Easy Salmon Green Curry (1 Pot!)

Picture this: It’s the end of a long week, and you want nothing more than to curl up on the couch with a big bowl of takeout (a.k.a. us right now). But wait! Just a few simple steps and you can do it yourself with this Thai-inspired Salmon Green Curry (fresh, sweet, spicy, and packed with nutrients)! Bonus…plenty of leftovers for the whole weekend!

This 1-pot curry is super flavorful, SO quick and easy, and a great way to use up whatever veggies you have around. We’re obsessed with its gorgeous color and versatility — and that it’s easy enough for one but impressive enough for a crowd! Let us show you how it’s done!

Origin of Green Curry

Green curry is believed to have originated in Thailand in the early 1900s. It’s named for its green color, which comes from the chilies used to make the curry paste. Other common ingredients besides curry paste include coconut milk, palm sugar, fish sauce, a protein, and often eggplant.

The following recipe strays a bit from traditional with the inclusion of salmon, the omission of fish sauce, and using different vegetables. It features our DIY green curry paste, which is also not traditional as it includes green bell pepper and coconut aminos and leaves out the shrimp paste.

You can find a more traditional recipe for Thai green curry (with chicken) from the lovely Hot Thai Kitchen.

How to Make Salmon Green Curry

This 1-pot salmon green curry starts with a savory base of shallots, garlic, and ginger sautéed in coconut or avocado oil. While coconut oil is more traditional and adds richness, there’s so much flavor in this curry that even avocado oil works!

For the veggies, we include a combination of sweet potatoes, cauliflower, red bell pepper, and, optionally, your choice of leafy greens (kale, collards, or spinach). We love the sweet potatoes for heartiness, bell pepper for sweetness, and cauliflower for its mild flavor and cruciferous superpowers (hello, detoxification!). But this recipe is incredibly versatile, so feel free to swap in the veggies you have around!

Now, let’s get to the serious source of flavor here: the curry paste!

We’ve tested to make sure this recipe works well with store-bought curry paste for ease, but if you want to take things to the next level, use our DIY green curry paste. It’s incredibly vibrant, citrusy, savory, and slightly sweet! We always have it stocked in the freezer for infusing into all kinds of dishes, from stews to dips, ramen, salad dressings, and beyond!

To keep this curry on the lighter side, we included full-fat coconut milk and water in equal proportions. But if you’re looking for a richer curry, you can replace some or all of the water with more coconut milk. Or if you want it even lighter (more like a broth), feel free to use light coconut milk instead of full-fat.

The additional flavors in this curry come from coconut aminos for a salty-sweet element, maple syrup, honey, or palm sugar for sweetness, lemon or lime juice for brightness, and salt to enhance all the flavors.

Since store-bought green curry paste is saltier and less vibrant than homemade, if you’re using store-bought you’ll want to lean in on the ingredients that add brightness and use less of the coconut aminos and salt.

Lastly, it wouldn’t be a salmon curry without salmon (rich in omega 3s, selenium, vitamin B12, and more)! We recommend using skinless salmon filets cut into bite-sized cubes. The salmon goes in once the vegetables have mostly softened so it stays tender and perfectly cooked!

We hope you LOVE this salmon green curry! It’s:

Fresh
Balanced
Versatile
Nutrient-packed
Quick & easy
& SO Delicious!

We love serving this curry over rice (brown rice, white rice, coconut rice, or cauliflower rice) or quinoa and garnished with roasted cashews and cilantro or Thai basil.

More Comforting Curry Recipes

• Easy 1-Pan Salmon Red Curry
• Thai Yellow Coconut Curry with Mango
• Easy 1-Pot Massaman Curry
• 1-Pot Cauliflower Dal Green Curry

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo #minimalistbaker on Instagram. Cheers, friends!

Easy Salmon Green Curry (1 Pot!)

A versatile, 1-pot, Thai-inspired green curry made with salmon and lots of fresh veggies! Easy, balanced, bright, sweet and spicy, and packed with nutrients. A naturally gluten-free and dairy-free entrée!

