A Lovely Weeknight Curry

Poached Salmon Curry with a Steamed Japanese Sweet Potato

I shared this meal last week in my January round-up and promised the recipe, so here you go! xoxo

Proteins cooked in a flavorful liquid (aka: to poach) is one of my favorite ways to cook. It brings a sort of soup energy that allows flexibility with extra or not enough of any particular ingredient. It’s also very hard to overcook something surrounded by liquid. If you’re someone who is afraid to try making salmon at home (or even chicken - are people out there really afraid to cook chicken? Always boggles the mind when I hear this…), this is a great place to start.

Poached Salmon Curry with a Steamed Japanese Sweet Potato
2 servings

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoon of Olive Oil
2-4 Cloves of garlic, sliced
1 Shallot, sliced
1-2 Tablespoons of ginger, minced
1 Tablespoon of curry paste (I used red, but green or yellow would be great too)
1 14oz can of coconut milk, full fat
1-2 cups of vegetable or chicken stock
2 filets of salmon… size doesn’t quite matter
1 Japanese sweet potato (any other potato / sweet potato would work just the same)

Optional but impactful
Limes
Cilantro
Chili Crisp

Directions:

1. Heat a glug of olive oil in a saucepan over medium low heat while you chop/slice/mince your garlic/shallot/ginger.

2. Toss your shallot in first and let it sweat for a few minutes. You don’t want it to brown, but we’re looking to develop of a little flavor here. Season with salt.

3. Add the garlic and ginger in with the shallot and let them hang out together until you can smell everything from across the room. Add a little more salt.

4. Take a tablespoon or so of curry paste (consider your preferred heat level - don’t be afraid to taste as you go) and stir it in with your aromatics. You want the curry paste to evenly coat the aromatics so that when you add the coconut milk (coming right up), it mixes easily.

5. Add a can of coconut milk and stir. I noticed that the broth was going to be a little thicker than I would want and might not allow the salmon to poach as gently as I would like, so I added some chicken stock that was hanging out in my fridge. I think I added about a 1/2 cup to a 1 cup… doesn’t really matter. You could also add vegetable stock, or water (add a little bit of extra salt), orrrr….. idk… I even feel like a 1/2 cup of white wine could be cool…

6. Bring the liquid to a low simmer and let the flavors marry for about 5-10 minutes. This will also reduce the liquid a bit, in case you went buck wild with the stock.

7. Meanwhile, dry your salmon filets with a paper towel. Season them with salt and pepper. Really do it. Don’t be shy. All sides. Even the skin. Yes. That much.

8. After the liquid has had its chance to simmer and the coconut milk is nice and flavorful, gently place the salmon filets into the saucepan. You want the tops of the salmon to be peaking out of the top of the milk, but if it’s a little over or a little under, it’s a not a big deal.

9. Reduce the heat so there is barely any movement and cover. It’ll get a little crazier in there when the lid is on and also, we can utilize steam to cook the salmon, so it doesn’t need to be that hot.

10. Check on it in about 10 minutes. I wish I had a less invasive way of checking on my salmon’s doneness, but I usually just fork the center and see how easily it falls apart. Any effort required to slice through salmon means it’s not done yet.

11. Once it’s flaking apart, you’re good to serve. I placed one of the filets and a ladle full of the broth in a bowl over a half of a steamed Japanese sweet potato.

12. Top with some cilantro, a squeeze of lime and chili oil for a little bit of smokey heat.

13. Send me a picture of you eating it wherever you find yourself this February.