With healthy fish and an addictive coconut curry, our Yellow Curry Salmon Bowls is a vibrant, nourishing weeknight-friendly meal that you can get on the dinner table in 30 minutes flat!
Table of Contents
- This recipe is…
- Why You’ll Love This Curry Salmon Recipe
- Curry Salmon Recipe Ingredients
- Recipe Variations and Modifications
- How to Make Coconut Curry Salmon
- Coconut Curry Recipe Tip
- How to Serve Salmon Bowls
- How to Store and Reheat Coconut Curry
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Fish & Seafood Recipes
- Yellow Curry Salmon Bowls Recipe
This recipe is…
Most often when we think of comfort food, classics like mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, and fettuccine alfredo come to mind. But this recipe proves that comfort food can be healthy, vibrant, and nourishing without weighing you down like so many comfort food classics do.
We start off by making a quick curry sauce with coconut milk for richness, cooked carrots for added nutrition and color, plus garlic, shallots, and a medley of warming spices for tons of flavor. As the curry bubbles away, you sear up some salmon filets until the skin is browned and crispy. Serve the fish curry over fresh white rice or cauliflower rice and some simple green veggies like steamed broccoli or sauteed green beans.
If you’ve got some fresh toppings like cilantro or jalapenos on hand, add ‘em to the top for more color and flavor. This dish is a complete, healthy one-bowl meal that takes just 30 minutes – making it perfect for hectic weeknights!
Why You’ll Love This Curry Salmon Recipe
- This seriously delicious homemade coconut curry is the perfect pairing for healthy salmon filets
- Squeaky-clean Paleo-friendly, dairy-free recipe
- On the dinner table in 30 minutes flat!
- Serve with white rice or cauliflower rice,and whatever veggies you have on hand
Curry Salmon Recipe Ingredients
Here’s everything you’ll need for this complete coconut curry and salmon meal. Find ingredient notes (including substitutions and swaps) below.
For the Curry:
- Ghee – 1 tablespoon ghee (or, you can substitute olive oil)
- Carrots – 1 pound carrots
- Shallot – 1 shallot
- Garlic – 3-4 cloves garlic
- Coconut milk – 1 can of coconut milk (full-fat is best here!)
- Turmeric – 1 tablespoon turmeric
- Curry powder – 2 tablespoons curry powder
- Coriander – 1/8 teaspoon coriander (AKA dried cilantro seeds)
- Cumin – 1/8 teaspoon cumin
- Cinnamon – 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
- Cardamom – 1/8 teaspoon cardamom
- Lime – 2 tablespoons lime juice
- Salt – 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
For the Salmon:
- Salmon – 4 salmon filets (about 5-6 oz each, with the skin on)
- Ghee – 2 tablespoons ghee (or substitute olive oil)
- S+P – salt and pepper to taste
For the Salmon Bowls:
- Rice – 2 cups cooked white rice, or cauliflower rice
- Broccoli – 2 heads steamed broccoli florets
- Cilantro – 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, for garnish
- Jalapeno – 1 thinly sliced jalapeno, for garnish
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Recipe Variations and Modifications
Make this recipe your own with these simple swaps:
- Coconut milk – we call for full-fat coconut milk because it results in the richest, most luscious sauce. But you could substitute light coconut milk if that’s what you have on hand.
- Fish – The flavor of salmon pairs really well with this spiced coconut-carrot curry. But you could swap in other types of fish like halibut or cod instead – or opt for shrimp or scallops.
- Spices – We call for 7 spices here. The curry is essential – but there’s some room for tweaks with the others. So if you don’t have cinnamon or cardamom on hand, don’t stress. You can either double up on another spice, or skip it altogether. This curry recipe is pretty flexible and forgiving, so it gives you some room to play around!
- Veggies – Instead of broccoli, you could try other veggies like bok choy, mushrooms, or green beans.
How to Make Coconut Curry Salmon
Here’s how this quick and easy recipe comes together!
Step 1: Melt ghee in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, add carrots. Saute carrots until browned, then add shallots and garlic and saute until fragrant.
Step 2: Add coconut milk, turmeric, curry powder, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, lime juice, and sea salt to the pan. Stir together until fully combined and set heat to medium-low. Let simmer for 15 minutes while salmon cooks.
