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Cooking With Anadi
12K subscribers · salmon in creamy coconut milk with soft squash and eggplant
Comment below if you’ve ever had Filipino food!
To be honest this dish is my first venture into it. I was invited for a YouTube collaboration (btw subscribe to my channel if you haven’t already and hit the bell button to get notifications when my video recipes go live!) with some very talented YouTube cooks and friends to prepare a Filipino dish, and I was totally in! When I was researching what to make, there were plenty of delicious options, however, I was totally driven to this fantastic dish! I was sold at the coconut sauce and salmon!
It was such an awesome experience to make this dish, and the finished product totally impressed me! I’d love to make more Filipino food for sure! As I give more details in my 5 Tips To Make Cooking Fun! free guide, trying a new cuisine is an excellent way to get inspired and get you motivated to get cooking! If you’re bored of the regular menu plan, then take out your map and find a region where you’ve never tried food from, and do some research! I’m sure you’ll find something that looks super mouthwatering for you, and you’ll open your eyes to a whole new culinary world! Be sure to sign up to my newsletter to receive your free guide so you can learn about all my motivational cooking tips, and you’ll get a one-month cooking challenge, that involves exploring a new cuisine! Tag me on tag me on Instagram so I can see what unknown cuisine you tried out and I’ll shout out your wonderful creation! Let’s get cooking!
What is Ginataang Salmon?▼
Ginataang salmon is a Filipino salmon recipe that translates to salmon in coconut milk. From my research, salmon is pan-fried and paired with an assortment of veggies, typically a leafy green vegetable and a type of squash. You can switch up the greens and squashes depending on your preferences. You can bake the veggies or pan-fry them. The dish is very simply seasoned with salt and pepper, but don’t let that fool you! I read over recipes multiple times and thought to myself “wow, really?” but the salmon itself is extremely delicious, and you’ll love the coconut milk sauce! This salmon dish is very quick to make and it’s extremely healthy! Serve with basmati rice for a wholesome weeknight dinner. I guarantee you’ll want to make this again!
To be honest with you this probably isn’t a very authentic recipe, but I took the inspiration of elements I’ve seen from different versions of the dish and kept the essence of the salmon in coconut milk to make my own interpretation of the dish. If you love the classic recipe perhaps you’ll really enjoy my take on it to switch things up!
Tools Needed
Ingredients for This Salmon Filipino Recipe
Let’s see the ingredients that are needed for our Filipino salmon! Check out the bottom of this post for the FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD for all ingredients and their quantities! You can save the recipe for later, and the recipe card will help you scale the recipe based on how many portions you want to make - all ingredient quantities are automatically adjusted for you!
- Salmon: I used skin-on, wild-caught, Pacific salmon. You’ll have a better quality and tastier fish if you use wild-caught fish instead of farmed.
- Onions: Chopped.
- Green chilies: Finely chopped.
- Garlic: Minced.
- Coconut milk: I used full-fat coconut milk. You could use low-fat coconut milk, but you won’t get the same flavor and texture as you do with full fat.
- Squash: You can use your favorite squash. I’m using butternut squash, but other options include
- Fish sauce: You can use vinegar if you don’t have fish sauce, but I like the flavor that comes from fish sauce. You only need a little bit.
- Apple cider vinegar
- Eggplant: Adds a little bit more body to our dish, and it’s cooked with our butternut squash.
- Spinach: You can use any leafy green you’d like, but I went for spinach here. It’ll be added at the end with the coconut sauce.
- Olive oil: To cook the veggies and the salmon.
- Salt and pepper:To taste!
How to Make This Easy Ginataang Salmon Recipe
Heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil on medium heat and once hot, add the diced squash and eggplant. Toss well to coat in oil and season with salt and pepper.
Cook the veggies until they have a light sear and have become soft. To help speed up the process, you can add a splash of water and cover the pan with a lid to let the steam cook the veggies.
Set the veggies aside to serve later.
