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Coconut Curry Salmon is a 30-minute ONE-PAN dinner with simple ingredients and bold flavors! This Thai-inspired recipe features red curry coconut milk sauce and vegetables (bell pepper and spinach). It's dairy-free, gluten-free, Pescatarian, packed with veggies and protein, and fiber-rich.
Thai-inspired coconut curry salmon
Pan-seared salmon with creamy red curry coconut milk sauce and vegetables is the ultimate comfort food with healthy ingredients. Everything is made in 30 minutes in one pot. This flavorful recipe features full-fat coconut milk, Thai red curry paste, fish sauce, honey, and freshly squeezed lemon juice. I added spinach, bell pepper, and bananas, but you can use any of your favorite veggies, such as broccoli, snow peas, snap peas, mushrooms, and more. This Thai-inspired salmon coconut curry uses basic ingredients and is perfect for busy family weeknights. If you enjoy Thai flavors, don't miss my Thai red curry chicken noodle soup, homemade Thai basil beef, and meatless Thai zucchini noodles.
Main ingredients
- Salmon is highly nutritious, rich in protein, and healthy omega-3 fatty acids. It's low in saturated fat and a good source of vitamins and minerals.
- Bell pepper. I used 1 large red bell pepper. It blends perfectly with the other colors in this Thai salmon curry. You can also use green, yellow, or orange bell peppers.
- Greens. I used fresh spinach. You can also use frozen spinach - thawed and drained of any liquid. Or, use kale or arugula.
- Bananas. I used 2 sliced large bananas. Not only do they add sweetness, but they also help thicken the sauce.
- Coconut milk. I used a whole can (14 oz) of full-fat unsweetened coconut milk. You can also use the lite version.
- Thai red curry paste. I love using Thai Kitchen red curry paste.
- Fish sauce. Again, Thai Kitchen is my favorite brand of fish sauce.
- Honey - you only need 1 tablespoon of it since a lot of sweetness will come from bananas. You can also use brown sugar.
- Lemon. Use the freshly squeezed juice of one lemon - it's much better than the bottled kind!
- Seasonings include salt, freshly ground black pepper, and red pepper flakes.
- Olive oil is used for pan-searing salmon.
What kind of salmon to use
- Individual salmon fillets. These can be purchased fresh or frozen. They usually don't have skin on. They are individually cut, and usually, each fillet represents one serving.
- Large salmon fillets usually have skin on them. It's great for serving a crowd. You can slice a large salmon fillet into smaller fillets. For this recipe, I purchased 1.7 pounds of a large, skin-on salmon fillet and sliced it into 4 smaller fillets.
What kind of coconut milk to use
- Full-fat, unsweetened coconut milk is what I used. It provides creaminess and richness to the salmon curry.
- Light, unsweetened coconut milk will work great, too, because the coconut milk sauce will thicken regardless (thanks to the sliced bananas).
Is Thai salmon curry spicy?
I use Thai red paste by Thai Kitchen brand, and it's mild in flavor, especially when combined with creamy coconut milk. Other brands of red curry paste might be spicier.
Cooking tips
- Pat dry salmon with paper towels to ensure a nice sear. You want salmon to sear in the skillet instead of steaming.
- Rub olive oil and seasonings (salt and pepper) all over the salmon BEFORE adding it to the hot skillet. This will help prevent salmon from sticking to the bottom of the pan when seared.
- Heat the skillet for 2 minutes on medium heat before adding the cooking oil and salmon. This will help the skillet get hot enough so the salmon sears nicely without getting stuck to the bottom of the pan.
Substitutions, Variations, and Add-Ins
- Veggies. Creamy salmon curry with coconut milk pairs beautifully with all kinds of vegetables. My favorites are spinach, bell peppers, snow peas, snap peas, and mushrooms. You can also add broccoli, chopped carrots, chopped asparagus, green peas, cauliflower, green beans, or sweet potatoes.
- What can you use instead of bananas? Mangos are amazing in a coconut milk sauce!
- Nuts and seeds. Cashews and peanuts are the obvious choices. Sesame seeds also add a nice, nutty flavor.
