Weeknight Dinnersaver: The Culinary Tribune's One Pot Salmon Coconut Curry Pasta

Weeknight Dinnersaver: The Culinary Tribune’s One Pot Salmon Coconut Curry Pasta

One Pot Salmon Coconut Curry Pasta

What could be easier than putting all the ingredients into one pot, bringing it to a boil, and simmering for a little over 15 minutes?

As many of you know, I love one pot wonders for busy weeknights, which I fondly call weeknight dinner savers. Whether it means I can use my slow cooker, extra wide skillet, or big dutch oven, the ability to put everything into one pot and get dinner on the table fast has saved me many times. You can imagine how excited I was when I saw a collection of “one pot wonder” recipes online. My trainer Zakiah has been encouraging me to eat more fish, so eager to eat salmon once a week, my eyes lit up when I saw this one. Everything about it appealed to me, particularly the idea that I could toss raw, dry, and fresh ingredients into one pot without sautéing or extra steps, and dinner would be on the table in 30 min. When I told my friend Ramon about it, he described it as “dump and cook” which really does sum up this approach. Moreover, The Culinary Tribune‘s gorgeous photos made this a no-brainer, I had to make it.

The Culinary Tribune's One Pot Wonder Salmon Coconut Curry (Photo Source: culinary tribune.com)

A recipe that is fast, easy and beautiful? Yes, indeed, thanks to The Culinary Tribune. This is a no-brainer on a busy weeknight (or any other night for that matter) (Photo Source: culinarytribune.com)

I must admit that as I was putting uncooked linguine, raw salmon, coconut milk, and raw veggies into this pot, I did wonder “Will this actually work?” — likely from years of starting any dish by heating olive oil or canola oil and then gradually adding layers of ingredients. I warned Sean that there was a 50-50 chance we’d like it. As soon as it finished simmering, I dipped a small spoon into the pot and took a taste. I smiled. In just over 15 minutes a rich and creamy salmon broth had developed, thanks to the fresh wild king salmon fillets, with the right amount of sweetness from the coconut milk and heat from the Thai curry paste. I made a few tiny changes, namely I doubled the amount of salmon to get 4 full servings, and the amount of curry paste you use depends on the brand you buy — Thai Kitchen’s Thai Curry Paste packs a lot of heat, so I only used 1 tablespoon (the originally recipe calls for 2-3 tablespoons). It’s best to eat it right away, because after simmering, the salmon and noodles are perfectly cooked, if you let it sit too long, the salmon will lose its moist, luscious texture, the pasta will overcook and the whole thing will become mushy. Bottom line is if you’re ever in a pinch, you should definitely make this — I guarantee that you will love it.

The Culinary Tribune’s One Pot Wonder Salmon Coconut Curry Pasta (slightly adapted)

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 12 ounces linguine
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 can coconut milk
  • 2 vegetable stock cubes
  • 5-6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • 1 red onion, finely chopped
  • 1 large red pepper, cored and sliced
  • 15 grape tomatoes cut in half
  • 2 lb salmon fillets
  • 1 tablespoon Thai curry paste
  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • A bunch of cilantro
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation

  1. Place all ingredients in a pot.
  2. Cover the pot and bring to a boil.
  3. Reduce to a low simmer and keep covered and cook for about 17 minutes, stirring a few times.
  4. Cook until pasta is al dente. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
One Pot Salmon Coconut Curry Pasta

For some reason, any time I see a dish of curried noodles I want to dip my fork right into it — for me, there is nothing more satisfying