One-Pot Wonders

Easy Butter Salmon Curry

by:
September 15, 2021
4.7
3 Ratings
Easy Butter Salmon Curry
Photo by Anna Chwistek | Serving Dumplings
  • Prep time 10 minutes
  • Cook time 20 minutes
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

30 minute easy butter salmon curry. This one-pan dish has tons of flavor and a variety of spices and textures. Crispy seared salmon simmered in a rich, slightly spicy, creamy tomato sauce.

It’s funky, easy to make and seriously delicious, especially when topped with fresh cilantro and toasted cashews for a bit of crunch.
Serve with jasmine rice or naan. This creamy dish is great for any weeknight. You’ll love it. —Anna Chwistek | Serving Dumplings

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 4 skinless salmon fillets
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 shallot, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon grated ginger
  • 1 tablespoon garam masala paste
  • 100 grams /3.5 oz tomato paste
  • 1/4 cup vegetable broth, or water
  • 1 cup crushed tomatoes

  • 1 cup cream 20% fat
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon each: salt, black pepper, sweet paprika
  • 1/2 teaspoon each: ground cumin, ground coriander, turmeric, curry powder, cayenne powder
  • crushed chili flakes, for serving
  • 2 tablespoons toasted cashews + chopped cilantro, for serving
Directions
  1. Pat the salmon fillets dry with a paper towel and season all over with salt, pepper and sweet paprika.
  2. Heat oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large non-stick skillet set over medium high heat. Add the salmon fillets and sear, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove from skillet and set aside.
  3. Reduce heat to low. Add garlic, shallot and ginger. Cook until soft, 3 minutes. Stir in cumin, coriander, turmeric, curry powder and cayenne powder. Deglaze the skillet with vegetable broth, simmer for 1 minute while stirring and scraping up the brown bits on the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon.
  4. Add garam masala and tomato paste, stir until combined with garlic-ginger mixture.
  5. Add crushed tomatoes and pour in cream. Stir to combine and bring to a simmer.
  6. Add the remaining butter, and adjust salt to your own taste.
  7. Nestle salmon in the sauce. Sprinkle with lemon juice and simmer for 3-5 minutes or until the salmon is just cooked through and the sauce is slightly thickened.
  8. Top with toasted cashews and cilantro. Finish off with crushed chili flakes and black pepper. Serve with rice, naan and a cucumber salad drizzled with yogurt dressing. Enjoy!
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See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Anna Chwistek | Serving Dumplings
    Anna Chwistek | Serving Dumplings
  • audmcrooks
    audmcrooks
  • Katie G.
    Katie G.
  • pmichaels
    pmichaels

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5 Reviews

audmcrooks
audmcrooks July 16, 2024
So delicious! I had fresh peas crying out to be used, so added them into the sauce just before adding the salmon back in, which was a nice fresh pop. Only real tweak I'd make is that adding the lemon juice into the pan caused my sauce to split, so when I make this again (and I will!) I'll just squeeze the lemon juice over the finished plate. Totally superficial, the recipe is a total keeper!
 
Katie G.
Katie G. November 15, 2023
One of my top 10 favorite meals - thank you so much for this beautiful, complex tasting but easy to make dish!
 
pmichaels
pmichaels July 31, 2023
This says "add remaining butter" after the tomatoes and cream - but a second amount of "remaining butter" is not listed in the ingredients - only 2T plus oil to sear the salmon at the start. I'm looking forward to making this and will just have to plop some extra butter in at the end since there is no amount specified.
 
Anna C.
Anna C. July 31, 2023
Hi, so sorry for the confusion, the recipe has been fixed. Happy cooking!
 
Umami C.
Umami C. November 28, 2022
This was a very satisfying recipe. Served with jasmine rice and sautéed broccoli. There was a decent amount of sauce leftover, so we made some tofu the next day and served it up over rice for lunch the next day. Will make again.