Coconut–Lemon Grass Shrimp

Ingredientes

1 cup coconut milk

½ cup unsalted, roasted macadamia nuts

3 stalks lemon grass, trimmed to the lower 6 inches, dry outer layers discarded, roughly chopped

2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and cut into 3 pieces

1 tablespoon ground turmeric

1 teaspoon packed light brown sugar

1½ pounds extra-large shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed and reserved, patted dry

Kosher salt and ground white pepper

2 tablespoons coconut oil (preferably unrefined), divided

2 Fresno chilies, stemmed, halved, seeded and sliced into thin half rings

2 teaspoons grated lime zest, plus 2 tablespoons lime juice

Instruções

In a blender, combine the coconut milk, 1 cup water, macadamia nuts, lemon grass, ginger, turmeric and sugar. Blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Set aside.

Season the shrimp with salt and pepper. In a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high, heat 1 tablespoon of the coconut oil until barely smoking. Add half the shrimp in a single layer; cook without stirring until golden on the bottom, about 45 seconds. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat with 2 teaspoons of the remaining oil and the remaining shrimp. Set the shrimp aside; do not wipe out the skillet.

Add the chilies to the skillet and cook, stirring, until beginning to brown and soften, about 1 minute. Transfer to the bowl with the shrimp and stir.

Add the remaining 1 teaspoon coconut oil to the skillet and heat over medium-high until barely smoking. Add the shrimp tails and cook, stirring, until pink and beginning to blister, about 1 minute. Off heat, stir in the coconut milk mixture. Bring to a simmer over medium and cook, stirring constantly to prevent sputtering, until beginning to thicken, 3 to 5 minutes.

Set a fine mesh strainer over a medium bowl. Pour the mixture through it and press firmly on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible; you should have about 1½ cups. Discard the solids and return the liquid to the skillet. Bring to a simmer over medium. Pour in any accumulated shrimp juices (do not add the shrimp) and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has thickened and a silicone spatula leaves a trail when drawn through the sauce, about 5 minutes.

Reduce to low, stir in the shrimp and chilies, then cover and cook until the shrimp are opaque, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in the lime zest and juice, then taste and season with salt and pepper

Notas

Don’t fully cook the shrimp when searing them. They finish cooking in the sauce.

This quick shrimp curry draws inspiration from a dish from Singapore’s Candlenut restaurant. Lemon grass, turmeric and ginger are pureed with coconut milk for a sauce that is flavorful but not heavy. You can buy peeled shrimp, but make sure they have the tails attached; they are used to infuse the sauce. We preferred unrefined coconut oil because of its pronounced coconut flavor, but refined worked well, too. Fresno chilies are fresh red chilies with mild heat; if you can’t find them, substitute fresh cherry peppers. Steamed rice makes a good accompaniment; for a quick and easy flavor boost, make the rice with half coconut milk, half water.