This Easy Thai Salmon dish will become a new favorite way to serve up seafood! With tender baked salmon served in a creamy and flavorful coconut curry sauce, this dish is simple but doesn’t skimp on flavor.
Lime juice brightens up all of the flavors for a zingy and fresh fish dinner. Best of all, it’s ready in 30 minutes or less, so it makes the perfect healthy weeknight meal!
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👩🏻🍳 Why You'll Love This Recipe
This easy and flavorful Thai baked salmon yields tender and perfectly flaky fish served in a creamy coconut curry sauce. While it's simple to make, it definitely packs in a lot of bold and interesting flavors.
Lime juice helps to bring a citrusy tang and pull all of the ingredients together. If you're looking to incorporate more seafood into your diet, this Thai salmon is a fantastic way to prepare an elegant and delicious meal that only takes 30 minutes from start to finish!
For another easy fish recipe, try this Skillet Teriyaki Glazed Salmon!
🥘 Ingredients Needed
- salmon - depending on your preferences, this dish can be made with skin-on or skin-off salmon filets.
- salt and pepper - to taste.
- coconut oil - helps bring a consistent coconut flavor while cooking.
- garlic - offers a sharp depth of savory flavor.
- red curry paste - gives this dish its distinct curry flavor.
- coconut milk - ensures the sauce will be creamy and sweet.
- ground ginger - provides some spicy warmth to the curry sauce.
- soy sauce - for a nice splash of umami.
- light brown sugar - the sweetness of brown sugar helps offset the saltier ingredients in the sauce.
- red pepper flakes - add just a touch of heat.
- cooked rice, green onions, jalapeno, & fresh cilantro - these optional ingredients are great for to serve and garnish your baked salmon.
🔪 Instructions
- On a nonstick baking sheet, sprinkle the salmon with salt and pepper. Bake for 12-15 minutes at 450 degrees F, or until the internal temperature comes up to 145 degrees F.
- Cook minced garlic and red curry paste in coconut oil until fragrant, just a minute or two.
- Stir in coconut milk, ginger, soy sauce, brown sugar, red pepper flakes, and lime juice, then let the mixture simmer for 5 minutes.
- Transfer cooked salmon filets to a plate (over rice if using), then top with the coconut curry sauce and garnish with green onions, jalapenos, and fresh cilantro.
👪 FAQs
As long as you don't overcook it, baking Thai salmon uncovered is perfectly fine! Keep a thermometer handy to check the internal temperature and be aware that fish tends to cook fairly quickly.
To avoid drying out, you can top the salmon with a small amount of olive oil. Baking salmon with the skin on is also a great way to use the natural barrier to retain moisture.
A simple salmon seasoning can be as easy as salt, pepper, and some lemon juice. Other great options are paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, or ground ginger. Many of these flavors are present in the Thai curry sauce served with this baked salmon.
Yes! In fact, it may be even better for you to leave on the salmon skin. It contains the highest concentration of omega-3 fats, which are fantastic for heart health!
💭 Expert Tips and Tricks
- Always do a quick check for any bones before cooking your Thai salmon, just in case.
- When it comes to coconut milk and red curry paste, the Thai Kitchen brand has never let me down!
- If you like a crustier and crispier salmon, you can turn on the broiler about 5 minutes before the cooking time is up.
- The time it takes to properly cook varies based on filet thickness, so be sure to keep an eye on it.
- Salmon will continue to cook once removed from the oven, so to avoid overdoing it you may actually want to pull it out around 140 degrees F and let it come up to 145 on its own.
📌 You'll love flavorful baked Thai salmon as a quick and nutritious weeknight meal, but it's also sophisticated and fancy enough to serve at special occasions! Pair with some plain rice for a filling and healthy meal.
📖 Substitutions and Variations
- If you don't have fresh lime juice, you can use about 2 tablespoons of bottled lime juice.
- You can also make this Thai coconut sauce on its own to serve over chicken, shrimp, steak, and more!
- For an even spicier dish, you can use some sweet chili sauce instead of or in addition to the red curry pasta.
- Fish sauce will add an extra fishy and salty flavor to your Thai salmon.
🥫 Storage and Reheating
Any leftovers can be transferred to an airtight container and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for a month or so.
