Thai-Style Stir Fry With Salmon and Chili-Basil Sauce
August 8th, 2024A Spicy, Herby Salmon Stir Fry
This recipe is inspired by a Thai dish called Pad Kra Pow. It's spicy, deeply savory, and lightly sweet, with an herbaceous punch of flavor from the addition of Thai basil.
Make sure to prep all of your vegetables before you start cooking because this stir fry comes together very quickly — the ground sockeye salmon, for instance, cooks in minutes.
Substitutions for Thai-Style Stir Fry With Salmon and Chili-Basil Sauce
Depending on what type of ingredients you have access to, there are a few substitutions that you can make to this Thai-inspired stir fry. The dish won't be the same and far from traditional, but still delicious.
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Fresh chili pepper: This dish is meant to pack some serious heat, so it calls for bird’s eye chili peppers — a typical pepper to use in Thai cuisine. However, feel free to use less chili if you don't like things too spicy. Serrano peppers can be used in place of bird’s eye chilis if desired.
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Soy sauce: Dark soy sauce has a richer flavor than the “regular” soy sauce that you can find at most non-specialty grocery stores. It’s an easy ingredient to find at markets that specialize in Asian ingredients, but if needed you can substitute any soy sauce you have available. For gluten-free diets, opt for a gluten-free soy sauce or tamari.
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Basil: Thai basil has a darker, more slender and pointy leaf than the basil that you’d use in Mediterranean dishes. Its flavor is a bit more complementary to a dish like this salmon stir fry. However, any variety of fresh basil can be used.
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Fish sauce: Fish sauce is made from fermented fish. It adds a distinctive, umami-rich flavor that’s just a little pungent — a little goes a long way in most dishes. It’s also a key ingredient in a classic Vietnamese sauce called nuoc cham. If you don’t have fish sauce in your pantry, you can substitute Worcestershire sauce, or simply omit.
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Salmon: For this stir fry, Ground Sockeye Salmon is a great protein option. It’s lean, flavorful, and cooks quickly in a stir fried dish. If you don’t have Ground Sockeye Salmon, try flaking in a cooked fillet of salmon to warm through just before serving.
Thai-Style Stir Fry With Salmon and Chili-Basil Sauce
By Wild Alaskan Company
Prep time
10 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Total time
30 minutes
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
- FOR THE STIR FRY AND ASSEMBLY
- 1 (12 oz.) package Ground Sockeye Salmon
- High-heat cooking oil
- 4 large eggs
- 1 large shallot, diced (about ½ cup)
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced (about 2 cups)
- 4 ounces green beans, cut into 2” pieces
- 2 cups basil leaves, preferably Thai basil
- Cooked jasmine rice, for serving
- FOR THE CHILI PASTE
- 2 to 5 fresh bird’s eye or serrano chilis (more or less to taste)
- 5 garlic cloves
- FOR THE SAUCE
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce, regular soy sauce, or tamari
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon water
Instructions
1. Make chili paste: Finely chop or crush chilis and garlic in a mortar and pestle into a coarse paste.
2. Make the sauce: Whisk oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, granulated sugar, fish sauce and water in a small bowl to combine. Set aside.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wok or large skillet over medium heat. Crack 2 eggs into the skillet. Cover and fry until the whites are set and golden brown around the edges, 2 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate and repeat with the remaining two eggs, adding more oil if needed.
4. Increase heat to medium high. Add chili paste and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add shallot, red bell pepper and green beans to the pan and cook, tossing constantly until the green beans are almost cooked through and tender, 2 minutes.
5. Move veggies to one side of the pan. Add 1 tablespoon oil to the empty side of the pan and add ground salmon, pressing into an even layer. Cook undisturbed until starting to brown on one side, 3 minutes.
6. Pour sauce into the pan and cook, mixing constantly until the salmon is broken up and the sauce coats everything. Turn off heat and add the basil, tossing until the basil has wilted, 1 to 2 minutes.
7. Serve stir fry over rice, topped with a fried egg.
Consuming raw or undercooked meats, poultry, seafood, shellfish, or eggs may increase your risk of food-borne illness, especially if you have a certain medical condition. The FDA recommends an internal temperature of 145°F for cooked fish.
