Spicy Coconut Shrimp with Mango Salsa and Rice

While at the grocery store this weekend, I saw some delicious looking tiger shrimp and decided I needed to make something with them. I came home and began looking at different shrimp recipes, knowing that I wanted to make a dish that wasn't too time consuming and didn't require frying in oil. I saw this recipe, which had great reviews, and decided to give it a try. The ingredients sounded great and, to me, the dish comes across as Thai inspired with the use of coconut milk, ginger, and basil. I love all sorts of Thai food, and this meal was no exception. I made this recipe for 3 people and we finished it all. Everyone gave it great reviews, even my toughest food critic: my dad.

If you like spicy food, you will love the heat in this dish. It has that perfect amount of spicy where you feel the kick, but all the flavors of the dish come through. You can reduce the heat of this meal by removing the seeds from the jalapenos, and if you want, just use one. The coconut lime rice is delicious, but if you're in a rush, any rice would work with this recipe. If you make plain rice, you can always mix some lime zest into it right before serving. I doubled the sauce of the original recipe since I wished I had more to pour over my rice when I first had this. You can also easily add more shrimp to this recipe if you're serving hungry people. I used 1.3 pounds of shrimp, but even 1.5 to 2 pounds would work with the same amount of marinade.

Adapted from Dave Lieberman
Serves 3 to 4

For the Salsa:
1 mango, peeled and diced
2 scallions, sliced
5 basil leaves, julienned
1 lime, juiced
salt and pepper, to taste

For the Rice:
1 cup jasmine rice (I used basmati)
3/4 cup coconut milk
3/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 lime, zested

For the Shrimp:

2 jalapenos, sliced (use less and/or remove the seeds for less heat)

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 1/2 tablespoons freshly grated ginger

4 tablespoons brown sugar

4 tablespoons soy sauce

1 lime, zested

3/4 cup coconut milk

3 tablespoons canola oil

small handful of basil leaves, torn or roughly chopped

1/2 teaspoon salt

15 grinds of pepper

1 pound of peeled and deveined shrimp

To make the salsa, mix all of the ingredients together in a small bowl. Can be made up to 1 day ahead of time. Cover and refrigerate.

To make the rice, rinse your rice or soak it in water for at least 30 minutes, then drain. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the rice, coconut milk, water, and salt. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Allow to simmer for about 15 minutes, until the rice has absorbed the liquids. Fluff the rice with a fork and mix in the lime zest.

To make the shrimp, mix the jalapenos, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, soy sauce, lime zest, coconut milk, oil, basil, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Add the shrimp and allow to marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.

Heat a nonstick pan over high heat (you do not need to add oil if it is nonstick). Using tongs or a fork, remove the shrimp from the marinade and place in a single layer in the pan. Reserve the marinade.

Cook the shrimp for about 3 to 4 minutes total, until just about cooked and the shrimp turn pink. Do not over cook these and remember that they will continue to cook a little bit once removed from the heat. Remove the shrimp from the pan and set aside. Add the remaining marinade to the pan, bring to a boil, and allow to cook until it begins to thicken, about 5 minutes.

Pour sauce over cooked shrimp and serve with rice and mango salsa. Pin It Now!