Creative Meals for Today's Cook

Pan Seared Salmon with Wild Rice in Coconut Curry Broth

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Pan seared salmon on a bed of wild rice in a rich and creamy ginger and coconut curry broth. Sounds elegant, but I made a video so you can see just how easy it really is!

Pan seared salmon on a bed of wild rice in a rich and creamy ginger and coconut curry broth.

Salmon is such a wonderfully versitle dish – it makes a great weeknight meal due to it’s quick and easy prep yet it’s elegant enough for special dinner. It can be baked, broiled, grilled, poached, or pan seared. It pairs well with a light preperation of just salt, pepper, and a little citrus;  to something with more substantial flavors like this ginger-coconut curry broth.

Pan seared salmon on a bed of wild rice in a rich and creamy ginger and coconut curry broth.

The cook time for this dish is about 45 minutes, but that’s really all about the rice – which is pretty much hands off once the rice and water come to a simmer.  The rest of the dish can be made while the rice is cooking. The curry sauce, which is packed with a ton of flavor, comes together in just 15 minutes! It’s so quick and easy, you’ll be amazed at them minimum amount of ingredients. And you know it’s good when you’re constantly sneaking tasty spoonfuls 😉

The pan seared salmon is simply seasoned with salt and pepper and cooked in  olive oil and butter – lightly crisp on the outside and completely moist and flaky on the inside. The salmon is quick and easy to make (about 10 minutes on the stove), but there are a few things to keep in mind:

  • Purchase fillets that are similar in thickness, with each fillet as even in thickness as possible.
  • Make sure all of the pin bones are removed. You can locate them by running your fingers along the side of the fish. Using needle-nose pliers or tweezers, gently, but firmly pull the bones out at the same angle as they run. You’ll feel a little resistance at first, but they should come out smoothly.
  • Get your pan, oil, and butter nice and hot before you add the salmon. And be sure to start skin-side down.
  • Once the fish is in the pan, DO NOT move it. When the fish is ready, it will release from the pan. If you try to move it before it’s ready, it will stick and flake apart.
  • The cook time will vary depending on the thickness of the salmon fillets, but the trick is to sear them until they’re cooked halfway up the sides and then flip. Cook the other side until it’s cooked the other half of the way up, for a perfect medium-rare.

Pan seared salmon on a bed of wild rice in a rich and creamy ginger and coconut curry broth.

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Pan Seared Salmon with Wild Rice in Coconut Curry Broth
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Recipe type: Entrée
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 2
 
Pan seared salmon on a bed of wild rice in a rich and creamy ginger and coconut curry broth. Watch the video to see just how easy it is!
Ingredients
  • 1 cup wild rice
  • 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • 2 shallots, thinly sliced
  • 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1-inch piece of ginger, thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons red curry paste
  • 1 14-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • Kosher salt
  • 2 limes, divided
  • 2 6-ounce salmon fillets (skin on)
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Instructions
  1. Cook the rice according to the package directions (this could take up to 45 minutes, so plan accordingly).
  2. In a large saute pan over medium heat, warm 2 tablespoon of olive oil. Add the shallots, garlic, and ginger. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes, until softened (do not let the garlic burn). Add the curry paste and stir to fully incorporate. Then add the coconut milk and chicken broth. Stir in ½ teaspoon Kosher salt and simmer until reduced by about half (approximately 10 minutes). Carefully transfer the contents to a blender, add 2 tablespoon of fresh lime juice, and puree until smooth. Set aside.
  3. Season both sides of the salmon fillets with salt and pepper.
  4. Heat a medium, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the butter. Once the oil is hot and the butter has melted, add the fillets, skin side down - do not move them once they're down. Sear until the sides are cooked halfway up the sides. Then flip and sear the other side until the sides are fully cooked. Remove from heat.
  5. In two shallow bowls add about ½ cup of the coconut curry broth. Top with rice, and then a salmon fillet for each bowl. Sprinkle with lime zest and serve with a lime wedge on the side. Enjoy!
Notes
* You'll have some coconut curry leftover - it's great with rice, noodles, vegetable, or other fish.

