Easy Butter Salmon Curry

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.

This is a one-skillet, fast weekday-worthy dinner you’ll come back to again and again, but it’s also fancy enough to serve on a dinner party. Just don’t forget to add some naan to mop up that sauce.

The secret to any good curry is the sauce. We add a well-balanced combination of spices that nicely blend together. The cream and butter gently cut through the acidity of the tomatoes adding richness to this curry. 

Also, feel free to add extra chili at the end, if you want some extra heat. Serve with broccoli or a fresh cucumber salad drizzled with a yogurt dressing.
Let me guide you through the recipe with this step-by-step VIDEO.

What to serve with butter salmon curry

Here are a few things you can add to make it a meal:

• jasmine rice
• naan
• fresh cucumber salad with red onion and yogurt dressing
• roasted broccoli

RECIPE NOTES

• you can add extra veggies to the sauce, like spinach, zucchini, broccoli 
• sear the salmon. The key too getting an ultra-crispy salmon without any sticking, is to use a non-stick skillet, then sear it over high heat with some oil paired with butter
• instead of cilantro, use basil or scallions
• you can swap salmon for chicken, shrimp or tofu
• make it milder or spicier
• you can make this dish vegetarian by using cauliflower
• we add 1 tablespoon of butter at the end, but this is optional. Stirring butter into the sauce adds extra smoothness
• swap cream for coconut cream

More salmon, please!

• One-Pan Creamy Tomato Salmon with Chorizo
• Pan Seared Salmon in Garlic Mascarpone Sauce
• Thai Coconut Salmon Curry

Recipe Video

Yield: serves 4

Easy Butter Salmon Curry

Print

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 skinless salmon fillets
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp grated ginger
• 1 tbsp garam masala paste
• 100 g/3.5 oz tomato paste
• 1/4 cup/50 ml vegetable broth, or water
• 250 ml/1 cup crushed tomatoes

• 250 ml/1 cup cream 20% fat
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp each: salt, black pepper, sweet paprika
• 1/2 tsp each: ground cumin, ground coriander, turmeric, curry powder, cayenne powder
• crushed chili flakes, for serving
• 2 tbsp toasted cashews, for serving
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro, for serving

Instructions

1. Pat the salmon fillets dry with a paper towel and season all over with salt, pepper and sweet paprika.
2. Heat oil and 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!

Notes

Calories Per Serving: 524 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

Did you make this recipe?

Let me know! Leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Instagram and don’t forget to tag me with @anna_s_table or #servingdumplings I’d love to see what you’re making. Happy cooking!

DOWNLOAD PRINTABLE RECIPE PDF

And …IF YOU LOVE THESE RECIPES … please consider supporting my work for just the cost of a cup of coffee.

Sign up for my NEWSLETTER to receive the latest recipes delivered straight to your inbox.