Thai Red Curry Salmon is a super easy one pot less than 30-minute low carb recipe. It's packed with healthy salmon, shrimp, vegetables in a creamy rich spicy coconut sauce.
Jump to:
- Easy Weeknight Dinner
- Low Carb and Satisfying
- Flavors & Dietary Needs
- Ingredients in Red Thai Curry Paste
- Sourcing Thai Ingredients Outside of Asia
- Healthy Warming Recipe
- Secrets to Making a Thick Luxurious Thai Curry
- What is the Crack Stage of Curry?
- More Delicious Coconut Based Curry Recipes
- Thai Red Curry Salmon
Easy Weeknight Dinner
One bite of that succulent salmon and coconut curry sauce and you will be hooked. This is a great little recipe for when you have zero time to devote to dinner. Life is crazy busy and you need some healthy 30 minute recipes to get you through the hectic week.
Low Carb and Satisfying
Have you ever noticed how you feel more full on a low carb diet with a little extra fat? The richness of the coconut milk along wit the fatty salmon makes you feel satisfied. Colorful crisp vegetables and a super moist and succulent pan-seared and then poached salmon make for one delicious easy meal. With just 9 net carbs per serving, this salmon dish has a lot going to it.
Flavors & Dietary Needs
Thai Red Curry Salmon is full of the 4 basic flavors of Thai Cuisine. These can be adjusted up or down to adjust to your desired taste preferences.
- savory - Thai Fish sauce
- spicy - red curry paste
- sweet - sweetener of choice
- sour - fresh lime juice
Do you have family members that need carbs or they get "hangry"? Just add a side of rice or rice noodles and call it a day. Otherwise, this recipe is delicious all on its own or with a side of cauliflower rice.
We used a gluten-free red curry paste and Thai fish sauce. This recipe is happily dairy free, egg free and gluten-free.
Ingredients in Red Thai Curry Paste
Do you live in Asia? If you do, you may wish to make your own homemade red curry from scratch. All you need are these Essential Thai Ingredients chilis, lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, garlics, shallots, coriander roots, shrimp paste and a good ole fashion mortar and pestle and you are good to go.
Sourcing Thai Ingredients Outside of Asia
However, for most of finding these Asian ingredients can be rather difficult. That is exactly why our ingredient list uses only items you will be able to get in your regular grocery store down the “International Isle”. As you can see in the list below, there is nothing too crazy on the list.
- Salmon
- Shrimp - optional
- Coconut milk
- Red curry paste (pre-made in a jar)
- Fish sauce We like Red Boat brand (gluten-free)
- Lime
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Onion
- Vegetables of choice
Healthy Warming Recipe
According to the National Institute of Health, Salmon is high in omega 3 fatty acids. Omega 3 Fatty acids are good for brain health, protects against inflammation and may help decrease risk for cardiac disease.
Red curry paste is medium hot. Green curry is usually the hottest. Most generally speaking, yellow curry paste is usually the mildest of the three.
Curry paste is warming for the body due to the chilis and galangal. Be sure to read our Introducing the Five Energies of Food to help clarify what foods are warming, cooling, neutral, etc. Thai Kitchen makes a gluten-free version of red Thai curry paste and we have had good results with this product. If you are a red curry lover, you may like to try our Thai red coconut curry dumpling soup.
Coconut Milk gives the recipe that silky luxurious feeling but is high in fat so use a low-fat coconut milk if you wish for this recipe. However, that fat is what keeps you feeling full and satisfied without the addition of carbs.
Secrets to Making a Thick Luxurious Thai Curry
- Choose a quality brand coconut milk that only has coconut and water as part of the ingredients. Avoid the brands with thickeners and such.
- Shake up your Coconut Milk: Give your coconut milk a good hard shake before adding it to your pan. This helps mix the fats with the liquids and gives it a head start.
- Allow the curry to come to the crack stage before adding the rest of your ingredients.
- Avoid adding wet soggy vegetables to your curry as this will water down the sauce. If you must use frozen vegetables, fry them up in a separate pan first to let the moisture escape before adding to your curry sauce.
What is the Crack Stage of Curry?
The crack stage of curry happens when you simmer the coconut milk and curry paste until the oil separates out. This might take about 7 to 10 minutes. By this time, much of the liquid is evaporated out. The result is a thicker and more delicious curry.
