I prepared this dish the other night, anticipating a not-so-welcome-reception from Luke. What I got from him instead was, “Oh yeah! I LOVE this dish. What’s it called?…..It needs a name. I’m going to call it cool salmon.” Who would have thought an eight year old son of a Southerner would love a curry dish?
This dish is easy to make and another great “kitchen sink” meal when you want to use up veggies that are hanging out in your fridge. You could also substitute a white fish or chicken for the salmon if you prefer. That said, I really love this dish with salmon.
The original recipe (which I have revised for our family’s tastes) is Super-Quick Salmon Stir-Fry from Jamie Oliver’s Jamie’s Food Revolution.
Serves 4
Ingredients For “Cool Salmon”
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
- 1 TBSP chopped fresh ginger
- 2 TBSP red curry paste
- 1 pound+ salmon, chopped into 1″ squares (or larger if you like your fish more rare)
- 1/2 cup chopped squash
- 1 red pepper, sliced into pieces
- 1 cup sugar snap peas
- 1 can of coconut milk
- 1 – 1 1/2 limes
- 1/2 cup bean sprouts
- 3 cups rice, cooked
Step 1:
Start cooking rice as soon as you start chopping.
Step 2:
Saute garlic and ginger about a minute in a couple of teaspoons of peanut oil on medium heat. Add curry paste (either red or green) and saute another minute, being careful not to burn.
Step 3:
Add salmon and cook another minute, until sides are slightly seared, turning.
Step 4:
Add vegetables and cook another 2-3 minutes, turning. Note you can use whatever vegetables you have on hand, as long as they are ones that cook quickly. I really like using some sort of pea – either sugar snap or snow — as they add crunch and flavor to the meal. I actually added some water chestnuts, too, because I happen to have some.
Step 5:
Turn down heat and add coconut milk. Simmer for about 4 minutes until salmon is cooked to your liking. Towards the end of cooking, add the lime juice. Taste as you go to determine if you’d like more than one lime.
Note that some of you may want to reduce the fat/calorie content of this meal by using lite coconut milk. I’m not a big fan of the lite version because I think you lose lots of flavor. If you want to make this dish lighter, use regular coconut milk and dilute it with chicken broth. It tastes much better!
Step 5:
Serve over rice. Add cilantro and bean sprouts to your liking. Jamie’s original recipes suggests ground peanuts, too. Luke likes any excuse to use soy sauce as well.
