1.     Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.

2.     Add the oil to a large, oven-safe pan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, onions, bell pepper, and sliced carrots. Season to taste with salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until all of the veggies have softened – about 6 to 8 minutes.

3.     Meanwhile create your curry paste: In a blender, add the cilantro, basil, garlic, ginger, jalapeno, and scallions. Add 2 TBSP of oil to the blender (again you can use any you like here – even olive oil – but I go with liquefied coconut, typically), and begin to blend it all up into a paste, adding more oil as needed to get things going. You don’t necessarily want to create a thin sauce here, just a thick paste. Like a thick pesto of sorts. So stop adding oil once everything is well combined and worked into a homogenous paste.

4.     Add this curry paste into the pan with the veggies and stir to combine everything. Add the coconut milk, 1 cup water (plus more, if you need to) fish sauce, sugar, and soy sauce (to taste).

5.     Season the salmon on all sides with salt and pepper, and slide the fillets into the pan, nestling them amongst the coconut milk and veggies. Put the pan in the oven, uncovered, and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, or just until the salmon is cooked through. The fish will continue to cook in the sauce after you remove it from the oven, so I always take it out a little early. Lastly, if the sauce has thickened too much (it happens), simply add a bit of water and stir to loosen it up again.

6.     Serve right away over jasmine rice, cauliflower rice, or rice noodles – or straight out of the pan. Keep extra soy sauce, cilantro and (if you dare) fresh or pickled jalapeño slices close by for serving/garnish.