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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!
I have made this several times. It is just stunning. So fresh.
Works every time.
Hey Jane,
Awesome! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and appreciate you giving it a go! Have a wonderful week:) xTieghan
Look no further, this is amazing! I have been making this dish at least twice a month, for almost a year now. I tell all my friends, It’s so good! I tweak a little- searing the salmon first so there is a nice crust and just use zest/juice of lemon instead of the lemongrass (if you have Myer lemons they’re even better!) and add jalapeños (some to the mushroom mix and some on top at the end) because we like spice around here. Bok Chou is our preference, Oh and one can coconut milk, sub stock for the other. So good and plenty rich! Look for good coconut milk, you want it to thicken and richer the sauce. None of the lite stuff you’ll have a watery sauce. I make the full sauce recipe for just my husband and I with two pieces of salmon, in giant bowls over rice and we eat every single bite and the sop up all the extra sauce with the homemade naan (which is amazing and freezes great! But beware, once you make it homemade the other people in your youse will notice if you buy it next time instead of making it haha). I keep trying other salmon recipes because I’m afraid we will get sick of this one but I keep coming back. Seriously, try this! Yes it’s a lot of prep, but trust me, this is worth it. In fact I’m probably making this (again) tonight! Thank you thank you! This is my go to salmon recipe!
Hey Jennifer,
Happy Sunday! Thanks a lot for making this recipe, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xxTieghan
This was SO good! Salmon came out perfectly after 7 minutes. Used basil instead of cilantro. Came together in less than an hour from beginning to end. Great flavor – not too spicy even with 3 tablespoons of curry paste. Will definitely make again!
Hey Alison,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am it was enjoyed! xTieghan
This one just really wasn’t for me.
Hey Daniel,
So sorry you did not enjoy this recipe, thanks for giving it a try! xTieghan
Second time making this and it’s still amazing. Wonderful idea to incorporate salmon into curry. I had this idea to try something different with salmon other than the traditional baking and pan fry and we love Thai curry so much so when I searched up a recipe and found this I was happy. I stick to everything on the recipe and just modify some ingredients that we like more of. Very good recipe! Thank you for sharing!
Hey Ivanka,
Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I am thrilled that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
Absolutely delicious and super easy! A true one pot meal. I added a Serrano pepper to give a bit more heat and it was perfect! I also cut the recipe in half, as I was only cooking for two. Very simple to cut all the ingredient amounts in half. I also think this would be excellent with shrimp.
Hey Sara,
I am so glad that you liked this recipe, thanks for giving it a go! Happy Friday? xTieghan
It IS delicious with shrimp!
Just found your site and I’m hooked. This recipe was absolutely delicious. I’m making it again for my parents. My littles even liked it!
Hey Meagan,
Thanks so much for making the recipe, I am delighted it was enjoyed! Happy Friday:) xTieghan
Incredibly flavourful and truly comes together quickly!
The salmon was great in the dish, but if you dont eat fish or dont have it on hand, we thought the meal would be substantial enough without it. Served with brown rice vermicelli!
Thank you for another great recipe!
Hey Maclean,
I am so thrilled that you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for trying it out!! xTieghan
Very tasty! First time I managed to make tasty Thai dish!
Hey Katerina,
I am thrilled that you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
Made this for dinner this evening
Beautiful flavour …. it was a hit with the entire family. Added some red chilli as garnish … loved it.
Hey Jane,
Thank you so very much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it worked out for you! Happy New Year! xTieghan
Hi,
I have tried this recipe a number of times, and even when I use seasme oil on a low heat, it burns and smells awful, and everything in my pan burns. Any idea whats going wrong?
Hey Sarah,
So sorry about this, sesame oil does have a strong smell, are you sure you aren’t mistaking that for burning? Let me know how I can help! xTieghan
Yum
Thank you Melissa! xTieghan
How is the calorie count possible? The sesame oil alone is 800 calories.
Hi! The calorie count is per serving! I will look into it again! xTieghan
This was delicious!! Beautiful flavors and easy to make.
Thank you so much JoGal! xTieghan
I thought my husband was crazy when he suggested salmon curry for dinner. Thankfully I found this recipe and it was incredible! We followed it exactly as written, adding both cilantro and basil at the end. With a freezer full of red salmon we will definitely make this again.
Haha so happy you made this and loved it! Thank you so much Amy! xTieghan