 

Pan seared salmon on a bed of wild rice in a rich and creamy ginger and coconut curry broth.

Comments

  1. I made this tonight and it was a great success! Easy, delicious, restaurant quality meal, and paleo friendly to boot!! Can’t wait to share it with friends and family. Thank you

    • Thank you so much for your note, Sarah! I’m so happy that you enjoyed the dish, and enough to share with friends and family! Things like that make my day 🙂 I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

  2. i purposely passed by this share a couple months back so i could christen the grazing experience with the soon to happen copper river salmon deluge, but… but… as i wander your account via my reader, i find i am weak. i grabbed some beautiful halibut on the way back from the dogpark this morning and am going to enjoy it using your lovely lovely lovely dish. i am soooo taken by it that i am going to put my shoes back on, grab my slobbering passed out snoring furry boy, and walk back down to the market to grab some wild rice. you have a way with my tummy that is beyond explanation…

    • What! A copper rice salmon deluge?! Lol – have you seen Last Week Tonight with John Oliver? I’m getting images of their salmon cannon expose with your ‘deluge’ description 😛 Seriously though, that sounds amazing! Bring on the salmon!
      The halibut sounds like a wonderful pairing – I’d love to know how it turned out!

      • LOL!!! no wonder we feel one another’s vibe so readily… we both make pictures with each thought and connect polka dots with memories. that salmon cannon thing is everything, right? when i saw oliver’s segment back in the day, i immediately traveled backwards about a decade or so before that when i had asked an engineer friend of mine to build a portable tennis ball launcher for the dogs. it was crazy cool. so one night, after too much wine, brilliance and i became one as i decided, “screw tennis balls, i am going to shoot food out of it”. my gang of fur were in full agreement. i started cooking up all sorts of things in the shape of a tennis ball. some fails. some successes. believe it or not, that is one of the possessions i miss most from the stuff i left behind. w-a-a-a-y too funny how your recipe share, my copper river salmon impatience, the word “deluge”, john oliver’s smartass genius-ness, and your brain all formed the most amazing congo line back to those wonderful memories. i heart you 🙂

        ok. let’s get to it. here is tummy report 04-2016:
        i did not have any homemade red curry paste chunks in the freezer so i went ahead and made a fresh batch. the halibut, combined with your flavor profiles, was so delicious that i really had no choice but to resort back to kathleen idea test kitchen mode. yesterday, i grabbed some fresh sardines and some octopus, grilled everything until they took on crispy singed edges, and added them to your recipe. yesssssssss x10000. i had a love affair with that octopus twist. that was yesterday. tomorrow, i am going to play in another kathleen-inspired direction… i am going to blow off the wild rice and make risotto with the red curry paste broth, grab some king salmon to replace my copper river salmon waiting room time, and see what’s up. later this week, i want to go back to the octopus thing, but this time approach it like pulled pork meets nakji bokkeum. what?!?! i am going to cook the octopus, then go after it with a knife so that it resembles pulled pork shreds. i am going to use your creamy red curry coconut broth both as a “barbecue sauce” and as a flavor push as i cook it into the shreds with a vicious wok fry. then, depending upon what happened with the risotto… well, hell… i don’t know… more wild rice play, or… ok… who am i kidding… that pulled octopus thing with a bowl of japanese white has soooo got to happen… maybe with a raw egg… maybe in a red curry coconut-flavored omelette wrapped around wild rice and octopus shreds… wait… maybe use squid, stuff it with wild rice, grill that, and serve it on a bed of your curry broth… no… use squid, stuff it with wild rice, braise it in your curry broth, then shove it in my mouth… yes… no… possibly…

        you see, kathleen… that last bit of brain explosion happened as i was typing. we would be dangerous together in a room with a credit card and a stove, wouldn’t we? i totally get stuck in like bamboo and branch off like a maniac. i blame you.

