Baked Salmon in Thai Red Curry Sauce

By
Darlene Schmidt
Darlene Schmidt
Darlene Schmidt is a cookbook author and culinary teacher who specializes in Thai cuisine.
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Updated on 02/25/22
Salmon in a red curry sauce

TheLionRoar / Getty Images

Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 35 mins
Servings: 2 to 4 servings

This baked salmon is aromatic and delicious. Salmon steaks or fillets are baked for 20 minutes in an easy-to-make Thai red curry sauce that compliments the rich taste of the salmon.

You can find buy makrut lime leaves frozen at Asian or Chinese stores.

Unlike a lot of salmon sauce recipes, this one is lactose free, calling for coconut milk instead of cream. If you're daring, learn how to cook or serve this salmon in a banana leaf boat. Enjoy!

Ingredients

  • 2 to 4 salmon steaks, or salmon fillets, 1 per person

  • Fresh coriander, or basil, for garnish

  • Spring onion, for garnish

  • Fresh chile pepper, minced, for garnish

For the Red Curry Sauce:

  • 1/4 cup minced shallots, or diced purple onion

  • 3 cloves garlic

  • 1 red chile, deseeded and sliced, or 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, reduce for milder fish

  • 1 thumb-size piece galangal, or ginger, sliced

  • 3 makrut lime leaves, snipped with scissors into small pieces, discarding stem

  • 1 cup coconut milk

  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

  • 1/2 tablespoon chili powder

  • 1 tablespoon sugar, brown if you have it

  • 1/4 cup coriander leaves and stems

  • 1 tablespoon lime juice, freshly squeezed

Steps to Make It

  1. Rinse your salmon steaks (or fillets) and set aside to dry while you make the red curry sauce.

  2. Place all ingredients for the red curry sauce in a food processor or chopper (if using a mini chopper, just add as much coconut milk as you can, adding the rest later). A blender can also be used.

  3. Blitz the ingredients well to create a fragrant red curry sauce.

  4. Pour about 1/4 of the sauce into the bottom of a covered casserole-like dish for baking. Now add the salmon steaks, turning them over several times to cover. Pour a little more sauce over each steak.

  5. Cover the casserole dish with a lid or foil and bake at 375 F for 20 to 30 minutes, depending on the thickness of your steaks (fillets may only require 15 minutes). Salmon is cooked when inner flesh is no longer translucent when pulled apart with a fork.

  6. If cooking salmon in banana leaf: This salmon can be wrapped up in banana leaf (like individual packets) or cooked in banana leaf boats. Be sure to place the packets or boats inside a casserole dish (or something to catch the drippings), as banana leaves are porous and the sauce will leak somewhat.

  7. Serve with a little spring onion and fresh chili, fresh coriander and/or basil leaves. Any leftover sauce can be briefly heated up and served as a side sauce.

Serving Tip: If serving this dish to company, you can either bake the salmon in a casserole dish or in banana leaf. But because banana leaves lose their color and texture when cooked, for a nicer presentation, we recommend transferring the cooked salmon to a fresh boat before serving. Spoon a little sauce over the fish and then adding the toppings for a professional finish.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
889 Calories
60g Fat
12g Carbs
73g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2 to 4
Amount per serving
Calories 889
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 60g 77%
Saturated Fat 28g 141%
Cholesterol 250mg 83%
Sodium 899mg 39%
Total Carbohydrate 12g 4%
Dietary Fiber 2g 6%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 73g
Vitamin C 39mg 196%
Calcium 89mg 7%
Iron 7mg 39%
Potassium 1257mg 27%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)