oz) of coconut milk alone has 450 cal and the per serving of sesame oil another 120. Could you please clarify?
Hi Zelda! I am so glad you have enjoyed this recipe! We use an app that is apart of our recipe box for the calories, so I really can’t speak much to this. If you are concerned, I recommend using online calculator and calculating the info yourself Please let me know if you have any other questions. I am so glad you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan ??
I made this with canned salmon because that’s what I had on hand, and it was still great! I did reduce the curry paste because it tends to be too salty for me, and I added about 2 tsp. ground coriander and 1 tsp turmeric with the curry paste. My guests loved it, and I’ll definitely be copying this into my recipe box. Thanks so much for sharing this!
So glad this turned out so amazing for you Alma! Thank you so much! xTieghan
Is it possible to replace the salmon with tofu for vegetarians? 🙂
Hey Morgan! I am not too familiar with cooking tofu, but I am sure it would be a great replacement. I would sear the tofu before adding to the curry sauce. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
I’m writing from Spain and it’s 104ºF, but for some reason I’m craving this recipe right now so I’m going to make in spite of the heat. I’ll use prawns instead of salmon because that’s what I have on hand. Hope it turns out well. Thank you for the recipe, I don’t always comment but I’ve been following you for years and tried many of your recipes with great success. Love!
I hope this turns out amazing for you Crisselli! .. And wow that is hot!! I hope you are staying cool! xTieghan
Delicious recipe! Literally great flavors, really love it and so did my husband who is not a coconut fan.
One comment—if you aren’t using pre-washed/pre-cut veggies, it takes longer than 10 min to prep.
Thank you Andrea! xTieghan
This looks amazing! But my husband doesn’t like salmon 🙁 do you think it would be good with chicken or beef instead?
HI! I am sure seared chicken or beef would be fine. Just make sure it’s cooked through before eating. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Planning on making it this weekend! Perfect for chilly weather. Is the calorie count for 4 or 6 servings? Thank you!
HI! It is for 4 servings. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan