Thai Red Curry Salmon is a simple and delicious Asian salmon recipe where salmon is coated and cooked in a rich and delicious coconut curry sauce infused with bold and authentic Thai flavors.
Salmon is pan-fried on the stove top and then cooked in a thick, creamy, and slightly spicy red curry sauce with coconut milk, along with red bell pepper and broccoli. Thai Red Curry Salmon combines fresh, vibrant flavors with a hint of sweetness, a touch of acidity, and a perfect balance of spices.
Red Curry Salmon
Thai Red Curry Salmon is one of my favorite Thai dishes to make for busy weeknights. It is quick to prepare, taking only about 30 minutes from start to finish. It is also healthy and nutritious, using lots of fresh and nutrient-rich ingredients.
The creamy red curry sauce combines coconut milk, fish sauce, lime juice and brown sugar, bringing a flavorful and balanced combination of spicy, savory, tangy and sweet, and will tantalize your taste buds with its complex flavors.
For my Thai red curry salmon recipe, I wanted to create something that you don’t need a lot of special ingredients or spices, yet maintain the authenticity and bring lots (and I mean LOTS) of flavors. It is very similar to my Thai Red Curry with Chicken and Coconut Curry Chicken Soup.
I highly encourage using fresh ingredients and avoid short cuts so that that sauce is REALLY flavorful and really able to carry that salmon curry dish because it truly makes a difference!
When cooking Thai food in the U.S., one of my favorite way to make our lives easier is to use ready-made red curry paste. They are easy to find these days, even in mainstream grocery stores. Now, not all curry pastes are made equal, and I will talk more about that in the ingredient section.
I have perfected and tested this Thai red curry salmon recipe countless times, and regardless of your experience level in the kitchen, you can trust in the foolproof nature of this approach.
Thai red curry salmon makes a fantastic quick dinner for the busy weeknight or a gorgeous and tasty dish to serve for dinner parties. We created it so that it shouldn’t be hard to make, but is at the same time a crowd-pleaser. Your guests will think you worked hard…while it’s truly not hard at all! 😉
Get ready to experience the rich and creamy blend of spices that make this Thai Red Curry Salmon a truly unforgettable meal. Whether you’re a seasoned Thai food enthusiast or new to the cuisine, I think you’ll really enjoy this recipe.
Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you will need to have to make Thai red curry salmon:
- salmon fillets – fresh, good quality salmon will make this dish much tastier! You can get them with skin on or off. If it comes in a large piece, cut the salmon into smaller rectangular pieces.
- red bell pepper – red bell pepper provides a slight sweet flavor to the sauce, and it pairs well with the spiciness. You can substitute with other bell peppers as well.
- broccoli – provides great flavor and texture to our red curry salmon, and absorbs that rich curry sauce, making it incredibly tasty.
- coconut milk/coconut cream – either one works. For a thicker richer sauce, go with coconut cream. You can also add more or reduce the amount of coconut milk to fit your taste.
- red curry paste – this is the secret sauce that really carries this Thai red curry salmon dish. This curry paste has the explosive flavors of an authentic Thai curry without having to work hard for the taste. Two of my go-to curry pastes brands are Mae Poy or Maesri. Thai Kitchen is more easily found in main stream stores but the flavor and spice is less intense and you may want to consider using more to achieve the same level of flavor.
- fish sauce – fish sauce has a lot of umami flavor and is pungent, but it really does help to elevate the flavor of our Thai curry. And I promise it doesn’t tastes pungent once it is blended into the sauce. Don’t skip it if you want an authentic tasting sauce!
- brown sugar – sugar helps to balance out the flavors so that our Thai curry red salmon dish is not overly spicy. If you like your curry sauce not as sweet, you can reduce the amount of sugar.
- salt – Salt also helps to open up the flavors; however, use with caution because salmon is also seasoned with salt.
- lime juice – lime juice brightens up the sauce and makes a big difference so definitely do not skip it.
- garlic – garlic provides an additional level of flavor and umami to the Thai red curry salmon.
How to Make Red Curry Salmon
Step 1: Pan Sear Salmon
First, before anything, you will want to pat dry salmon to remove access moisture, then season the salmon generously with salt and black pepper. This is important to bring flavors into the salmon, and not just the sauce.
Heat a large 12″ skillet, and after that, generously coat skillet with vegetable oil or avocado oil and bring to heat on the stovetop over medium heat.
Once olive oil is heated, pan sear salmon fillets and let them sit without moving them around for at least a couple of minutes minutes. If salmon skin was on the salmon, prior to pan-searing, sear the salmon skin side up first.
Flip salmon pieces and then let them cook for a few more minutes on the other side. This will give salmon a nice sear on both sides, which will lock the moisture and seasoning.
It’s important to resist the urge to flip and move around the salmon so that the surface is pan-seared, after few minutes of cooking on one side, salmon will be perfectly cooked and you can remove from heat.
Set seasoned seared salmon aside while we prepare the delicious Thai red curry sauce.
Make sure salmon is almost fully cooked (close to 145ºF when measured using a meat thermometer), but it doesn’t have to be fully cooked at this point. We will be cooking it again when it goes back into the curry sauce.
Step 2: Make the curry sauce
We will now work on the vegetables and curry sauce, and then add salmon back into the luscious curry sauce in just a minute.
Using the same skillet, coat with a little bit of oil, then add broccoli and bell pepper.
Give it a good sear, then add Thai red curry paste and cook it for a minute.
Add coconut milk and stir to combine everything. That delicious red curry sauce should turn into a beautiful shade of orange.