To reheat, you can either zap in the microwave or pop your Thai salmon back in the oven until it's heated through. From frozen, you may want to let it that in the fridge a few hours (or overnight).
⏲️ Make Ahead Instructions
Feel free to make the curry sauce ahead of time and keep it in the fridge until it's time to serve this dish. To reheat, transfer your Thai salmon to a pot and simmer over medium heat until it's nice and warm. If you're in a time crunch, it can also be microwaved.
💡 What To Serve With This Dish
For a filling and healthy meal, pair your Thai salmon with Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Rice for an incredible melding of flavors. You can also serve with Air Fryer Green Beans, this Easy Roasted Veggie Pasta, or Air Fried Sweet Potato Fries!
🍣 More Salmon Recipes You'll Love
- Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Bites - This delicious appetizer is served with lemon and olives.
- Gourmet Grilled Cheese with Salmon - Elevate your next easy grilled cheese dinner with this gourmet seafood twist!
- Maple Glazed Salmon with Almonds - Sweet and savory, this fantastic salmon dish also has a subtle spicy kick!
- Smoked Salmon Puff Pastry - This recipe from Cocktails and Appetizers is great as an elegant appetizer or even a brunch accompaniment!
Thai Baked Salmon
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📋 Recipe Card
Thai Salmon
Ingredients
- 24 ounces salmon, with or without skin (four 6 ounce fillets)
- ½ teaspoon salt and pepper, each
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 tablespoons red curry paste
- 13.5 ounces coconut milk, full-fat (1 can)
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon light brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 lime, juiced
- cooked rice (optional, for serving)
- green onions, chopped (optional, for garnish)
- jalapeno, sliced (optional, for garnish)
- fresh cilantro, chopped (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
- Place salmon on a nonstick baking sheet and sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the salmon reaches 145 degrees F.24 ounces salmon, with or without skin, ½ teaspoon salt and pepper, each
- In a small saucepan over medium heat, add the coconut oil, minced garlic, and red curry paste. Stir for 1 minute or until fragrant.1 tablespoon coconut oil, 3 garlic cloves, minced, 2 tablespoons red curry paste
- Add the coconut milk, ground ginger, soy sauce, brown sugar, red pepper flakes (if desired), and lime juice. Let it simmer for 5 minutes.13.5 ounces coconut milk, full-fat, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon light brown sugar, ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, 1 lime, juiced
- Plate the salmon filets (over rice, if desired). Spoon the Thai sauce over the salmon. If desired, garnish with green onions, jalapeno slices, and cilantro.cooked rice, green onions, chopped, jalapeno, sliced, fresh cilantro, chopped
Notes
- It's a good idea to examine your salmon for small bones before cooking.
- Thai Kitchen is my favorite brand of canned coconut milk and Thai red curry paste. The curry paste is in a small glass container, likely found in the International/Asian aisle at your local grocery store.
- You can substitute 2 tablespoons bottled lime juice if you don't have a fresh lime.
- Optional step - 5 minutes before the timer goes off on the salmon, turn the broiler on to high and finish cooking under the broiler. It will give the salmon a nice crust.
- Cooking time can vary depending on the thickness of your salmon, so keep an eye on it.
- Note that that salmon continues cooking once you remove it from the oven. You can use an instant-read thermometer to check the temperature and pull out the salmon at 140 degrees F. It will rise to 145 degrees F before you serve it.
- Leftovers will store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
- The Thai coconut sauce is also delicious on chicken, shrimp, and steak!
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate. The nutritional values for your final dish may vary based on measuring differences and products used.
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Happy cooking!
Cam
The coconut curry sauce was honestly so flavorful and delicious! Paired with the salmon perfectly. Can't wait to make this dish again!
Ieva
Truly delicious and not difficult to make! Followed your instructions and the salmon was perfectly cooked. But the star of the show was definitely the sauce! Yummy!
Sara Welch
Enjoyed this for dinner last night and they did not disappoint! Turned out perfectly tender, juicy and flavorful; easily, a new favorite dish!
Amy
Such a yummy, different dinner from our regular fare! My family loves salmon and we cook it often but it was so good with these flavors of coconut and red curry!
Elizabeth
This looks incredible. I will definitely be trying this with my family. Thanks for all the extra tips and tricks.