Curry & Shrimp

Last night I took a recipe from a recent Penzey's catalog and reworked it a bit to make Coconut Curry Shrimp. The recipe had lots of promise, but I think we were thwarted by less than stellar ingredients. Sadly, without driving all over town, I didn't get the best quality shrimp for this dish.

All that being said, this could be a really good curry base for other main ingredients including chicken, lamb and/or vegetables.

Onions and butter with a blend of curry blends, little salt and some pepper.

Onions, curry, diced tomatoes, lemon juice, coconut milk. A great simmer sauce!

I was preparing to cook the shrimp and I was fascinated by the way the butter was melting in the pan.

Sauted shrimp. I seasoned the shrimp with another Penzey's spice blend-Balti Seasoning.

Stir the shrimp into the sauce and simmer for a minute or two. Serve with rice.

Coconut Curry Shrimp
adapted from Penzey's

For 2 large servings

1 lb shrimp, raw, peeled and deveined
1 TB Balti Seasoning
2 TB butter
1 small onion, finely diced
1 tsp, fresh grated ginger
2 garlic cloves, minced
2-3 TB Sweet Curry Powder
1 tsp Hot Curry Powder (optional)
1 tsp Garam Masala (optional)
1 TB fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 14 oz can, diced tomatoes, drained (reserve the juice)
1 14 oz can, coconut milk
salt/pepper to taste

1) Clean the shrimp and toss with the Balti Seasoning. Hold in the fridge until ready to cook.

2) In a large pan, saute onions over medium heat, in 2 TB of butter. When translucent, add the garlic & ginger. Cook until fragrant. Add curry powder(s) and Garam Masala. Saute for 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice, simmer for one minute. Add the tomatoes. Stir to incorporate, simmer for 5 minutes.

3) Add the coconut milk and bring to a low simmer. Taste and adjust seasoning.

4) Time to cook the shrimps. In a pan over medium high heat, quickly cook shrimp with oil or butter. Cook for up to 2 minutes per side. If the shrimp are not completely cooked through, it's ok, they will continue to cook in the simmer sauce.

5) Serve hot and over rice.

Grilled Shrimp

A few weekends ago (2?) we went to Lord & Lady B's for a gathering with some friends. We had a great time and great food. Lord & Lady B served some grilled shrimp that were really great. A recipe that came from Lady B's Uncle Jay*.

*which might be a Williams Sonoma recipe?

Here's the recipes:

3 TB olive oil
2 TB tomato paste
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined

* Mix all of the ingredients in a large bowl. A whisk helps to blend the ingredients quickly.
* Add the shrimp and mix until the shrimp are completely coated.
* Put a covering on the bowl and refrigerate for about an hour before you intend to grill.
* Thread the shrimp on skewers. If you use wooden skewers, soak them in water first so that they do not burn.
* Grill 6-10 minutes turning two - three times or until the shrimp are pink all over.

Saveur Shrimp

A few weeks ago I received the March issue of Saveur in the mail. The cover story was all about shrimp. I didn't read it. But I was shocked and excited to see a recipe and full page photo of Barbecued Shrimp...a dish that J-lo ordered when we went to dinner for his birthday at Acadiana and he loved and we all were completely impressed by. The dish was supposedly one of the top 25 dishes served in the United States in something like 2005...it was really good.

Well, here's a recipe that looked and sounded almost exactly like the Acadiana dish. So, we had to try it and tonight was the night.

But first...note to self...when you read a recipe and plan to make it...check to make sure you have everything...and enough of it! I had everything, but not enough of two ingredients...it's ok...but I would have liked to try it by following the recipe completely.


Barbecue Shrimp
serves 4

16 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined (tails on if you want) (1-1 1/2 lbs)
2 TB Creole/cajun seasoning
1/4 cup canola oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 TB finely chopped rosemary
1/2 cup amber beer
6 TB hot sauce
6 TB worcestershire suace
5 TB fresh lemon juice
12 TB butter
Crusty Bread!

All ingredients ready! It goes fast.

1) Heat a large skillet over medium heat until hot. Meanwhile, put the shrimp and cajun seasoning into a bowl; toss to coat. Set aside.

Shrimp chilling.

2) Add oil and garlic to skillet and cook until golden, about 1 minute. Add rosemary and cook for 2-3 seconds. Add shrimp and cook, flipping once, until it starts to turn pink, about 30 seconds.

Shrimp, garlic and rosemary.

3) Transfer shrimp to a large plate; set aside. Add beer, hot sauce, worcestershire and lemon juice in skillet; stir well. Cook, stirring, until thickened, 7-8 minutes.

Transferred shrimp.

4) Remove skillet from heat; whisk butter a few pieces at a time (sauce will start to thicken). Return shrimp to skillet; toss to coat. Return skillet to medium heat and cook until shrimp are cooked through, 2-3 minutes. Transfer shrimp and sauce to plates. Serve with chunks of crusty bread for dipping!

Shrimp and sauce, plus bread for dipping. Served with boiled potatoes with butter and parsley.

This was great! As I only tried a bite of shrimp at Acadiana, I think this was pretty close. Jason thinks it was pretty close as well, not completely, but close!

So what didn't I have enough of...I only had about 1 TB of chopped rosemary...the pack I bought just didn't have much in it. I also only had 2 TB of worcestershire sauce. Other adjustments I made, I went with 2/3rds cup of beer and only 8 TB of butter, instead of 12 TB! Really great as I made it...next time I'm going to try to get more rosemary and worcestershire. Oh, and I only did 4 TB of hot sauce.