Thai Shrimp Curry

If you've been reading my blog for long, then it's no secret that I love Thai food. Thai is one of my favorite cuisines. When I found this recipe for Thai Halibut-Shrimp Curry in the April edition of Bon Appetit magazine, I knew the dish would make it's way onto our meal plan (Although I have failed to post our weekly meal plan lately it is STILL alive and well!) sooner rather than later. This recipe combines all of those Thai flavors that I love; the coconut milk, the curry spices, the lime, basil, and cilantro. I was certainly not disappointed!

Here's how this recipe made it's way from the glossy pages of Bon Appetit to our kitchen table:

First order of business: the limes. First I grated the peel with my newest favorite kitchen tool, the Microplane grater. In my opinion, there is no better grater. It's super sharp, plows through citrus, nuts, and ginger in no time flat, and comes with it's own adjustable "kick-stand" for easy grating.

Then I cut the limes in half and used my juicer to extract the tart juice.

Finally, I cut one last lime into wedges for a garnish.

Next up, I employed the Microplane Grater again to prepare the ginger. Tip: keep whole pieces of ginger in the freezer for effortless grating.

Here's one of my favorite features about the Microplane Grater: the food can be pressed into place with this handy guard. Grate without fear! Your fingers WILL be safe!

The Microplane Grater turned the chunk of ginger into this finely grated heap in just seconds!

Next, I cut a sweet red pepper in half and then chopped it.

Add the red pepper, some chopped shallots, and the ginger to a skillet prepared with oil and heated over medium-high heat. Saute until the shallots are tender and the peppers soften.

While the veggies sauteed, I gathered the sauce ingredients: coconut milk, red curry paste, and fish sauce.

Add them to the vegetables with the lime juice and peel. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes.

Add a pound of shrimp to the sauce. Cook until they are pink and opaque. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Stir in the fresh herbs: basil and cilantro.

Serve over steamed jasmine rice and garnish with limes.

Enjoy!

Thai Shrimp Curry adapted from Thai Shrimp-Halibut Curry from Bon Appetit Magazine (original recipe HERE)
4 servings
PREP: 50 minutes TOTAL: 50 minutes
Ingredients
3 large limes
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup chopped shallots
1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1/2- to 3/4-inch dice
1 1/2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
2 1/2 teaspoons Thai red curry paste (such as Thai Kitchen brand)
1 13 1/2- to 14-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk
1 tablespoon fish sauce (such as nam pla or nuoc nam)
1 lb. peeled deveined uncooked medium shrimp
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
Preparation
Finely grate enough peel from 2 limes to measure 11/2 teaspoons. Squeeze enough juice from 2 limes to measure 2 tablespoons. Cut third lime into wedges.
Heat vegetable oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add chopped shallots, diced red bell pepper, and minced ginger; sauté until shallots are tender and peppers soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in curry paste, coconut milk, fish sauce, 11/2 teaspoons lime peel, and 2 tablespoons lime juice. Simmer gently, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle fish and shrimp with salt and pepper. Add fish and shrimp to curry sauce. Return to very gentle simmer and cook just until fish and shrimp are opaque in center, 5 to 6 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Gently stir in cilantro and basil; serve with lime wedges.

Nutritional Information
One serving contains:
Calories (kcal) 296.0
Calories from Fat 28.1
Fat (g) 9.3
Saturated Fat (g) 3.0
Cholesterol (mg) 145.9
Carbohydrates (g) 12.4
Dietary Fiber (g) 1.2
Total Sugars (g) 3.0
Net Carbs (g) 11.2
Protein (g) 40.1
Sodium (mg) 622.2