One Pan salmon red curry
This is the kind of dinner that feels far more elaborate than it actually is.
Rich coconut milk, gentle heat from red curry paste, tender salmon, and soft vegetables all coming together in one pan. It’s warming, deeply flavourful, and surprisingly quick to make.
I love recipes like this because they deliver comfort without heaviness. The salmon keeps it grounding and nourishing, the vegetables add texture and colour, and the lime at the end lifts everything so it doesn’t feel too rich.
It’s simple, balanced, and ideal for a midweek meal that still feels considered.
Serves
3 - 4
Ingredients
3 - 4 skin-off salmon fillets ( patted dry and lightly salted)
1–2 tsp red curry paste (adjust to taste)
1 tin coconut milk (400 ml)
½ tsp maple syrup
50–100 ml vegetable stock (or water)
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp fish sauce
1 cup mushrooms, halved or thickly sliced
1 courgette, cut into chunky pieces
2 carrots, cut into thick diagonals
1 red chilli, sliced (optional)
Juice of ½ lime
Fresh coriander, roughly chopped
Olive oil, for cooking
Method
Heat a heavy-based pan or skillet over medium–high heat with 1 tsp olive oil.
Pat the salmon dry and season lightly with salt. Place in the pan and cook for 2–3 minutes per side until lightly golden. Remove and set aside (it will finish cooking in the sauce later).
In the same pan, add the mushrooms and cook for 2–3 minutes until they begin to soften.
Add the carrots and cook for another 2–3 minutes, then stir in the courgette and cook for 1–2 minutes more.
Stir in the red curry paste and cook for about 30 seconds, just until fragrant.
Pour in the coconut milk, 50 ml vegetable stock (adding more if needed for desired consistency), soy sauce, fish sauce, and maple syrup. Stir gently and bring to a soft simmer.
Nestle the salmon back into the pan. Reduce heat to low and cook for 5–7 minutes, until the salmon is just cooked through and tender.
Remove from heat, squeeze over fresh lime juice, and scatter with chopped coriander and optional red chilli.
Serving Suggestions
Serve as it is or with:
Steamed jasmine rice
Brown rice
Rice noodles
Quinoa
It also keeps well for lunch the next day, meal prep friendly
A Mindful Moment
Before serving, take a second to notice the aroma: coconut, lime, warmth from the curry paste. The colour alone is grounding.
As you eat, notice the contrast: the richness of the sauce, the brightness of lime, the softness of salmon.
Warming food has a way of settling the nervous system. Sometimes dinner doesn’t need to be complicated, it just needs to be present.