Step 3: In a large skillet, heat ghee or olive oil over medium heat.
Pat salmon fillets dry with a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper on both sides.
Step 4: Place salmon skin-side down into the skillet. Cook for 4-6 minutes over high heat, or until skin is browned/crispy, and then flip.
Cook 3-5 minutes on the second side until top of salmon is also browned. Remove from heat.
Step 5: Using an immersion blender, blend the curry sauce until smooth. If using a regular blender, allow sauce to cool 5-10 minutes before blending.
Divide the ingredients into 4 servings. Add rice and broccoli to each bowl, top with a salmon fillet, pour on the curry sauce, and garnish with cilantro and jalapeno. Serve!
Coconut Curry Recipe Tip
Spice things up – If your spices have been sitting in your spice cabinet for a year, they’ve probably gone a bit stale and lost some of their potency. With older spices, consider using twice the amount to build flavor.
How to Serve Salmon Bowls
Serve the curry over fresh white rice or cauliflower rice and some simple green veggies like steamed broccoli or sauteed green beans.
How to Store and Reheat Coconut Curry
Since it’s made with fish, this curry will taste freshest on the day it’s made. But you could refrigerate leftovers to eat the next day, or freeze for up to a couple months.
Frequently Asked Questions
Salmon is one of the healthiest fish out there: it’s packed with protein, heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids, potassium, iron, and vitamin D. Whenever possible, opt for wild-caught salmon versus farm-raised.
More Fish & Seafood Recipes
If you tried this recipe for Yellow Curry Salmon Bowls, or any other recipe on the Fed & Fit website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it went in the 📝comments below!
Yellow Curry Salmon Bowls
Ingredients
For the Curry:
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- 1 pound carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 shallot, minced
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon turmeric
- 2 tablespoons curry powder
- 1/8 teaspoon corander
- 1/8 teaspoon cumin
- 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon cardamom
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
For the Salmon:
- 4 salmon fillets, about 5-6 oz each, skin-on
- 2 tablespoons ghee or olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
For the Salmon Bowls:
- 2 cups cooked white rice or cauliflower rice
- 2 heads broccoli florets, steamed
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, for garnish
- 1 jalapeno, thinly sliced, for garnish
Instructions
For the Curry:
- Melt ghee in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, add carrots. Saute carrots until browned, then add shallots and garlic and saute until fragrant.
- Add coconut milk, turmeric, curry powder, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, cardamom, lime juice, and sea salt to the pan. Stir together until fully combined and set heat to medium-low. Let simmer for 15 minutes while salmon cooks.
For the Salmon:
- In a large skillet, heat ghee or olive oil over medium heat.
- Pat salmon fillets dry with a paper towel. Season with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Place salmon skin-side down into the skillet. Cook for 4-6 minutes over high heat, or until skin is browned/crispy, and then flip. Cook 3-5 minutes on the second side until top of salmon is also browned. Remove from heat. Note: this will result in a medium/well salmon filet. If you prefer your salmon less-cooked, adjust the cooking time accordingly.
To Assemble the Salmon Bowls:
- Using an immersion blender, blend the curry sauce until smooth. If using a regular blender, allow sauce to cool 5-10 minutes before blending.
- Divide the ingredients into 4 servings. Add rice and broccoli to each bowl, top with a salmon fillet, pour on the curry sauce, and garnish with cilantro and jalapeno. Serve!
Nutrition
Absolutely love this curry salmon! I oven baked my salmon because I initially had different plans for it, but then decided to give this recipe a try. I simmered it in the sauce for a few minutes after baking and it still turned out great. Will definitely be making this recipe again.
We are so glad to hear that, Catie! Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback and modifications with us. So glad it turned out well. -Team F&F
Looks delicious! Is this a recipe I could meal prep for lunches for the week?
Looks delicious! Is this a recipe I could meal prep for lunches for the week?
Absolutely! This is a great meal prep recipe. Hope you enjoy! -Melissa
Made this tonight and the whole family inhaled it, even my 8 year old. Definitely going into my rotation. Really easy and delicious!
This was such a big hit in my house. The curry was the perfect flavor and consistency. Thank you so much for the fabulous recipes!
I haven’t had salmon and curry before, but this looks delicious! I’m excite to try it!
I hope you love it!