In the same pan, add 1 tsp olive oil. Once hot, add the chopped onions, garlic and chilies. Saute the onions until they have softened.
Add the coconut milk, fish sauce and vinegar. Mix well and bring to a simmer. Reduce the sauce until it has thickened slightly and season with salt to taste.
Once the sauce has thickened, add spinach and cook until the spinach has wilted.
While the sauce is cooking, prepare the salmon by using a sharp knife and descaling the skin side of the salmon. Then cut 2-3 slits on the skin side, about 1/2 inch deep with a sharp knife.
Heat a non stick pan and once hot add 2 Tbsp of the olive oil. Season the salmon on each side with salt and then add to the pan skin side down.
Cook the salmon skin side down 90% of the time, you can see color change along the side of the fillet.
When the skin has a light golden brown color and is crispy and the fish is done cooking about 80-90% all the way, flip the fish carefully and cook the top side of the fish for 30 seconds to a minute. Then flip the fish back on the skin side, turn off the heat and leave the fish on the pan while you finish preparing the rest of the dish.
To serve, add a bed of rice on a plate, top with salmon, skin side up. Scatter the veggies around the plate and then finish with a few spoonfuls of sauce. Enjoy!
Tips for a Fantastic Filipino Coconut Salmon
- Taste and adjust seasoning of the veggies and sauce frequently.
- Add a splash of water to cook veggies in steam and speed up the cooking process.
- A sharp knife is needed to effectively descale the salmon and cut through the skin to make the slits.
- Cook the salmon skin side down 90% of the time for a great crispy skin and flavorful salmon.
What Is Ginataang Salmon?
"Ginataan" simply means cooked in coconut milk, and it describes a whole family of dishes in Filipino cuisine rather than one recipe — vegetables, shellfish, chicken and fish all get the treatment. This version pairs a crisp-skinned salmon fillet with a coconut sauce built in the same pan: onion, garlic and green chili softened in oil, then coconut milk, fish sauce and a splash of apple cider vinegar simmered down until it thickens. That salty-sour-creamy balance is the signature of the style, and the squash, eggplant and spinach round it into a full plate.
Tips for the Silkiest Coconut Sauce
- Keep the sauce at a gentle simmer. Coconut milk splits into oil and curds at a hard boil, and once it separates you cannot bring it back.
- Stir as it reduces so the mixture thickens evenly rather than catching on the bottom of the pan.
- Season with salt only at the end. Fish sauce is already salty and the sauce concentrates as it reduces.
- Add the spinach last and cook it just until it wilts — it only needs a minute in the hot sauce.
- Cook the salmon skin side down for about 90 percent of the total time. That is what gives you shatteringly crisp skin, and the flip at the end is only 30 seconds to a minute.
Easy Substitutes and Variations
A few ways to adapt it to what you have:
- Swap the coconut milk for coconut cream if you want a noticeably richer, thicker sauce.
- A little grated fresh ginger with the garlic and onion is a common addition and gives the sauce a warmer edge.
- This works with other fish too — ginataang tilapia is the classic everyday version, and prawns are excellent in the same sauce.
- Kabocha squash, long beans or okra all sit comfortably in place of, or alongside, the squash and eggplant.
- Add more green chilies, or a good grind of black pepper, if you want more heat.
How to Serve Ginataang Salmon
Build it on the serving plate rather than tossing everything together. Start with a bed of steamed white rice, set the salmon on top skin side up so the skin stays crisp, scatter the seared squash and eggplant around the plate, then spoon the coconut sauce and wilted spinach over and around the rice. The rice is not optional here — it is what catches the sauce.
Loved This Salmon Curry? Try Out These Salmon Recipes!
Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cooking.with.anadi. Thank you!
Recipe by Anadi Misra
Ginataang Salmon is a rich, creamy Filipino dish simmered in coconut milk. Ready in under 30 minutes, it makes the perfect comforting lunch or dinner the whole family will love.
