Green Curry Salmon With Coconut Rice

Published Jan. 18, 2023

Green Curry Salmon With Coconut Rice
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
1 hour
Rating
4(2,710)
Comments
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Sweet coconut milk tempers the fiery pungency of Thai green curry paste in this easy one-pot salmon and rice meal. Fresh scallions and cilantro add herbal freshness, while chopped baby spinach makes the whole thing even greener. Note that different brands of rice absorb different amounts of water, so don’t be afraid to add more water as needed.

Featured in: A One-Pot Salmon and Rice Dish You’ll Turn to Again and Again

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • 1¼ to 1½pounds skinless salmon fillets
  • Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 4tablespoons green curry paste
  • 2tablespoons virgin coconut oil (or use a neutral oil, such as canola)
  • 1bunch scallions, whites and greens, thinly sliced
  • 2garlic cloves, finely grated or minced
  • 1(14½-ounce) can unsweetened, full-fat coconut milk
  • cups sushi rice or other short-grain rice, rinsed well
  • 2cups chopped baby spinach
  • 1cup chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems
  • Lime wedges, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

620 calories; 34 grams fat; 20 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 51 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 28 grams protein; 634 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Lightly season salmon with salt and pepper, and spread 1 tablespoon curry paste all over the fillets. Set aside.

  2. Step 2

    Heat oil in a 5- or 6-quart Dutch oven over medium. Stir in scallion whites and most of the greens, reserving 2 tablespoons scallion greens for garnish. Cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in garlic and a pinch of salt, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute longer.

  3. Step 3

    Stir in coconut milk, remaining 3 tablespoons green curry, 1½ cups water and 1½ teaspoons salt. Stir in rinsed rice and reduce heat to low. Let simmer, covered and stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, gently fold in spinach, cilantro and a pinch of salt. If the rice looks dry and threatens to stick to the bottom of the pot, stir in 2 to 4 tablespoons more water.

  4. Step 4

    Place salmon filets on top of rice, raise heat to medium-low and cook, covered, until salmon is just cooked through, 12 to 20 minutes, depending on thickness.

  5. Step 5

    Remove from heat and taste rice for doneness. If the salmon is done before the rice, gently remove the fish from the pan using a metal spatula, transfer to a plate and tent with an overturned bowl or foil to keep warm, then continue to cook rice until tender, adding more water if the rice seems dry. Taste and season with salt as needed. Squeeze a lime wedge over the salmon and serve immediately, garnished with reserved scallions and more lime wedges on the side.

Ratings

4 out of 5
2,710 user ratings
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Comments

1) Putting curry paste on filets: little flavour. Should rub filets all over with curry paste & 1 tsp veg oil. 2) Why add salt in bits? Add full salt in coco-milk; spreads evenly. 3) Frying order all wrong for flavour. Correct order is: Fry garlic 1 min, add scallions 3 mins, add green curry 1-3 mins, add spinach as long as necess to reduce volume. Then add together rice, coco-milk, water, total salt per your taste, & coriander stems. Cook till done. Garnish with coriander leaves & lime. Cont’d>

Equal parts vegetable broth and coconut water. You get the coconut flavor without the saturated fat. Won’t be as intense a flavor as coconut milk but still flavorful.

SK - Melissa correctly recommends adding garlic at end of frying because adding it first results in the garlic burning. Garlic lovers will also note more garlic flavor is present if it's added at the end of frying/sautéing: less evaporation of aromatics. When cooking in a liquid (soup, sauce, braise), garlic can be added up front because it will not burn.

Will make again- excellent flavor. I cut the recipe in half for two people. I used Arborio rice and found the cook time to be too long, next time I’ll cut back the rice cook time by 5 or 10 minutes and let it finish with the salmon. Salmon cook time was perfect at 12 minutes for roughly 3/4” thick filets.

I love this but I finish it off in the oven at 180 C / 360 F instead of on the hob because the rice caught and even burned in places the first time I made it.

Recipe is pretty tasty. Some steps are out of sequence as others have mentioned. This dish is missing a bit of depth and richness. Recommend sesame oil in the pot in lieu of canola. Also the dish really pops with some spicy chili crisp garnish. Will make again.

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