Quick Thai-style tomato soup with roasted salmon (bright, warm, quietly comforting)

This is the kind of soup I end up making when I want something warm but not heavy. It’s tomato-based, but the coconut milk softens it, and the lime pulls everything back so it doesn’t feel flat. The salmon goes in at the end, so it stays tender instead of disappearing into the broth.

It’s simple, but it doesn’t taste like a shortcut.

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Ingredients

• 350 g salmon fillet, skinless
• 1 tbsp neutral oil
• 1 small red onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely chopped
• 400 g canned chopped tomatoes
• 500 ml vegetable stock
• 120 ml coconut milk
• 1 tbsp fish sauce
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• Zest and juice of 1 lime
• 1 small red chili, sliced (optional)
• Salt
• Fresh cilantro leaves

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 200°C. Rub the salmon lightly with a bit of the oil and a pinch of salt, then place it on a tray. Roast until just cooked through — usually around 10–12 minutes depending on thickness. It should flake easily but still look moist inside. If you leave it too long, it dries out quickly, so it’s worth checking a bit early.
2. While that’s in the oven, start the soup. Heat the remaining oil in a pot over medium heat and add the chopped onion. Let it cook slowly until soft and translucent — not browned. This step builds the base, so it’s better to give it an extra minute than rush it.
3. Add the garlic and ginger and stir for a short moment, just until fragrant. If the heat is too high here, they can catch and turn slightly bitter, so keep it gentle.
4. Pour in the tomatoes and stock, bring it to a simmer, and let it bubble for a few minutes. It should smell a bit sharper at first, then mellow slightly as it cooks.
5. Lower the heat and stir in the coconut milk. Then add the fish sauce, sugar, lime zest, and lime juice. Taste it now — it should feel balanced between fresh, slightly sweet, and savory. If it leans too acidic, a tiny bit more sugar helps; if it feels flat, it usually needs a touch more fish sauce rather than salt.
6. Once the salmon is ready, break it into large chunks — not too small, or it gets lost in the soup. Slide it gently into the pot right before serving. You don’t really want to cook it further, just warm it through.
7. Finish with chili if you like a bit of heat and scatter fresh cilantro over the top.
8. (One time I added the salmon too early and let it simmer — it fell apart completely and made the soup cloudy. Still tasted good, just not the same. Adding it at the end keeps everything cleaner.)

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Written by Agnes
Hi, I’m Agnes — the creator of Quick Easy Home Recipes. I share simple, everyday recipes that actually work in real life.
No overcomplicating, no unnecessary steps — just good food made with basic ingredients. My goal is to make cooking easier, quicker, and more enjoyable.
If you enjoy simple recipes like this, you’ll feel right at home here.

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