Poached Salmon made exotic with a simple, amazing Coconut Lime Sauce!! Tastes like a Thai coconut curry sauce – but it’s quick and easy. The trick is to caramelise garlic, ginger and lemongrass with a smidge of sugar before adding the coconut milk. It’s incredible what a difference it makes!
Poached Salmon
Poached fish has a bad reputation. The mere mention of it conjures up visions of pale, overcooked, flavourless fish swimming in murky water.
It’s time for a makeover.
Enter – THIS Poached Salmon swimming in an outrageously tasty caramelised Coconut Lime Sauce with lemongrass, ginger and chilli. Poached fish never tasted so good!! 😂
This poached salmon is lightly seared on the outside first then we finish cooking it by poaching in a simple Thai coconut curry sauce.
How to poach salmon
The “normal” way to poach salmon involves bringing a pot of water to the boil with some basic aromatics like lemon and sprigs of herbs, then the salmon is gently simmered until it’s cooked.
This isn’t my favourite way to cook salmon. I miss the flavour you get from searing.
So my method of making poached salmon involves lightly searing first THEN poaching in the same skillet.
Coconut Curry Sauce – real easy!
Looks like Thai Red Curry, tastes like Thai Red Curry…..
Sure, it doesn’t have quite the same depth of flavour – but it requires a fraction of the time and ingredients. I think even those with sophisticated South East Asian palettes will still be mighty impressed with the flavour of we manage to get in this so quickly and with so few ingredients!
Here’s what goes in the coconut curry sauce – and it’s all things you can pick up at supermarkets.
The one thing that some supermarkets may not carry is Chilli Garlic Sauce which, as the name suggests, is a spicy garlicky paste. But don’t worry if you can’t find it – just sub with any chilli paste, even if it’s not Asian (eg Franks), OR use a chilli sauce like Sriracha.
Caramelisation makes all the difference!
If you’re looking at the ingredients suspiciously, thinking surely she’s exaggerating, how on earth can so few ingredients make a coconut curry sauce that tastes like Thai Red Curry? I don’t blame you. I’ll be honest – I’ve tried a few simple Coconut sauces before and been disappointed.
So here are the 2 key things in this recipe that add depth of flavour into this otherwise simple sauce:
-
Sear the salmon first. Just lightly – to add colour and flavour to the salmon as well as leaving behind tasty brown bits in the skillet (it’s called fond!) that adds flavour into the sauce. This is a cooking fundamental – never waste those precious golden bits from searing things!
-
Caramelise the aromatics (garlic, ginger, lemongrass) with a touch of sugar. It’s amazing how much more flavour that adds to an otherwise simple sauce!
What to serve with poached salmon
There’s enough sauce to serve this over jasmine rice or any rice you prefer, or with noodles (pictured). I’ve used vermicelli noodles here because they’re quick to prepare – just soak in boiling water for a few minutes,
Add a side of steamed Asian greens and voila! A healthy, Omega 3 rich dinner on the table in 20 minutes!!! – Nagi x
PS If you’re wondering if salmon is good for you, the answer is yes, we should all eat more of it! It’s rich in protein and Omega 3 fatty acids which do all sorts of good things for you – brain, joints and heart. So don’t shy away from salmon because you think it’s too fatty or too high in calories – it’s good fat.
MORE QUICK & EASY SALMON RECIPES
-
Christmas Baked Salmon: Easy & Make-ahead – Dead-easy, eye-catching centrepiece!
-
Sesame Crusted Salmon (that crust!)
-
Honey Garlic Salmon (super quick)
-
Salmon Cakes (they’re baked!)
And if you love coconut milk sauces, you’ll love these!
-
An amazing easy Thai Coconut Noodle Soup
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Poached Salmon in Coconut Lime Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 salmon fillets , 180g/6oz each preferably skinless (Note 1)
- Salt and pepper
- 2 tbsp oil , separated
- 2 garlic cloves , finely grated
- 2 tsp ginger , finely grated
- 1 lemongrass , peeled, finely grated (Note 2)
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp chilli garlic paste or other chilli paste, adjust to taste (Note 3)
- 400 g/14oz coconut milk (Note 2)
- 1 tbsp fish sauce (or soy sauce)
- 2 tsp lime zest (1 lime)
- Lime juice , to taste
Garnish/serving:
- Fresh coriander/cilantro leaves , finely chopped (recommended)
- Finely sliced large red chillies (optional)
- Vermicelli noodles OR , soaked per packet, or rice
- Steamed jasmine rice
- Steamed Asian greens
Instructions
- Sprinkle both sides of salmon with salt and pepper.
