Salmon Coconut Curry with Spinach and Chickpeas
Salmon Coconut Curry with Spinach and Chickpeas is an easy one-pot meal that cooks in under 30 minutes!
Salmon Coconut Curry with Chickpeas
Seared salmon skin adds an extra dimension to this one-pan dinner: rich flavor and crispy texture. The salmon then braises in a velvety coconut-curry sauce, which is the perfect pairing for the fish, spinach, and chickpeas. For more seafood curry recipes, try my Thai Green Curry Coconut Shrimp with Basil and Broiled Tilapia with Thai Coconut Curry Sauce.
Salmon is my favorite fish! I have TONS of other wonderful Salmon Recipes in the archives. This salmon coconut curry recipe is very nutritious and so delicious! It uses light coconut milk, which instantly cuts calories. Plus, salmon is full of protein and heart-healthy omega 3s. Chickpeas are a good source of fiber, and spinach is full of vitamins and minerals.
How do you make coconut curry from scratch?
This curry is Indian inspired, made with madras curry powder. It cooks quickly and all in one pan, making it an excellent choice for an easy dinner on a busy night.
- Season the salmon with salt and pepper and put in the skillet skin-side down. Cook for five minutes until the skin is crispy and then remove from the pan.
- Sautee onions, garlic, chili, and ginger for two minutes. Add in the chickpeas and curry powder and cook for two minutes.
- Stir in the coconut milk, spinach, and salt. Cover the pan and cook another two minutes.
- Return the salmon to the skillet skin-side up and cook for about five minutes until the fish is done.
Salmon Coconut Curry Variations & Tips:
- Swap spinach for kale, swiss chard, or mustard greens.
- Make it Whole30 by swapping chickpeas for potatoes.
- To ensure the salmon’s easy release from the pan, make sure to let the skin fully caramelize before attempting to move the filet.
- Sub shrimp for salmon and cook for less time
- Use a white fish like cod if you’re not a fan of salmon.
- If you don’t like spicy foods, omit the Fresno chili.
More Curry Recipes You’ll Love:
- Warm Curry Roasted Sheet Pan Vegetable Salad
- Indian Shrimp Curry
- Roasted Red Kuri Coconut Curry Soup
- Burma Superstar Chicken Dal Curry
- Thai Coconut Curry Shrimp
Salmon Coconut Curry with Spinach and Chickpeas
Ingredients
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 4 6-ounce skin-on salmon filets
- 2 teaspoons olive oil, divided
- 1 small onion, diced (about 1 small)
- 3 peeled garlic cloves, grated
- 1 2-inch piece peeled ginger, grated
- 1 large Fresno chili, finely diced
- 1 15-oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Madras curry powder
- 1 14-ounce can light coconut milk
- 5 ounces baby spinach
Instructions
- Season both sides of salmon with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Set aside on a plate.
- Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Spray with oil to fully coat the bottom of the pan.
- Add salmon to the pan, skin-side down, and cook without disturbing until skin is crispy, 5 to 6 minutes.
- Return to the plate (skin-side up) and set aside.
- Add remaining teaspoon of oil, then add onions, garlic, ginger, and Fresno chili pepper; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
- Add chickpeas and curry powder and continue to cook, stirring, for 2 minutes more.
- Reduce heat to medium-low, add coconut milk, stirring, to release any browned bits stuck to the pan.
- Stir in spinach and 1/2 teaspoon salt . Cover the pan and cook 2 minutes until spinach wilts.
- Add the salmon, skin-side-up, and cook until fish is done, about 5 to 6 minutes.
Made this and loved it . So easy and delicious
My family said this was really good! I still don’t have my taste buds back in working order a month after my quarantine ended, so I am not the best judge but I enjoyed it as much as I enjoy anything. Thanks COvid! Really hard to adjust seasoning by taste with this affliction, but I’m so glad I have these go-to recipes to cook virtually taste blind and please the whole fam! Always love your recipes. Thanks for all you do!!
Glad you enjoyed it and I hope your taste buds come back soon!
amazing!
