Shrimp in Coconut Milk
This is another recipe I tried in France. It actually comes from the French colony of Martinique, an island in the Caribbean, which explains the coconut milk and banana combination. The coconut milk and curry are very mild and give just a hint of the Caribbean flavor. It’s scrumptious, easy to make, and a surprising change from your usual date food.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 2
Ingredients
Shrimp in coconut milk
Rice
Banana
Preparation
Step 1
To prepare the shrimp: Up to 3 hours before mealtime, place the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 4 minutes, until the shrimp begin to turn pink and curl up. Remove the shrimp from the pan, cool slightly, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.
Step 2
Peel the onion and dice into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces. Cut the tomatoes in quarters, remove and discard the seeds, and cut into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces. Peel the garlic and finely chop. Add the onion, tomato, and garlic to the pan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, for 15 minutes, or until the tomatoes are cooked down to a sauce. Add the chicken bouillon and water and cook for 5 minutes, or until the mixture just begins to boil. Remove from the heat to cool slightly, cover, and refrigerate in the pan until ready to use.
Step 3
To prepare the rice: Thirty minutes before mealtime, bring the water to a boil in a small saucepan and add the rice. Stir well, cover, and cook over low heat for 20 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes.
Step 4
To prepare the banana: Ten minutes before mealtime, place the olive oil in a small sauté pan over medium-high heat. Peel the bananas and cut in half widthwise and lengthwise. Place the pieces in the pan, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes on each side, or until browned.
Step 5
Meanwhile, place the sauté pan with the tomato mixture on the stove over medium-high heat and cook for 5 minutes, or until it begins to boil. Add the shrimp and curry powder and cook for 2 minutes, or until heated through. Season with salt and pepper, stir in the coconut milk, and remove from the heat.
Step 6
Place some of the rice in the center of each plate and top with some of the shrimp mixture. Arrange 4 of the banana pieces around the rice and serve immediately.
Bargain Shopper
Step 7
Unless you are able to get it directly from the fisherman, any shrimp you buy will have been frozen at some point. It doesn’t matter if you buy it frozen in bags or at the seafood counter because although the shrimp at the seafood counter may say fresh, it’s just thawed frozen shrimp. That’s fine if you are going to use it soon, but it can’t be frozen again or it will get freezer burned and tough. We generally prefer to buy raw shrimp and cook it ourselves because it is more tender. But, for something like shrimp quesadillas where the shrimp is cut up and mixed with cheese it doesn’t really affect the taste and it’s easier to used the cooked shrimp.
