Baked Salmon with Creamy Coconut Ginger Sauce

July 28, 2022

baked salmon on top of rice on a plate with coconut ginger sauce on top

This recipe for Baked Salmon with Creamy Coconut Ginger Sauce is a reader favorite. It’s a delicious way to prepare salmon fillets!

baked salmon on top of rice on a plate with coconut ginger sauce on top

I created this recipe many years ago when I was hosting a lot of dinner parties in my old neighborhood. There were 16 of us in a gourmet dinner group, and we took turns hosting themed dinners once a month. This baked salmon with creamy coconut ginger sauce was the main dish served at my Seafood Extravaganza Dinner Party. The dinner was a big hit, but this salmon was definitely the favorite. We tend to make it quite often. And I featured it in my cookbook too: The Recipe Girl Cookbook.

What readers are saying:

  • Jamie says: Don’t usually comment, but this was fantastic! My hubby said this was his favorite way of having salmon and we eat a good amount of salmon in our house. The sauce was so good, I could have licked it off my plate!
  • Libbie says: This is my go-to salmon recipe and every time I make it, people ask for the recipe.
  • Jeniece says: Delicious and easy! The flavors were very different and it was a nice change. I substituted sriracha for the sambal oelek but it still had a hint of spice without being spicy.

ingredients displayed for making baked salmon with creamy coconut ginger sauce

Ingredients needed:

  • salmon fillets
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • salted butter
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • canned coconut milk 
  • chili paste
  • fresh ginger
  • lime
  • fish sauce
  • brown sugar
  • chives, for garnish (optional)

baked salmon fillets in a baking dish

How to make Baked Salmon with Creamy Coconut Ginger Sauce:

The complete, printable recipe is at the end of this post.

The first step is getting the salmon into the oven. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 9×13-inch glass baking dish with nonstick spray. Place the salmon fillets in the prepared dish, leaving space between each fillet. Drizzle oil on top of the fillets. Top each fillet with a piece of butter. Sprinkle the salmon generously with salt and pepper. Bake for 13 to 16 minutes, or until the salmon is cooked through and flakes apart easily. Cook time will depend entirely on how thick your salmon fillets are.

creamy coconut ginger sauce in a saucepan

How to make Coconut Ginger Sauce:

While the salmon is baking, prepare the sauce. In a medium saucepan, mix the sauce ingredients together and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer (stirring often) until the sauce has thickened slightly. Remove from heat.

spooning coconut ginger sauce onto baked salmon

Serve the baked salmon with the coconut ginger sauce drizzled on top. Enjoy!

baked salmon on top of rice on a plate

Recipe Notes:

  1. Don’t use light coconut milk. Your sauce will turn out too thin. You want it to be a little bit thickened.
  2. The easiest way to grate fresh ginger is to freeze it. Peel it first, then place it in a little zip baggie in the freezer. Grate it while frozen, and the stringy texture of the ginger won’t cause any problems. Then you can put the ginger back into the freezer and use the rest of it another time.
  3. Chili paste can be found in the Asian products section of your market. I use “Sambal Oelek.” Ask your grocery manager if you cannot find it!

fork into salmon

The Best Salmon Recipes:

baked salmon on top of rice on a plate with coconut ginger sauce on top
Print

Baked Salmon with Creamy Coconut Ginger Sauce

This salmon turns out oh-so-tender, the sauce is delicious, and it's wonderful served over Coconut-Ginger Rice.
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Keyword baked salmon, coconut, salmon
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Total Time 33 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Calories 450kcal

Ingredients

SALMON:

  • Six 6-ounce portions skinless salmon fillets
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon chilled salted butter, cut into 6 pieces
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

COCONUT GINGER SAUCE:

  • cups canned coconut milk (don't use light)
  • teaspoons chili paste
  • teaspoons grated fresh ginger
  • 3 teaspoons freshly squeezed lime juice
  • teaspoons fish sauce
  • 1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar
  • chopped chives for garnish (optional)

Instructions

PREPARE THE SALMON:

  • Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a 9x13-inch glass baking dish with nonstick spray.
  • Place the salmon fillets in the prepared dish, leaving space between each fillet. Drizzle oil on top of the fillets. Top each fillet with a piece of butter. Sprinkle the salmon generously with salt and pepper. Bake 13 to 16 minutes, or until the salmon is cooked through and flakes apart easily. Cook time will be dependent upon how thick your fillets are.

MAKE THE COCONUT GINGER SAUCE:

  • While the salmon is baking, in a medium saucepan, mix the sauce ingredients together and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer (stirring often) until the sauce has thickened slightly. Remove from heat.
  • Serve the salmon with sauce drizzled on top. Add chives on top, if desired.

Notes

  • Chili paste can be found in the Asian products section of your market. I use "Sambal Oelek." Ask your grocery manager if you cannot find it!

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 450kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 32g | Saturated Fat: 16g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 99mg | Sodium: 412mg | Potassium: 1009mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 130IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 2mg

salmon fillet over rice topped with coconut ginger sauce

The post Baked Salmon with Creamy Coconut Ginger Sauce appeared first on Recipe Girl®.

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