Salmon & Eggplant Curry

From EatingWell: July/August 2009 — Subscribe Now!

Salmon and eggplant team up in this one-skillet curry flavored with coconut milk, basil and lime. We love the flavor of Thai yellow curry paste in this dish, but any type of curry paste can be used—be sure to taste as you go because curry blends vary in flavor and heat. If you don't have curry paste, curry powder works well here. Serve with fragrant brown rice, such as basmati or jasmine.

READER'S COMMENT:

"I am a huge fan of thai food, and curry is one of my favorite dishes. This recipe was absolutely great, the curry sauce was the perfect consistency, and the vegetables tasted great in combination with the salmon. Also, yellow curry suited...

4 servings, about 1 1/4 cups each

Active Time: 35 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Nutrition Profile

Ingredients

1 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Thai yellow curry paste, (see Shopping Tip) or 1 teaspoon curry powder, or to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium eggplant, (about 1 pound), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 14-ounce can “lite” coconut milk
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon fish sauce, (see Note)
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
1 pound skinned salmon fillet, preferably wild Pacific (see Note), cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups sugar snap peas, trimmed
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
3 tablespoons lime juice

Preparation

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add curry paste (or powder) and garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add eggplant and cook, stirring, until the eggplant is coated with the curry mixture, about 2 minutes.
Add coconut milk, fish sauce and brown sugar to the pan. Bring to a boil; stir in salmon and snow peas. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the salmon is cooked through and the peas are tender-crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Stir in basil and lime juice.

Tips & Notes

Shopping Tip: Yellow curry paste is an aromatic blend of Thai flavors that includes chiles, shallots, lemongrass, galangal, lime and turmeric. Look for it in jars or cans in the Asian section of the supermarket or Asian markets.
Ingredient Notes: Wild-caught salmon from the Pacific (Alaska and Washington) are more sustainably fished and have a larger, more stable population. For more information, visit Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch (mbayaq.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp).
Fish sauce is a pungent Southeast Asian condiment made from salted, fermented fish. Find it in the Asian section of large supermarkets and in Asian specialty markets. We use Thai Kitchen fish sauce, lower in sodium than other brands (1,190 mg per tablespoon), in our nutritional analyses.
Kitchen Tip: To skin a salmon fillet, place on a clean cutting board, skin side down. Starting at the tail end, slip the blade of a long, sharp knife between the fish flesh and the skin, holding the skin down firmly with your other hand. Gently push the blade along at a 30° angle, separating the fillet from the skin without cutting through either.

Nutrition

Per serving: 332 calories; 15 g fat (6 g sat, 4 g mono); 53 mg cholesterol; 21 g carbohydrates; 28 g protein; 6 g fiber; 676 mg sodium; 769 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (30% daily value), Potassium (20% dv), Vitamin A (19% dv), good source of omega-3s.

1 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 2 vegetable, 1/2 carbohydrate (other), 3 lean meat