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a non stick pan or well seasoned skillet over medium high heat. Add salmon, skin side up, and sear for just 1 1/2 minutes until golden. Turn salmon and cook the other side just for 1 minute, then remove onto a plate (should still be raw inside).
- Turn heat down to medium low and allow skillet to cool.
- Heat remaining 1 tbsp oil. Add garlic, ginger and lemongrass. Cook until garlic is light golden ~ 1 minute.
- Add sugar and cook for 20 seconds until it becomes a caramel (see video). Then stir in chilli paste.
- Add coconut milk and stir, scraping the bottom of the skillet to dissolve any bits stuck on the base into the sauce.
- Stir in fish sauce, increase heat to medium. Simmer for 2 minutes.
- Place salmon into the sauce, lower heat and simmer gently for 4 minutes, or until just cooked.
- Remove salmon, stir in lime zest and juice to taste. Adjust salt to taste with fish sauce.
- Serve salmon over noodles or rice. Spoon over sauce, garnish with coriander and chili if using.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
LIFE OF DOZER
That time he got my sneakers wet so I took them off and made him carry them back to the car.
Hi Nagi! I am translating MKR and I’m thrilled that you have been inspired by the last season recipes. Good work, as always! Still your biggest fan! 🙂
Cooked this tonight. Delicious x
Delicious and easy! The whole family enjoyed it. Thanks for another great recipe!! I added baby corn, baby pak choy and the vermicelli noodles.
The broth is delicious! Instead of chili paste I added 1 sliced Thai chili and it was spicy. Loved it! I reused the leftover broth to cook shrimp and it was amazing.
I made this last night for myself and my Dad (who can be a fussy eejit when he wants to be!). His only comment was “Put that in your recipe book, you can make it again”!
So simple and quick to make. I got some microwave jasmine rice to have with it, and before I put the salmon back in I added baby corn and garden peas to the sauce. Absolutely delicious.
I absolutly love the sauce! I make it all the time. I also like it with chicken.
Hi, Nagi!
I make variations of this, sometimes seared sometimes not. I buy salmon and then portion and wrap for the freezer in 3 oz portions for when I’m ready to use them. I start with frozen pieces, skin-on, and poach slowly so I end up with a mr-r center. This way you eat from the outside of the salmon in to the center which is less done so different levels of doneness can be appreciated and experienced. The skin falls off and adds flavor to the poaching liquid. The leftover liquid is NOT-TO-BE discarded for now you have a very seasoned fish broth that can be used in so many ways! You can poach chicken afterward, shrimp, etc. Fish does not have to be difficult! Enjoy!
Thanks!
It’s absolutely delicious made with prawns as well . . Fabulous.
Holy moly! Great even if you don’t love fish!
This is one of those low effort big reward dinners!
We served with wombok salad which I made when we had shaking beef earlier in the week and some coconut chilli lemongrass microwave rice so it was even easier tonight!
For me, the best part was eating salmon… covered in this sauce it could have been anything (although the salmon texture was perfect) but trust me, even if you don’t love fish, make it, it’s so worth it (just don’t be tempted to use bottle lime juice, you need the zest and that tart slam from the fresh lime, so darn good!
Just delicious!
I think this is one of my favourite Nagi recipes . So simple but amazing flavours . As good as any restaurant meal .
Another Restaurant quality meal. not complicated and full of flavour
We love this recipe, It has been on a weekly rotation for months now, We have it with jasmine rice and stir fried greens, usually pak choy, beans, asparagus, snow peas, or broccolini
Utterly delicious. I made it the lazy way with garlic, lemongrass and ginger from the jar and it tasted fantastic. The fish sauce and lime balance the sugar nicely.
Incredible flavours yet so simple to make. Restaurant quality. Amazing!
What are Asian greens. Can you please share some of the names?
Probably things like bok choy, pak choy, Gai larn, Chinese broccoli etc
The flavours danced in my mouth. My 2 picky pre-teens gobbled it down. My labradoodle puppy, begged for some scraps which she inhaled. I only had light coconut milk but would use regular in the future so the sauce is thicker.
I love this recipe. It has become a family favorite in our household! It takes me longer than 4 minutes to poach the salmon, but otherwise it’s spot on!
I am happy that you like it Katie! N x
Very easy delicious meal with full of nutrients! Thanks nagi! I made it mild with turmeric powder instead of chilli paste. My family loved it!
Can I make this two days in advance and just reheat?
Hi Rhonda – I don’t recommend that as fish is best served just after cooking unless you par cook it and I wouldn’t recommend that 2 days in advance. N x
SOOOOO SOO SOO GOOD! I made this for dinner tonight and it was incredibly easy and just delicious. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. You are a mage.