- Honey can be replaced with brown sugar or maple syrup.
- Other seafood you can use in this recipe is shrimp or scallops.
Storage tips for Thai salmon curry
- Fridge. Store the leftovers refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Freezer. I do not recommend freezing this dish.
- Reheat on the stovetop. Add the leftover coconut curry salmon to a high-sided pan or skillet, add a small amount of water or coconut milk, and reheat on low-medium heat.
- Similarly, reheat in the microwave oven. Add extra liquid (water or coconut milk) to thin out the sauce. Reheat for 1 minute, stir, taste, and continue reheating in 30-second increments.
What to serve with it
- Rice or quinoa. Coconut curry salmon is delicious with white rice (basmati or jasmine rice), brown rice, or quinoa.
- Noodles. You can also serve it with ramen noodles or rice noodles.
Other Thai-inspired recipes you might like
- Thai Red Curry Chicken Noodle Soup
- Thai Basil Beef with Spinach, Bell Peppers, and Cashews
- Meatless Thai Zucchini Noodles with Toasted Sesame Seeds
Other Asian-inspired salmon recipes
- Asian Salmon and Noodles with Mushrooms and Snow Peas
- Honey Sesame Salmon with Rice Noodles and Asparagus
- Asian Glazed Salmon with Pasta and Mango Peach Salsa
Thai-inspired Coconut Curry Salmon (30 Minutes, ONE-PAN)
Coconut Curry Salmon is a 30-minute ONE-PAN dinner with simple ingredients and bold flavors! This Thai-inspired recipe features red curry coconut milk sauce and vegetables (bell pepper and spinach). It's dairy-free, gluten-free, Pescatarian, packed with veggies and protein, and fiber-rich.
Ingredients
Salmon
- 1.7 lb salmon fillets (4 fillets)
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
Red Curry Coconut Milk Sauce
- 1 large red bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 14 oz full-fat unsweetened coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons red curry paste
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 5 oz fresh spinach
- 2 large bananas sliced
Garnish
- lemon slices
- chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
Sear salmon on stovetop
- Heat a large, high-sided skillet (I used cast iron) over medium heat for about 2 minutes to heat it.
- I used salmon fillets with skin-on. Season the top of the salmon with salt and freshly ground black pepper, using 1 tablespoon of olive oil to rub the seasonings on top of the fish (do not season the skin part).
- Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the hot skillet. Add salmon fillets skin side up (flesh side down) and cook undisturbed on medium-high heat for 4 minutes.
- Using a wide spatula, carefully flip the salmon fillets to the other side, skin side down. Cook for 5 more minutes on medium heat. Remove from heat.
- Carefully slide a wide spatula between each salmon fillet and the skin to separate the flesh from the skin carefully. Remove salmon (without skin) to a plate.
- Remove skins from the skillet. You can eat them later or discard them if you don't like them.
- Wipe the skillet clean with paper towels, getting rid of all burned bits.
Cook bell pepper
- Add thinly sliced bell pepper and 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the same, now empty, skillet, and cook the bell pepper for about 4 minutes, occasionally stirring, on medium heat, until a little bit charred. Remove the cooked bell pepper to the plate.
Make red curry coconut milk sauce
- To the same, now empty, skillet, add coconut milk, red curry paste, fish sauce, honey, and lemon juice. Cook, constantly stirring, on medium heat, for about 5 minutes until all the ingredients blend and the coconut milk sauce has an even consistency.
- Add fresh spinach and continue cooking, stirring, until it wilts completely.
- Add sliced bananas and cooked sliced bell peppers. Stir to combine.
Assembly
- Return the cooked salmon to the skillet with the red curry coconut milk sauce and reheat.
- When serving, garnish with fresh lemon slices and chopped parsley.
Notes
- Full-fat, unsweetened coconut milk is what I used. It provides creaminess and richness to the salmon curry.
- Light, unsweetened coconut milk will work great, too, because the coconut milk sauce will thicken regardless (thanks to the sliced bananas).
What to serve with it?
