Coconut Shrimp Curry

If I had to pick only one protein that I could eat for the rest of my life, it would be in the fish/seafood family.  And oh! how I do love shrimp!  And curry.  And anything with coconut milk.  Needless to say, I savored this dish.

And it's another quick and easy one.  I served it with some of that coconut rice I just made and stashed in the freezer, plus I found another bag of frozen coconut milk I had tucked away.  And, of course, I had shrimp in the freezer (I'm plowing my way through my freezer at a pretty good clip these days.....I actually have room to put more stuff in.....{just kidding, Sweetheart}).

I served this with steamed broccoli, but mango slices would also be good if you're wanting some sweetness.  Also, I had some leftover petite diced tomatoes with chipotle, so I left out the cayenne pepper and it still had enough heat for a little a bit of a bite, but not too hot for us.  Also, I cut this recipe in half and used a 12-oz package of 26/30 shrimp.

COCONUT SHRIMP CURRY (6'ish servings)

For the shrimp marinade:
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
1-2 pounds large or extra-large shrimp, peeled and deveined

For the sauce:
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1 medium red or yellow onion, finely chopped
1 tsp black pepper
1 Tbsp minced fresh garlic, from about a 1" piece of ginger
1 Tbsp kosher salt
2 tsp finely minced garlic
2 tsp ground corianer
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp curry powder
1 (14.5 oz) can diced or petite diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can coconut milk, light or regular
1/2-1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Hot cooked rice for serving, if desired

For the shrimp marinade, toss the shrimp with the S&P, cayenne, and lemon juice in a resealable large bag or in a bowl.  Refrigerate for 15-20 minutes (or hours if you want to do this step earlier).

Meanwhile, in a medium-sized pot, heat the oil over medium heat until rippling and hot.  Add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes.  Stir in the pepper, ginger, salt, garlic, coriander, turmeric, and curry powder.  Add the undrained tomatoes to the pot and cook, stirring and scraping up the browned bits from the bottom, for about 1 minute.

Increase the heat to medium-high and then simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring often.  Add the coconut milk, stirring to combine.  Bring the mixture to a boil and add the shrimp and marinade liquid.  Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until the shrimp are curled, slightly pink, and cooked through, about 2-4 minutes. Stir in the cilantro. Serve over hot, cooked rice, if desired.

Recipe Source:  www.melskitchencafe.com