Easy Salmon Green Curry (1 Pot!)

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Hands holding a bowl of salmon green curry next to a pot of more curry

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!

Salmon, water, cauliflower, serrano pepper, coconut milk, coconut oil, coconut aminos, maple syrup, lime, garlic, ginger, lemon, lime, sweet potato, red bell pepper, green curry paste, kale, and salt

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!

Shallot, garlic, ginger, and serrano pepper sautéed in coconut oil

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!

Sautéing vegetables in a Dutch oven

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

Holding a measuring cup of green curry paste over sautéed vegetables

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!

Green curry and vegetables in a Dutch oven

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.

Stirring green curry with cauliflower, kale, and sweet potato

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.

Stirring cubed salmon into green curry

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!

Stirring a pot of salmon green curry

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

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!

Close up photo of a bowl of white rice and salmon green curry with vegetables

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
Hands holding a bowl of salmon green curry with white rice
5 from 14 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 6 (Servings)
Course Entrée
Cuisine Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Thai-Inspired
Freezer Friendly 1 month
Does it keep? 1-2 Days

Ingredients

  • 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

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

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  1. Rebekah says

    THE BEST. SO GOOD. Highly recommend!

    I’m a big minimalist baker fan. I use these recipes all the time and this one is one of my favs and so easy! I love that it’s all in one pot & dairy free!

    We did use store bought Thai Kitchen green curry paste. My husband and I like stronger flavors so we used the whole 4oz container and it worked great. I also added a bit of curry powder seasoning. We chose to omit the salt as she suggests with using store bought paste, and that was a good move.

  2. A. Garcia says

    I’m not a big fan of fish, so I was worried that all my favourite flavours from this recipe would get ruined by the salmon, but I’m so glad I took the risk! We wound up using 6 tablespoons of our thai curry paste for a double recipe. It was filling and was warm and flavourful like comfort food without the lethargic unhealthy feeling afterward!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We’re so glad you gave it a try and enjoyed the result! Thank you for sharing your experience! xo

  3. Diana says

    Hi,
    I cooked this recipe today and it was so delicious. I loved!!
    Thank you for sharing with us this kind of recipes.
    Best regards

  4. molly says

    I had some salmon that I needed to use up so I gave this recipe a go. I would’ve never thought to use salmon with curry, but it was a yummy combo! I had some Trader Joe’s Green Curry Simmer Sauce (which was meh) so I tinkered with the additions you suggested and it turned out much better. I peeped your DIY curry paste but realized I’m looking for something that has a little longer ‘shelf life’ than 10 days- a month. Do you have any favorite store bought brands that’ll last a little longer?

    • A. Garcia says

      We line an ice cube tray with saran wrap and fill our paste into it and freeze it for pre-measured tablespoon portions that have a much longer “shelf-life”!

  5. Marin says

    Thank you SO MUCH for including a fish recipe. Not all of us are plant based & good quality animal products can be healthy & nutritious as well.

    Made this recipe exactly as written & it is just divine!!!! Beautifully balanced & the flavour is out of this world!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Yay! Thank you so much for the lovely review, Marin. We’re so glad you enjoyed this recipe!

  6. Jeanne says

    This is amazing. I left out the serano pepper and got store-bought green curry. Served it with cauliflower rice and an egg roll.
    Always love your recipes.

  7. Chris says

    I made this with store-bought yellow curry paste and omitted the serano so that my toddler could have it as well and it was delicious! Served it with jasmine rice. 5*!

  8. Jennifer says

    Made this this exactly as written and loved it.
    My husband was skeptical, but he really liked it a lot. He is the cook and likes things spicy hot so will add more heat (chilis) and more green curry paste next time. We used the jarred (Thai) green curry sauce that is readily available in supermarket (around where we live, anyway). Another great recipe from Minimalist Baker. Thanks!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Woohoo! Thanks so much for the lovely review and for sharing your modifications, Jennifer. So glad you both enjoyed!

  9. Maren says

    New to cooking fish and was hoping to meal prep this, what is the best way to make a fish last for a whole week? I was thinking of making the fish separately the night before eating it and adding to the curry, but I’m not sure if that’s the best option. Any suggestions?

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      Hi Maren, We’d suggest making the full batch and then freezing in individual portions. Then pull a serving out of the freezer the night before serving and let it defrost in the refrigerator. Then when ready to eat, reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave. Hope that helps!

  10. Addy says

    Made this, and it was great. Super flavorful! I like to stay pretty faithful my first time making a recipe, so I used the suggested veggies (which were great!).

    I used store bought green curry paste, so I started with 2 tbsp, as suggested, but ended up using 3.5ish in total. As noted, I did not need to add any additional salt, but I needed to add lemon/lime juice to give the broth some “zest.”

    The only charge I made was to sear the salmon briefly before adding it to the broth (like with searing a steak before you add it to stew). Of course, the chunks didn’t cute quite as cleanly (since it was already cooked and flaky), but it was fine by me! Tastes delightful!

    Thank you for freezing instructions! I froze half of the leftovers because of fish’s short fridge life. Excited to make this a staple.

    • Addy says

      Wanted to add that I think this would be the prefect base for several different proteins! Other fish, shrimp, beans, chicken, tofu, etc.

  11. Addy says

    Made this, and it was great! Since it was the first time, I used all the suggested vegetables. I used store bought green curry paste, starting with 2 tablespoons as the notes suggested, and eventually adding 3.5 (and I eliminated additional salt, and added lime juice as the notes recommended).

    The only change I made was to sear the salmon on both sides before tossing it into the curry. This provided a really nice texture and flavor for the salmon. I think this would work well with shrimp or chicken too!

    Great recipe, super adaptable and delicious!

    • Avatar for Dana @ Minimalist BakerSupport @ Minimalist Baker says

      We’re so glad you enjoyed it and love your modifications, Addy! Thank you so much for sharing! xo

  12. Mary says

    Looks great! I’ll be making this (adding salmon for my family, and putting tofu in a reserved portion for my vegan self). Thanks!

  13. Nan says

    Oh, that looks so good! Just what I’m in the mood for these days – not too heavy but still seems warm and comforting. I just added it to our weekend meal-plan. Thank you!