One-Pan Coconut Curry Salmon with Sweet Potato
⏱ 10 min prep · 🍳 20 min · 🍽 4
This one-pan coconut curry salmon comes together in about 30 minutes: build the sauce first, add the vegetables, then lay the salmon on top right at the end so it never has the chance to overcook. Sweet potato and coconut milk round out the curry paste into something mellow, so even a modest spoonful gives real flavor without the sharp heat that sends kids pushing their plates away.
It's a weeknight recipe built for the nights when time is already tight — one pan means one pan to wash, and the sauce holds up fine if someone's stuck at practice or pickup runs late from daycare.
Serve it with rice or warm flatbread on the side. Zucchini and sweet potato add enough body on their own that dinner carries through to bedtime without needing a second side dish.
Ingredients
- 600.000 g laksefilet
- 8.000 stk asparges
- 2.000 stk søtpotet
- 1.000 stk squash
- 3.000 ss rød karripaste
- 5.000 dl kokosmelk
- 0.500 stk sitronsaft
- 1.000 ts sukker
- 1.000 ts maldon salt
- frisk koriander
Instructions
Varm en panne eller kjele med høye kanter på middels-høy varme med nøytral olje. Stek rød curry paste noen minutter mens du terninger søtpotet og squash. Stek grønnsakene raskt.
Hell i kokosmelk og kok opp. La poteter og squash surre ca. 15 minutter til de er møre. Smak til med sukker, salt og sitronsaft.
Porsjon laks og skjær asparges. Legg asparges i pannen, deretter lakseporsjoner med saus over, og kok i 5 minutter.
Pynt med frisk koriander og drypp over litt kokosmelk ved servering.
This is the recipe for kitchens where curry paste is a word no one under ten trusts, but sweet potato is safe ground. Build the sauce in two stages: simmer with half the curry paste, spoon out the kids' portions, then stir the rest of the paste into the pan for the adults. Asparagus is usually the first vegetable to get pushed to the rim of the plate — swap in broccoli florets or corn for the youngest eaters; the sweet potato and salmon carry the flavor either way. Zucchini softens fast enough that it barely registers as a vegetable in the sauce, which is exactly why this is the dinner we reach for on the nights someone's already declared war on "bits" in their food.
FAQ
What if the salmon starts drying out in the pan?
Add the salmon last, laid on top of the finished sauce, and let it poach under a lid on low heat for 5-6 minutes rather than stirring it through the pan. Fish that gets tossed around in hot liquid flakes apart and dries out before it's cooked through. Check the thickest piece with a fork — it should just barely give.
The recipe calls for asparagus, but it's out of season or expensive — what can I use instead?
Broccoli florets or corn work well and need roughly the same simmer time as asparagus in the sauce. Frozen broccoli can go straight from the freezer for the last 4-5 minutes without turning mushy. Asparagus gives a slightly bitter, greener edge, but the sweet potato and curry carry the dish no matter what vegetable you swap in.
Can I cook this with frozen salmon without thawing it first?
Yes, but give it a few extra minutes in the sauce and cut it into smaller pieces than you would fresh salmon, otherwise the outside finishes long before the center does. Thawing in cold water under plastic wrap for 20-30 minutes is faster and gives a more even result. Skip the microwave defrost — it toughens the edges before the fish even hits the pan.
How many servings does this make, and should I double it?
The base recipe makes four regular servings, so only double it if you're feeding more than that or want lunch leftovers the next day. The sauce scales up fine, but use a wide skillet or a Dutch oven — a crowded pan steams the salmon instead of searing it. Leftovers keep for two days in the fridge.
What if someone in the family can't handle curry at all?
Set the curry paste aside and serve it on the table instead of stirring it into the whole pan — that way each plate gets adjusted to taste. Coconut milk, sweet potato, and zucchini already make a sweet, mild base with zero curry, so the dish still works almost like a plain coconut stew. A little grated ginger stirred in instead gives gentle warmth without the heat.
Can I get a head start on this earlier in the week?
Chop the sweet potato, zucchini, and any aromatics up to two days ahead and keep them in the fridge — the sauce itself still needs to be built fresh so the salmon doesn't sit around raw. If you're planning meals for the week, this is a good one to slot in on the night after a late practice or activity, since the sauce is forgiving if dinner slides by ten or fifteen minutes. Just add the salmon at the very end no matter how early you started.