        • Omg, you had like the original punkin’ chunkin’ chucker. First food item that comes to mind for a tennis ball-sized object to launch… definitely going with the Scotch egg! Can you imagine the perfect thud, splat, drip ratio?! Oh my friend, we’d be dangerous together 😉

          Your grilled rendition with crispy edges sounds like some really incredible flavor profiles going on! And using the red curry coconut broth as a sort of bbq sauce sounds ah..maz..ing! I wonder if you could use that risotto to make a stuffed squid dish with the coconut curry broth. Hmm… yes dangerous. We would definitely be dangerous together 😉

  3. So for starters everything about this dish is fantastic! And I love the wonderful little tidbit hints you give. Yes do NOT flip until the fish is ready…otherwise it’s a mean disaster! And you already know I love your videos girlfriend!

    • Thanks sweetie! Not flipping the fish until it’s ready, is right up there with ‘don’t press down on your burger with the spatula as it’s cooking’ 😉

  8. Hi Kathleen,
    I think I’m in love. This recipe looks great. I really enjoyed the way you added a bit of cooking instructions along the way. That’s always helpful. Salmon can quickly turn into a challenge for the uninitiated. I swear, I must have cooked salmon a thousand times and I still get a dry piece here and there.
    Anyway, I really dig the use of coconut milk. Just recently, my lady and I made some whipped coconut cream, if that’s what it’s called. Basically, we whipped up some coconut milk and added a bit of sugar. I was floored with the result. So now I’m on the hunt for all things of this nature. This recipe fits the bill. It’s definitely going on my to-do list.
    Thanks for the post!
    Jay

    • So true! Salmon is one of those foods that fall into a category I like to call ‘easy, but not easy’. It’s actually very simple to cook, but your timing has to be pretty spot on. When it comes to pan searing, so far I’ve found the ‘cook to half way up the sides’ method works best. Your coconut whipped cream sounds awesome! If you like that, I have another dish for you that I think you’re really going to love! It’s Miso Glazed Salmon with Coconut Rice . The salmon is great, but the coconut rice really ties the dish together beautifully! Hope you enjoy 🙂

  9. I want to put a crying emoticon here. Oh wow. Wow wow. The recipe, The video. That broth, that broth. With salmon. Happy dance!!! Sharing something serious. This is just SO BEAUTIFUL Kathleen!!!

  10. There you go again, making another one of my favorite things to eat! I know I’ve mentioned it before but I’ll say it again…I love salmon, especially crispy skin and medium rare salmon. Yuuuuuuummmmmmy!!! I gotta go to the store this weekend and pick up some salmon to make this 🙂

    • Lol! I think we do some serious damage together in a kitchen 😛 Pan seared salmon is my favorite way to cook salmon because you get the perfect crispiness on the outside and totally tender on the inside.

  14. I haven’t cooked salmon in a few weeks! It is time to get some 🙂 Love the recipe and video! Happy Chinese New Year Kathleen!

  15. Can’t wait to try…I’ll sub white rice and adjust time…not a fan of wild or brown rice:) thanks…

  16. This looks so yummy! I love the video too. The lighting is great and it looks really professional. I know what you mean about sneaking sauce… I do that all the time haha.

    • Oh I’m terrible about sneaking bites. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve burned my mouth because I just couldn’t wait 😉

  17. I LOVE love love salmon too, Kathleen and this dish looks beyond sensational! Loving that coconut curry broth! This is a flavor bomb and one I can’t wait to devour! Fabulous video, girlfriend!! Pinned! Cheers! 😉

  19. Kathleen this looks amazing! That salmon is perfect, I swear – love the video and all your tips on cooking it – totally agree about the not moving it once you put it in the pan. The coconut flavour sounds amazing too, so good. x

    • Lol, When I was first learning how to cook, I can’t tell you how many times I destroyed a perfect good piece of fish by moving it around – so sad.

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