- Rice. White rice (basmati or jasmine), brown rice, or quinoa.
- Noodles. You can also serve it with ramen noodles or rice noodles.
Nutrition
Nutrition Information
Thai-inspired Coconut Curry Salmon (30 Minutes, ONE-PAN)
Amount per Serving
Calories
733
% Daily Value*
Fat
51
g
78
%
Saturated Fat
25
g
156
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
7
g
Monounsaturated Fat
16
g
Cholesterol
106
mg
35
%
Sodium
629
mg
27
%
Potassium
1758
mg
50
%
Carbohydrates
31
g
10
%
Fiber
6
g
25
%
Sugar
19
g
21
%
Protein
43
g
86
%
Vitamin A
5910
IU
118
%
Vitamin C
75
mg
91
%
Calcium
94
mg
9
%
Iron
5
mg
28
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
I too though the banana would be weird but added it anyway. It was excellent and added a bit of sweetness to the dish.
I loved everything about this. So different from other salmon dishes I've made.
I cut the recipe half it for just two of us. Watch the fish sauce if you do. It's hard to measure only half a tablespoon and it's very strong. I would just add a teaspoon next time if cutting it in half.
Quick and easy! Full of flavor Salmon never tasted so good. I will cook this recipe again!
Doubled the sauce and added seared scallops. So GOOD!!!!!
Fish sauce flavor was way too strong. Bananas gave it a funky texture. Did not enjoy and will not make it again.
Thanks much. Will try it soon. Be safe.
Loved the flavours of this salmon Thai red curry and will cook it again.
So happy to hear you liked it as much as I do! 🙂
This is a fantastic recipe!! My husband and I loved it! Thank you so much for creating it!!
Thank you for your enthusiasm, Laura, I appreciate it!!
It was my husband’s night to cook - and he’s not a recipe guy, but he wanted to cook the frozen sockeye salmon that we had from Costco. We dreaded using the salmon because when we cooked it before it came out dry - but with this recipe it was DELICIOUS! made yummy leftovers too. This is going on my favorites folder.
Thank you, Lora, for your review - I am so glad this recipe did not disappoint and that the salmon was not dry. 🙂
Made this for my husband on Father’s Day. Very flavorful but very spicy. I used only one tablespoon of the curry paste and was spicy enough for us. I had only cooked salmon by broiling it before, so I was quite nervous about cooking it in a pan. With your cooking time the salmon came out better than ever! I was so happy with it!
Wow, Pat, I am so glad you liked my salmon cooking technique! Thank you for your wonderful, 5-star review! 🙂
It was wonderful and easy!!
Thank you for your review, Vonnie!
This is such a great recipe! One of my favourites from the several I have tried. Lovely flavours and the banana was a surprisingly good addition to the recipe. Never tried adding banana to a curry before! Unfortunately none left over for the next day !!
No leftovers is always a good sign in my book! 🙂 I am so glad you loved this dish as much as I do! 🙂
I tried this recipe and it was delicious! It was easy to make and I will make it for my family in Colorado ❤️
I live in Colorado, too! Thank you, Jackie, for your review. I am glad you liked this curry as much as I did! 🙂
Hi Julia! I have just taken notes of this recipe to make it next week. We will come to Colorado on May 16th for two and a half weeks! Can’t wait!
Hi Hilde! You'll love this recipe - it's one of my favorites! 🙂 Starting mid-May is such a great time to visit Colorado!
I thought it was great. I used masaman curry paste because it was the closest I had to red curry. My husband was horrified that his curry had bananas in it but he did have seconds!
Judy, your comment about your husband made me smile! 🙂 I love bananas in a curry and that's how I make my curry most of the time, so to me bananas in a curry is a must! 🙂
Another keeper dish. Excellent. Since I like lots of sauce I supplemented the coconut milk with some heavy cream. Served over jasmine rice. Thank you for yet another excellent recipe to go into my binder
Tom, thank you for your review - I really appreciate it! ❤️❤️
I will say this again. You have so many ads attached to your recipes that I cannot even read them!
Dit was echt super lekker!
Glad you enjoyed it! 🙂