Shrimp Coconut Curry

Shellfish adds a fresh new dimension to otherwise regular recipes. The art of cooking fish and shellfish is to avoid over powering the natural taste by overcooking or adding too many condiments. Having grown up eating freshwater (rivers, lakes) fish and shrimp which tend to be have a delicate sweet-mildly salty taste, I have had to adapt myself to eating seafood here in the States (not to mention, frozen seafood in Illinois). Shrimp and crab curry are two of my favorite shellfish dishes. In India, you will find a whole array of cooking styles when it comes to fish and shellfish - mustard-based fish dishes in the East to tamarind and curry leaf flavored dishes in the South and coconut-based curries in the West. 


* Please do not use any of the images featured in my posts without my permission.


Ingredients (Serves 2)
1. Shrimp - 12-15, with shell on, clean up the head part or you can leave it on since the shell and the head adds a very nice flavor to the dish. If you are one of those who don't want to take the pain of removing the shell while eating, remove the shell and make sure to cook for lesser time than suggested here else the shrimp might get overcooked and turn chewy.

2. Potato - 2 medium, cut into small cubes
3. Onion - 1 medium, sliced into half moons
4. Tomato - 2 big, cut into cubes (or equivalent tomato paste)
5. Thai pepper - 2, split (adjust according to level of hotness)
6. Desiccated coconut powder - 3 tbsp (or equivalent coconut milk)
7. Turmeric powder - 1/4 tbsp 
8. Coriander powder - 2 tbsp
9. Whole cumin seeds - 1/2 tbsp
10. Ginger - 1/2 tbsp, finely chopped
11. Garlic - 2 cloves, finely chopped
12. Oil - 1 1/2 tbsp 
13. Salt - to taste
14. Cilantro - to garnish, finely chopped




Add oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seeds and let them crackle, add the ginger and garlic and cook for 20 sec or until the pungent smell goes away. At this point, add the potato cubes and onion half moons with some salt and turmeric powder. Cook till the potato and onion are slightly browned and partially cooked. Drain the excess water from the shrimp and add to the mixture in the skillet. Cook the water from the shrimp evaporates and the shell turns beautiful orangish-red. 

Add the coriander powder, split thai peppers and coconut powder to the shrimp and give the mixture a good stir. Coconut powder (desiccated) tends to absorb all the moisture from the mixture turning it dry. Sprinkle a few drops of water and continue to stir to ensure that the coconut powder does not burn. After 2-3 minutes, add the tomato cubes and water (or equivalent amount of tomato paste dissolved in water) and cover the skillet with a lid. Turn the heat to low-medium and cook for 6-7 minutes such that the tomatoes become mushy and blends into the curry and at the same time allow the shrimp to absorb the coconut-tomato-pepper-spice flavor. 


Garnish with finely chopped cilantro and serve hot. 


- Prashun Gorai (prashun.iitm4@gmail.com)