Once you add the coconut milk to the pan, get stirring and keep your heat up. You need to see bubbles and be on a medium high heat. Your Thai Red curry must get what we call the crack stage before adding the rest of ingredients back into the pan.
Our Indonesian Slow Cooker Beef Rendang is a great example. It shows the effects of allowing your coconut milk to crack and allowing the oils to extract from the liquids. This is a dry curry, but the concept is very similar. If you use a light coconut milk or a cheap coconut milk with additives, you might not ever get to the cracked stage.
More Delicious Coconut Based Curry Recipes
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Thai Red Curry Salmon
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil or oil of choice
- 4 fillets salmon skin removed and remove any bones
- 1 pound shrimp peeled and deveined
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 inch ginger knob fresh peeled and grated
- 2 tablespoon red curry paste
- 1 green bell pepper sliced
- 1 red bell pepper sliced
- 1 cup baby bok choy or vegetable of choice
- 14 ounces coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce gluten-free
- 1.5 tablespoons brown sugar or sugar alternative of choice (we used a brown sugar stevia alternative- if using stevia based use 0.75 tablespoons)
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 tablespoon lime zest
- fresh chilis garnish - optional
- cilantro (coriander) garnish - optional
Instructions
- Prepare all ingredients mise en place (chopped and ready togo) as this cooking procedure is going to go quickly.
- If your salmon has the skin on it remove it. Find the sharpest knife you have in your house and hon it. Lay your salmon skin side down on a cutting board. Grab the end of the skin. Hold down firmly and you run your knife along the edge, pressing down to the skin.
- Salt and pepper your salmon on both sides. Add coconut oil to a frying pan or oil of choice.
- Sear the salmon on both sides for about 3 minutes. Remove from pan.
- Add your ginger, garlic, red curry paste and onions to the pan and cook for a minute or two until aromatic.
- Add your green and red bell pepper and bok choy to the pan. Stir to incorporate. Next, shake up your coconut milk well and add to the pan. Turn up your heat and allow the steam to escape and your sauce to reduces lightly and your coconut milk will start to get to the cracking stage. Then add your fish sauce and sugar alternative of choice.
- Add shrimp and seared salmon back into the pan with curry. Continue to cook uncovered for another 1 to 2 minutes or until the shrimp are no longer translucent and the salmon flakes easily with a fork.
- Drizzle with lime juice, lemon zest and stir.
- Garnish with red chilis and cilantro as desired. Serve Thai Red Curry Salmon on its own or with a side of cauliflower rice for a lower carb dinner or on top of rice noodles or rice if you are not watching the carbs. We like to serve with an extra lime wedges on the side. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Choose a quality brand coconut milk without any additives or stabilizers.
- Shake the can of coconut briskly before adding to your red curry paste and aromatics.
- Allow the curry to come to the crack stage before adding the rest of your ingredients.
- Do not add frozen or wet soggy vegetables or other ingredients to your curry.
Donna Jorgensen says
Hi there! The recipe mentions shrimp in the description, but there is no mention of shrimp in the actual recipe, neither in the ingredient list nor in the instructions. You may wish to correct this discrepancy.
HWC Magazine says
Thank you so much Donna for bringing this to our attention. The recipe and instructions have been updated accordingly. Wishing you a lovely day ahead.
Chef Mimi says
This sounds fantastic! I’ll have to wait till I have a friend visit, because my husband won’t eat salmon, and is not fond of Thai flavors. 🙄
Jake says
Now this is my style. I love this flavor. Great recipe -- thanks so much
HWC Magazine says
Thanks so much Jake. Our family loves Thai Red Curry Salmon as that curry sauce is comforting but super healthy too. Take Care
Ken says
We love salmon and welcome any new recipe for it's preparation.
Carla says
This looks great
Cal says
Any way to kill the salmon taste is great in my book
letscurry says
I love how you have added vegetables, especially broccoli into this salmon curry. Salmon being such versatile can take on so many flavours yet retaining its distinct flavour.
All Thai flavours in it, plus under 30 minutes sounds a bonus on weekdays. Thanks for an amazing recipe.
HWC Magazine says
Thanks so much. We could seriously eat Thai food every day. Love the balance of spice, sour, sweet and savory. Wishing you a super week ahead.
mjskitchen says
We haven't been able to get enough of red and green thai curry lately. The flavors are just so rich and unique. i have salmon on my menu for Friday, so this looks like a nice change from our normal pan fry. It will also allow me use up this single baby bok choy that is just sitting by itself in the fridge. Thanks for this recipe! Can't wait to try it.