Stovetop
Rate this recipe ✦
15 min
Prep
30 min
Cook
45 min
Total
2
servings
medium
Level
Ingredients
Ingredients
Tap any quantity to scale
- salmon fillet(skin-on)
- (260 g) squash(diced 1/2 inch thick)
- eggplant(diced 1/2 inch thick)
- (60 g) spinach
- medium onion
- green chilies(chopped)
- coconut milkShop →
- (45 ml) olive oilShop →
- garlic
- (5 ml) fish sauceShop →
- (5 ml) apple cider vinegarShop →
- salt(to taste)Shop →
- pepper(to taste)Shop →
- rice(to serve)Shop →
Instructions
- 1
Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil on medium heat and once hot, add the diced squash and eggplant. Toss well to coat in oil and season with salt and pepper.
Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil on medium heat and once hot, add the diced squash and eggplant. Toss well to coat in oil and season with salt and pepper.
- 2
Cook the veggies until they have a light sear and have become soft. To help speed up the process, you can add a splash of water and cover the pan with a lid to let the steam cook the veggies.
Cook the veggies until they have a light sear and have become soft. To help speed up the process, you can add a splash of water and cover the pan with a lid to let the steam cook the veggies.
- 3
Set the veggies aside to serve later.
Set the veggies aside to serve later.
- 4
In the same pan, add 1 tsp olive oil. Once hot, add the chopped onions, garlic and chilies. Saute the onions until they have softened.
In the same pan, add 1 tsp olive oil. Once hot, add the chopped onions, garlic and chilies. Saute the onions until they have softened.
- 5
Add the coconut milk, fish sauce and vinegar. Mix well and bring to a simmer. Reduce the sauce until it has thickened slightly and season with salt to taste.
Add the coconut milk, fish sauce and vinegar. Mix well and bring to a simmer. Reduce the sauce until it has thickened slightly and season with salt to taste.
- 6
Once the sauce has thickened, add spinach and cook until the spinach has wilted.
Once the sauce has thickened, add spinach and cook until the spinach has wilted.
- 7
While the sauce is cooking, prepare the salmon by using a sharp knife and descale the skin side of the salmon. Then cut 2-3 slits on the skin side, about 1/2 inch deep with a sharp knife.
While the sauce is cooking, prepare the salmon by using a sharp knife and descale the skin side of the salmon. Then cut 2-3 slits on the skin side, about 1/2 inch deep with a sharp knife.
- 8
Heat a non stick pan and once hot add 2 tbsp of the olive oil. Season the salmon on each side with salt and then add to the pan skin side down.
Heat a non stick pan and once hot add 2 tbsp of the olive oil. Season the salmon on each side with salt and then add to the pan skin side down.
- 9
Cook the salmon skin side down until 90% cooked, you can see color change along the side of the fillet.
Cook the salmon skin side down until 90% cooked, you can see color change along the side of the fillet.
- 10
When the skin has a light golden brown color and is crispy and the fish is done cooking about 80-90% all the way, flip the fish carefully and cook the top side of the fish for 30 seconds to a minute. Then flip the fish back on the skin side, turn off the heat and leave the fish on the pan while you finish preparing the rest of the dish.
When the skin has a light golden brown color and is crispy and the fish is done cooking about 80-90% all the way, flip the fish carefully and cook the top side of the fish for 30 seconds to a minute. Then flip the fish back on the skin side, turn off the heat and leave the fish on the pan while you finish preparing the rest of the dish.
- 11
To serve, add a bed of rice on a plate, top with salmon, skin side up. Scatter the veggies around the plate and then finish with a few spoonfuls of sauce. Enjoy!
To serve, add a bed of rice on a plate, top with salmon, skin side up. Scatter the veggies around the plate and then finish with a few spoonfuls of sauce. Enjoy!
Did you make this recipe? Tag @cooking.with.anadi on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingwithanadi
Tested & written in Anadi’s kitchen
Recipe history
- April 16, 2026 — Reworked and refreshed for the 2026 relaunch — new photography, restructured and standardized ingredients & instructions.
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