In my home town in northern Thailand, salmon is unheard of. We used to fish for catfish in small lakes surrounded by jungle. Things were different in Hong Kong, where salmon was a popular fish with the British expats. The first time I tasted it, I was hooked. I couldn’t help thinking that the oily soft flesh and subtle flavour would be perfect in a curry. When cooking this dish, try to keep sweet and salty in perfect balance.
Ingredients
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2 1⁄2 tablespoons vegetable oil
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2 tablespoons red curry paste
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250ml (8fl oz) coconut milk
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2 tablespoons nam pla (Thai fish sauce)
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1 tablespoon palm sugar
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2 salmon steaks, about 150g (5oz) each
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Steamed rice, to serve
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To garnish:
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1 lime leaf, shredded
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1 red spur chilli, sliced
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5cm (2 inch) piece of lesser galangal, thinly sliced lengthways
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Thai basil leaves, shredded
Method
- To make the sauce, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a wok set over a medium heat and sauté the curry paste until it is fragrant.
- Add 200ml (7fl oz) of the coconut milk, the fish sauce and the palm sugar and bring to the boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring continuously, for about 3 minutes until the oil from the curry paste starts rising to the top and the mixture is smooth and thick.
- Add almost all the remaining coconut milk (you want to save a tablespoon for garnish). Bring to the boil again. The sauce should now have a perfect balance of spicy, salty and sweet.
- Reduce the heat to low.
- Clean the salmon, pat dry with kitchen paper and pan-fry in the remaining vegetable oil until cooked to your liking.
- Place the salmon steaks on plates and pour over the curry sauce. Top with the lime leaf, chilli, galangal and basil and pour over the reserved coconut milk.
- Serve with steamed rice.
