Salmon Curry with Creamy Thai Coconut Cashew Sauce

Cashew Coconut Salmon Curry is an easy-to-make and seriously delicious fish curry recipe. The salmon is poached in a simple coconut Thai curry sauce that begs to be poured over steamed rice. It’s a 20-minute dinner recipe everyone will love!

Thai coconut curries are my ultimate comfort food, and this salmon version has been on heavy repeat lately. It’s made with tender salmon gently poached in a creamy coconut sauce, and every time I serve it, people rave. Even my three-year-old happily eats a full portion, which pretty much seals the deal—this one’s a keeper.

The coconut sauce is rich and luxurious, with a little cashew butter stirred in to give it the perfect thickness. It’s full of flavor and practically begs to be spooned over rice or cauliflower rice. I love that the sauce can be made ahead of time, so dinner comes together fast, and the salmon stays beautifully tender as it cooks right in the sauce. From start to finish, it’s ready in about 20 minutes—and tastes like something you’d happily order again and again.

Salmon is my favorite fish to eat, but it can be a little tricky to cook. If overcooked even a little, it becomes dry. The easiest way to prevent this is to gently poach the salmon. In this case, we poached it in Thai coconut curry.

Many years ago, I shared the post Perfect Poached Fish with you. Poached fish may sound tasteless, but it is a great way to ensure the fish you’re cooking stays tender.

The trick is to cook it over very low heat. You want only a few tiny bubbles rising in the cooking liquid. If the pan is boiling, reduce the heat.

The other option is to use Steelhead Trout, which is similar to salmon but fattier. Fattier fish are easier to cook as they don’t dry out as quickly as their lean cousins.

What makes this salmon curry sauce special

One thing you need to know is that this salmon curry is EASY. The curry sauce is a simple, coconut-based curry that is unbelievably flavorful. We start with Thai red curry paste and coconut milk, then season with garlic, ginger, lime juice, fish sauce, and soy sauce. We also sneak in some cashew butter.

I’ve used a little cashew butter in this curry for two reasons:

1. It makes the salmon curry extra creamy.
2. As the sauce cooks, the cashew butter helps thicken it.

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Salmon Curry with Creamy Thai Coconut Cashew Sauce

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 8 minutes mins

Total: 18 minutes mins

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Salmon Curry with Creamy Thai Coconut Cashew Sauce is an easy-to-make and delicious fish curry recipe. The salmon is poached in a simple coconut Thai curry sauce that begs to be poured over rice. It's a 20-minute dinner recipe everyone will love.

4

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• ▢ 4 salmon fillets (skin removed)
• ▢ Toasted or spicy cashews and some cilantro (to serve)

Cashew Coconut Curry Sauce

• ▢ ¾ cup water
• ▢ ½ cup canned coconut milk
• ▢ 4 tablespoons cashew butter
• ▢ Juice from ½ lime
• ▢ 2 tablespoons red curry paste
• ▢ 1 tablespoon EACH: fish sauce and soy sauce
• ▢ 2 teaspoons grated ginger
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• ▢ 1 tablespoon honey
• ▢ aalt (to taste)

Instructions 

• Begin by whisking the cashew coconut curry sauce ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl.
  ¾ cup water, ½ cup canned coconut milk, 4 tablespoons cashew butter, Juice from ½ lime, 2 tablespoons red curry paste, 1 tablespoon EACH: fish sauce and soy sauce, 2 teaspoons grated ginger, aalt, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon honey
  
• Heat the coconut oil in a large, non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Dry the salmon fillets well with paper towels then add them to the pan skinless side down. Let them cook for 5 minutes.
  1 tablespoon coconut oil, 4 salmon fillets
  
• Reduce the heat to medium, then pour the curry sauce into the pan, cover the pan, and let it cook for 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and carefully stir the thickened sauce.
  Toasted or spicy cashews and some cilantro
  
• Serve the curry right away, preferably over rice. Top with cilantro and a few toasted cashews.
  

Video

Notes

If you’re serving this with rice, put a pot on before you start cooking the fish (learn how to make the best basmati rice). Cauliflower rice also makes a great side!

Try serving this with curried sweet potatoes. Mash some steamed sweet potatoes with a little coconut milk, red curry paste, and salt. Yum!

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving = ¼ of the recipe, Calories: 456kcal (23%), Carbohydrates: 11g (4%), Protein: 38g (76%), Fat: 29g (45%), Saturated Fat: 9g (56%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g, Monounsaturated Fat: 11g, Cholesterol: 94mg (31%), Sodium: 540mg (23%), Potassium: 999mg (29%), Fiber: 1g (4%), Sugar: 1g (1%), Vitamin A: 1252IU (25%), Vitamin C: 2mg (2%), Calcium: 49mg (5%), Iron: 3mg (17%)

© Author Kristen Stevens

We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.

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