HWC Magazine says
Thanks so much MJ! We have been craving curry all week. These odd cycles of cold damp days, really makes you crave something delicious to warm you up from the inside out.
mimi rippee says
oh my god this looks amazing. i love the shrimp in with the salmon, and the noodles, the broth... and some of my most favorite flavors as well. All together!!!
HWC Magazine says
Thanks so much Mimi. We crave a good curry especially with the change of seasons. It really hits the spot.
Juliana says
What a delicious way to cook salmon...I love Thai spices, but rarely cook at home...thanks for sharing the recipe. So happy to see you back Bobbi...
Have a wonderful week ahead!
HWC Magazine says
Thank you Juliana. It is so good to be back. So glad you liked this salmon recipe. It is so easy and one we make often when its a busy work week. Take Care
John / Kitchen Riffs says
Great tip about the water content of frozen veggies. I do like frozen veggies, and am too often guilty of breaking that rule. And much as I love making my own curry mixtures, more and more these days I'm simply going with commercial mixtures and then adding extra ingredients to taste. Anyway, lovely recipe -- really delightful. New blog format looks quite nice, too -- easier to navigate, and things look crisper.
HWC Magazine says
Hi there John! So happy to hear you like the new website format. That makes our day. We still do use frozen veggies at times, you just need to make sure that you pan sear them first to remove all the water and then you are good to go. Fresh curry paste is always best but when you are short on time or don't have access to an Asian market, pre-made is just lovely. Have a lovely weekend.
Ron says
Bobbi, this sounds wonderful as salmon is on our table a couple of times a week. We love Thai and we love quick and easy weeknight dinners even more, so this one is going to hit the table soon. I also love that it's low carb as that'll let me have your Thai Red Curry Salmon on steamed Jasmine rice and not feel guilty.
HWC Magazine says
Hello Ron! Thank you very much. We have mixed family dietary requirements at our home. The boys need filling carbs but dad needs to watch glucose levels (carb intake) so all family meals have to be able to suit either or. Personally, I love this recipe over Jasmine rice or pad Thai noodles. Have a lovely weekend.
Hannah says
Like usual, that bold, flavorful sauce is everything. This sounds like it would be delightful with tofu, or chickpeas, or perhaps both! Super happy to see you back at the blog with new, delicious inspiration to share.
HWC Magazine says
Thank you dear Hannah!This sauce has it all going on...the spice, the sour, the sweet and the savory.It is really delicious with tofu or whatever else you like. Wishing you a super weekend!
Liz says
Beautiful and delicious! I'm on the hunt for more "meatless" meals for Lent and this salmon is perfect!! Glad to see you got your blog transferred! Whew.
HWC Magazine says
Thanks so much Liz. We are delighted to finally have the website transferred too. Now we can concentrate on more delicious lent recipes. Take Care
Eha says
Lovely salmon recipe, Bobbi, rather similar to the one I have made all my life. Almost always make my own paste as it is a wee stronger but lower in salt than the bought versions. Do not use as much capsicum but also love baby bok choi alongside as first choice. As our bodies literally tell us what we need and there is any amount of good information available on the Net, nutrition has never been a topic of conversation twixt my doctors and I . . . having finished medical school myself I know how little of that is taught. Food to me is bath healthy fuel and pure enjoyment" why male it complicated with diets unless you are a diabetic or allergic to say nuts 🙂 !
HWC Magazine says
Thanks so much Eha. We love making our own red curry paste too. It is so easy to do when you live in Asia or near an Asian Market but when you are in Michigan... lol...Thai Kitchen's Red Curry paste is a great alternative. I see you noticed all the capsicum. We have a house full of chili heads and one of them lived in Thailand so nothing is ever spicy enough for him... (smiling) Hope you are staying safe from the snakes. Been thinking about you dear friend.
Eha says
Am still fighting computer problems - thus, somehow, my felicitations on you getting your new blog format going, went AWOL !! Lovely, clear and a pleasure to read . . . hope all your problems are behind you . . . love for the weekend . . .
HWC Magazine says
Sorry to hear about your computer issues. Technical issues are always the worst. Thanks so much for your support dear Eha and wishing you a lovely weekend ahead.