Author Minimalist Baker

Print SAVE SAVED

5 from 14 votes

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Total Time 45 minutes minutes

Servings 6 (Servings)

Course Entrée

Cuisine Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Thai-Inspired

Freezer Friendly 1 month

Does it keep? 1-2 Days

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

US Customary – Metric

• 1 Tbsp coconut or avocado oil
• 2 small shallots, thinly sliced (2 shallots yield ~3/4 cup or 85 g // or sub equivalent amount of diced onion)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced (3 cloves yield ~1 ½ Tbsp)
• 1-2 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
• 1/2 – 1 small serrano pepper, finely chopped (depending on the heat of your curry paste // optional)
• 2 ½ cups chopped sweet potato, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (scrubbed clean // 1 medium sweet potato yields ~2 ½ cups or 230 g)
• 2 ½ cups bite-sized cauliflower florets (or sub broccoli florets, sliced cabbage, or green beans cut into 1-inch pieces)
• 1 cup red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (1 small pepper yields ~1 cup or 125 g)
• 1/2 – 3/4 cup DIY green curry paste (omit the turmeric to keep the color more green // if using store-bought, start with 2-3 Tbsp and see notes*)
• 1 ½ cups water
• 1 (14-oz.) can full-fat coconut milk
• 1-2 Tbsp coconut aminos (or sub half as much tamari)
• 2-3 tsp maple syrup, honey, or palm sugar (optional)
• 1/4 tsp sea salt (omit if using store-bought curry paste)
• 1-2 Tbsp lemon or lime juice (optional)
• 1 pound salmon filets, skin and bones removed, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 cups chopped kale, collard greens, or baby spinach (optional)

FOR SERVING optional

• Freshly chopped cilantro or basil (Thai basil if available)
• Chopped roasted cashews
• Rice (brown or white), coconut rice, or cauliflower rice, or quinoa

Instructions

• Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, add the shallots, garlic, ginger, and serrano (optional) and sauté for 2-3 minutes, until softened.
• Add the sweet potato, cauliflower (or other veggie of choice), and red bell pepper and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently to soften slightly.
• Add the green curry paste (starting with the lesser amount and using only 2-3 Tbsp if subbing store-bought), water, coconut milk, coconut aminos, maple syrup or honey (optional), and salt (omit if using store-bought curry paste) and stir. Taste the broth — it should be subtly spicy and a little rich, sweet, salty, and bright. Adjust if needed, adding more curry paste for curry flavor, ginger for freshness and zing, coconut aminos for saltiness, serrano for heat, maple syrup for sweetness, or lemon or lime juice for brightness (you’ll likely need the lemon/lime if using store-bought curry paste but not if using homemade).
• Cover and simmer until the vegetables are fork tender — about 5-10 minutes. Then stir in the cubed salmon and chopped kale (or collard greens or spinach // optional), reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer gently until just cooked through — about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust once more, adding lemon or lime juice for brightness, maple syrup for sweetness, coconut aminos for depth, or salt to taste.
• Serve warm garnished with freshly chopped basil or cilantro and/or chopped roasted cashews (all optional). It pairs well with rice (brown or white), coconut rice, cauliflower rice, or quinoa.
• Leftovers will keep stored in the refrigerator for 1-2 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month. Reheat gently on the stovetop until warmed through.

Video

Notes

*We prefer this recipe with our DIY Green Curry Paste for best flavor, but it does work well with store-bought with a few adjustments. Store-bought green curry paste is much saltier and tastes less fresh. To compensate, we recommend using the greater amount of ginger, the lesser amount of coconut aminos, omitting the salt, and adding lemon or lime juice for brightness.
*Adapted from our Easy 1-Pan Salmon Red Curry and 1-Pot Green Curry with Chickpeas, Kale, and Sweet Potato.
*Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with coconut oil, DIY green curry paste, the lesser amounts where ranges are provided, and without optional ingredients.

Nutrition (1 of 6 servings)

Serving: 1 serving Calories: 371 Carbohydrates: 20.9 g Protein: 22.7 g Fat: 21.8 g Saturated Fat: 13.8 g Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.8 g Monounsaturated Fat: 3.3 g Trans Fat: 0 g Cholesterol: 54 mg Sodium: 305 mg Potassium: 1034 mg Fiber: 3.5 g Sugar: 7.7 g Vitamin A: 6405 IU Vitamin C: 74 mg Calcium: 54 mg Iron: 2.4 mg