Add lime juice, fish sauce, brown sugar, and salt. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Let is boil for a couple of minutes and you’ll get red Thai curry sauce so rich and aromatic that your kitchen should be smelling incredible by now!
This curry flavor profile is rich and creamy, has that signature coconut taste, just a hint of sweet (to balance out the tangy and spicy flavors) and boasting a lovely balance of flavors.
Note: If you like your curry more on the milder side, add some water to dilute the thickness of the curry. If you like it spicier, add more curry paste.
Be sure to taste and balance out the flavors to your preference. Add more fish sauce for saltiness, sugar for sweetness, or lime juice for acidity. A balanced flavor is key to make the curry sauce really shine!
Step 3: Bring salmon into sauce
Add salmon back into the skillet and drizzle sauce onto salmon.
Spoon the richly aromatic curry sauce over the tender salmon fillets, allowing it to absorb the fragrant essence of the coconut milk and spices.
Cover to cook salmon if needed until the thickest part of the fillets reach 145ºF when measured using a meat thermometer.
Once salmon is fully cooked, remove from heat and serve your red curry salmon on top of rice so that it soaks up all that creamy coconut red curry sauce.
And there you go, ladies and gentlemen. Thai red curry salmon, ready under 25 quick minutes and so very, very tasty.
I highly recommend it. ❤️
Modifications and Variations
Here are some suggestions on how to modify this Thai red curry salmon recipe:
- Make it spicier: use more curry paste to make it spicier!
- Make it less spicy: add more coconut milk or water to make the red curry sauce less spicy.
- Change up the veggies: there are so many other vegetables you can use for Thai Red Curry recipe such as carrots, spinach, kale, zucchinis, bamboo shoots, green beans etc.
Tips and Tricks
Here are some tips and tricks to make cooking Thai curry salmon a little easier:
- Use good quality, fresh salmon: As with any seafood dish, the fresher the fish, the better the end result.
- Pat dry the Salmon: Before seasoning, pat the salmon fillets dry with a paper towel. This helps the salt and pepper adhere better and ensures a nice sear.
- Avoid overcooking: Keep an eye on the salmon to avoid overcooking. Salmon is best when it’s moist and tender. It will continue cooking a bit once removed from the heat, so aim for slightly underdone if you’re unsure.
- Customize spiciness: Adjust the amount of red curry paste to control the heat level. You can even dilute the red curry sauce with more coconut milk to reduce the spice level.
- Balance the flavors: Taste the sauce towards the end of cooking and adjust accordingly—add more fish sauce for saltiness, sugar for sweetness, or lime juice for acidity to balance out the flavors.
- Garnish for extra flavor: Top your finished dish with fresh cilantro, sliced green onions, or Thai basil to add an additional layer of flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can use frozen salmon, but make sure to fully defrost it and pat it dry before cooking to ensure it cooks evenly and doesn’t become watery.
To reduce the spiciness, use less red curry paste or consider blending it with additional coconut milk or adding a bit of sugar to help balance out the heat.
Absolutely! Other firm fish like mahi-mahi, catfish, cod, or tilapia work well with this recipe too.
Fish sauce adds a traditional depth of flavor to the curry so I highly recommend it. It helps provide the salty, umami taste.
Use coconut cream instead of coconut milk for a richer sauce, or you can add a cornstarch slurry (mix 1 tablespoons of cornstarch with an equal part of water) to thicken it up while it’s simmering.
Salmon is done when it flakes easily with a fork and the flesh turns opaque. If using a meat thermometer, aim for an internal temperature of 145°F.
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More Thai Recipes
- Tom Yum Fried Noodles
- Pad Thai Noodles
- Pad See Ew Noodles
- Thai Pineapple Fried Rice
- Thai Mango Sweet Sticky Rice
Thai Red Curry Salmon
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1.5 – 2 lbs salmon fillets 5-6 salmon pieces
- 1 tsp salt for salmon
- 1 tsp pepper for salmon
- 1 red bell pepper sliced
- 1 cup broccoli florets
- 2-4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp red curry paste or more if desired
- 14 oz coconut milk
- 2 tbsp lime juice
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- 4 tsp brown sugar
- ½ tsp salt or more to taste
- 1-2 tsp cooking oil
Instructions
- Pat dry salmon to remove access moisture, then season salmon with salt and pepper.
- Heat a large 12" skillet over medium heat.
- Drizzle skillet with oil and cook salmon. Start with skin side up and flip half way through cooking. Cook all the way through (or until internal temperature is around 145℉) and set aside. Avoid overcooking salmon fillets.
- Drizzle more cooking oil is needed. Heat under medium heat. Once oil is heated, add bell peppers, broccoli, and garlic to the same skillet. Toss for a minute or two.
- Add the remaining ingredients: red curry paste, coconut milk, lime juice, fish sauce, brown sugar, and salt. Bring it to a boil and let it simmer for a couple of minutes. Season with more salt to taste if needed. Taste to make sure the flavor is balance – add more fish sauce for saltiness, brown sugar for sweetness and lime juice for acidity.
- Return salmon to the skillet. Spoon sauce over the salmon. Cook salmon for a few minutes, covered if needed, until salmon is fully cooked, or until meat thermometer is measuring an internal temperature of at least 145℉ for the salmon. Remove skillet from heat.
- Serve and enjoy!
Making this tonight. my salmon has skin, but don’t want to leave it on. in that case I was thinking I should start it skin down so it would come off easy when I turn it. or should no try to remove it before I cook it?
I would say just remove it before you cook it!. Please let me know how it turns out!
Ended up fileting off the skin. before cooking. used green beans, onion and zucchini. excellent! thanks for sharing!
Yay!! I’m so glad!! Thanks for circling back and sharing 🙂