This salmon coconut curry is a Thai-inspired dish that combines pan-seared salmon with a creamy Thai curry sauce and fresh vegetables. Served with rice or noodles, this flavorful and healthy dish will become a new favorite for dinner!

Curry recipes are perfect for making a flavorful and healthy dinner. They are very quick and easy to make, taste great, and are filled with vegetables and protein.
And since quite a few people love my Thai peanut chicken curry, I decided to create this Thai-inspired salmon coconut curry. It is super delicious and has the most creamy curry sauce ever thanks to the cashew butter in this recipe. Plus, it is healthy and easy to make. So if you are on the hunt for new recipes, definitely add this one to your list!
Ingredients
The ingredients for this Thai salmon curry can be found in most grocery stores and will hopefully become part of your pantry as they are perfect for whipping up delicious meals!
Salmon Coconut Curry Ingredients
- Salmon fillets: You can go for the type of salmon you usually use. I always buy frozen wild-caught salmon fillets.
- Vegetables: Veggies are an absolute must for a delicious curry. You’ll need broccoli and carrots for this recipe. But if you prefer to use other vegetables, feel free to go for it!
- Aromatics: Ginger, garlic, and onion should always be used in a curry. They give lots of flavor and take your curry from good to absolutely delicious!
- Fresh lime juice: A little bit of fresh lime juice adds brightness to this curry. But if you don’t have a lime, feel free to skip it.
- Cilantro: I love to garnish the salmon with chopped cilantro as it goes so well with the taste of the sauce and salmon. But feel free to skip it if you don’t like it!
Thai Curry Sauce Ingredients
- Coconut milk: I recommend using full-fat coconut milk to make this curry but you can absolutely go for the light version if that’s what you prefer.
- Thai red curry paste: Red curry paste gives this dish its distinct flavor and I absolutely recommend getting it if you don’t already have it in your refrigerator. The combination of lemongrass, chile pepper, and garlic (and many other spices) is absolutely necessary to make a flavorful Thai-inspired salmon coconut curry.
- Cashew butter: The cashew butter is used to make the curry sauce super creamy. And since it is quite neutral in flavor, it doesn’t alter the taste of the curry as peanut butter would. But if you don’t mind a less creamy sauce, you can skip the cashew butter. The curry will still be super delicious!
- Soy sauce: You can use tamari as a gluten-free alternative or coconut aminos as a gluten-free and soy-free alternative for soy sauce.
- Honey: Just a bit of honey goes a long way and I absolutely recommend adding it to the curry.
How to make this salmon coconut curry
Making this salmon coconut curry is super easy. Just follow these simple steps:
- Sear the salmon: Sear the salmon fillets from both sides in a pan over medium-high heat. The cook time depends on how thick the salmon is, but 4-5 minutes for each side should be perfect for regular salmon fillets. Then take the salmon fillets out of the pan and set them aside.
- Sauté the vegetables and aromatics: Next sauté the vegetables and aromatics over medium-low heat for 1-2 minutes. They should still be crisp, as they will cook for a few more minutes with the curry sauce.
- Add the curry sauce ingredients: Add the curry sauce ingredients to the vegetables and let everything simmer for 5 minutes.
- Garnish and serve: Add the lime juice and salmon fillets to the curry. Let the salmon fillets heat up, garnish with cilantro and serve.
Serving this Thai salmon curry
Curries are usually served over rice or noodles. Here are my favorite types to enjoy this curry:
- Basmati rice: Basmati rice is one of my favorite rice types. It is perfect for this salmon coconut curry and I simply love it!
- Cauliflower rice: As the salmon and curry can be a bit heavy, some people might prefer to go with a low-carb option. Cauliflower rice tastes great and goes super well with this dish. Depending on how I feel, I will sometimes choose cauliflower rice instead of basmati rice.
- Udon noodles: If you prefer noodles with your curry, I recommend trying udon noodles. Eating them can be a messy activity, but they taste super great with this Thai salmon curry!
- Rice noodles: Rice noodles are another favorite that many people associate with Pad Thai. But they taste great with curries, too!
Variations
As always, you can make a few changes to this recipe to adjust it to your taste. Here are some ideas:
- Spicy version: If you love spicy foods (I definitely do!) I recommend adding a chile pepper to the curry. It makes the curry taste even better!
- Fish sauce: Fish sauce is another ingredient you could use to add flavor to this dish. It is a staple in Thai cooking and tastes great in curries. I don’t feel like it is absolutely necessary and some people don’t like to use it but feel free to add 1-2 teaspoons to the sauce. I definitely love it.
Storage
Curries are great for meal prep as they don’t lose flavor or change texture when they are stored and reheated. Here is how you can store this Thai salmon coconut curry:
- Refrigerator: You can store leftovers for 2-3 days in your refrigerator.
- Freezer: If you want to meal prep and freeze some of the curry, I’d recommend only freezing the sauce and veggies, and searing the salmon when you want to enjoy this salmon coconut curry.
More delicious and easy curry recipes
I am a huge curry lover! They taste great, are easy to prepare and I always have yummy leftovers. Here are some other recipes I recommend trying if you feel the same way:
Salmon Coconut Curry
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil for searing the salmon and sautéing the vegetables; alternative: vegetable oil
- 4 salmon fillets
- 2 carrots cut into slices or matchsticks
- 3 cups broccoli florets
- ½ tablespoon ginger grated
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 onion finely diced
- 1 can coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons red curry paste
- 2-3 tablespoons cashew butter
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce alternatives: coconut aminos or tamari
- 1 tablespoon honey
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 teaspoon fresh lime juice
- fresh cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Preheat half of the avocado oil in a large pan or pot over medium-high heat. Dry the salmon fillets with paper towels and season them with salt. Sear the salmon from both sides until cooked through. This should take around 4-5 minutes for each side, depending on the thickness of the salmon fillets. Take the salmon fillets out of the pan and set them aside.
- Add more avocado oil to the pan and sauté the carrots, broccoli, garlic, ginger, and onion over medium-low heat. Only sauté for 1-2 minutes, as the vegetables will cook for a few more minutes with the curry.
- Add the coconut milk, red curry paste, cashew butter, soy sauce, and honey to the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Stir the curry and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the lime juice to the curry. Then add back the salmon fillets and warm them up. Garnish with cilantro and serve!
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