Perfect tasting curry! Took me closer to 45 minutes to make. Subbed some Garam masala for the chili and added full fat coconut milk instead and it hit the spot in terms of creaminess, flavor, and satisfaction! I wasn’t so sure about the chickpeas, but it definitely added to the dish in a great way.
This looks good, but chickpeas are NOT going to happen! Suggestions for alternatives? Leave out? Black beans?
Potatoes would be great
Curious if the coconut milk is a key ingredient. It’s just not something I typically have. Thank you!
For this recipe yes
Loved this dish. I loaded up on the spinach because I needed to use it up. I also doubled up on garlic and ginger, and I used a habanero pepper for my level of spiciness. I have always just dropped my fish pieces into the sauce to cook. This pre-crisping step made it taste pretty good! Will make it again for sure!
SO good! Entire family loved it. It is a “redo Mom”!
Great!!
This was amazing
I made this tonight and it was delicious! I omitted the pepper, but otherwise followed your recipe. I will definitely make this again.
Anyone try this w chicken or tofu? My family won’t eat seafood 😞
It would be great with chicken!
We think this is one of our favorite salmon recipes. We enjoyed it very much. I did use an unsweetened light coconut milk ( so delicious) that is thin so I can probably use a bit less next time. I used a poblano pepper as that is what I had on hand.
I reduced the chick peas and served it over wild rice. Delicious!
Made this last night. I used full-fat coconut milk. It was delicious! My 14 month old daughter devoured a full portion. I loved the crispy salmon skin. We just love your recipes and I always know they’re going to be delicious.
This is very exciting because I just bought salmon today and have a massive amount of chickpeas I need to use before they go bad. I need to use frozen chopped spinach, any idea how much I would need to use in lieu of the 5 oz fresh baby spinach? Thank you
Delicious. We didn’t have a pepper or garlic but went ahead with everything else. I used a bit of smoked paprika to make up for the smokiness of the pepper. My husband, the chickpea hater, gobbled this up!
This recipe was a hit. Highly recommend adding some cherry tomato halves near the end of cooking for extra pops of flavor.
I made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious! Four thumbs up from all diners. Shopped at Trader Joe’s beforehand bc I like their BBQ Cut salmon. No Fresno peppers there, so I bought a jar of Trader Joe’s Italian Bomba Hot Pepper Sauce and used one teaspoon. There is a lot of nice broth, so if you’re not worried about points, some crusty bread would be a nice addition.
We happened to have all the ingredients (except the pepper) on hand so we gave it a try. It was very good to my husband and oldest son and me but the younger 2 didn’t like it. We served with basmati to use the yummy sauce. I will definitely make it again. Fast, easy and good bonus: it is practically an everything on hand recipe.
What can I substitute for the coconut milk? My dad can’t have that
I made this for dinner tonight and it was amazing! Super simple and full of flavor! The whole family loves it!
This was so good and super comforting! These are mostly all ingredients I keep on hand, so it was perfect. Served over brown rice. Quick and easy!
My only issue: Somehow it was over spiced. I had to cut it with a little chicken broth. Could have been my spice but it just overpowered (not spicy-hot, just too much). So be warned and maybe add slowly.
Btw I roasted the salmon while cooking the rest to ensure a crispy skin and just speed the process up. I also replaced the onion with scallions, and red chili with a jalapeño, as that’s all I had on hand tonight- it was perfect.
Can you confirm the nutritional information? 453 kcal seems like A LOT! Should it be 453 calories instead?
I only have salmon filets without the skin – would that change the cook time at all?
Same cook time
Should the chickpeas be drained?
The recipe says washed and drained. I made it to night. I accidentally put the coconut milk in before the chickpeas. It was still awesome!
What can you substitute for the Fresno chili?
Hi Gina, are the calories from the oil spray (that was used to cover the bottom of the pan to sear the salmon) included in the total calorie count ?
This looks and sounds delicious. I have tried quite a few of your recipes, and use them to encourage our staff during fitness challenges. I have a problem though. My youngest son is allergic to coconut. So many recipes call for coconut oil or milk. What should I use in place of it? Heavy cream? Almond milk? Help a hungry momma trying to be healthy out!!
Perhaps you can look at my florentine recipe and do the same treatment with half and half.