Canned green curry paste is already so flavorful, it takes only a few extra ingredients to turn it into a tasty glaze for a thick piece of salmon. Maesri is our favorite brand; it’s well-balanced and intensely flavorful. If your curry paste is milder (such as Thai Kitchen), increase the amount by a tablespoon. Switch up the green for never-boring variations—red, yellow, or panang curry pastes are all great substitutes.
Most grocery store salmon is farm-raised and releases enough fat as it cooks to negate the need for extra oil in this recipe. If using wild salmon, drizzle a tablespoon or two of olive oil over the fish after it comes out of the broiler. If you have an old-school, drawer-style broiler at the bottom of your oven, start checking the salmon about 5 minutes before the recommended time to prevent it from charring to a crisp.
Recipe information
Total Time
20 minutes
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Heat broiler (if your broiler is in the oven, place a rack in upper third). Line a small rimmed baking sheet or ovenproof skillet large enough to snugly fit one 1½-lb. skin-on salmon fillet with a large piece of foil. Place salmon, skin side down, on baking sheet; season lightly with kosher salt. Bring foil up around edges of salmon to form a boat around it (this will catch any drips from the sauce; it doesn’t need to be perfect).
Step 2
Stir together 2 Tbsp. green curry paste, 2 Tbsp. mayonnaise, 2 Tbsp. sugar, 1 Tbsp. soy sauce, and 1 tsp. vinegar (any kind) in a small bowl.
Step 3
Using a pastry brush or spoon, spread curry paste mixture over salmon. Broil until salmon is cooked through and sauce is heavily blistered, 12–14 minutes, depending on thickness of fillet. (Don’t be alarmed if spots are deeply charred; this is just the sugars caramelizing and the fish will taste fine.) Remove salmon from oven.
Step 4
Divide cooked white or brown rice or quinoa among shallow bowls. Using a large spoon, break up salmon into pieces and arrange on top of rice, leaving skin behind. Top with cilantro leaves with tender stems, sliced cucumber, sliced avocado, and sliced radishes.
