Shrimp Curry

When I go to my local Thai restaurant, I always order a variety of dishes including peanut chicken, fried rice and shrimp curry. I’ve learned to make my own curry at home, and I think it’s even better than what you’d get when eating out.

This coconut shrimp curry has become a weeknight staple in my house. It contains ingredients that I typically have in my pantry, and is a great way to use up any odds and ends of leftover veggies that you have on hand. Add a side of rice and you’ll have an easy dinner that everyone will love.

How do you make shrimp curry?

This recipe starts vegetables, which are cooked until tender. Add coconut milk, curry paste and shrimp the pan. Bring everything to a simmer, and cook until the shrimp are pink and opaque. Stir in seasonings and fresh herbs, then serve and enjoy.

HOW TO PEEL SHRIMP

This recipe calls for raw shrimp. Fresh or thawed from frozen shrimp will both work just fine. You can sometimes buy your shrimp already peeled. If the shrimp come with the shells on, you’ll need to remove them yourself. To peel shrimp, it’s easiest to start at the bottom where the legs are attached and carefully pull off the shell. You can leave the tail end of the shrimp on if you prefer for a more elegant presentation. Just be sure to remove those tail shells before eating. You’ll also need to devein your shrimp, which you can do by running a small paring knife down the back of each shrimp and removing the dark vein.

Tips for the perfect shrimp curry

I use store bought jarred red curry paste instead of making my own. It has plenty of great flavor, and saves a ton of time. You can use any size shrimp you like in this recipe. I often use a medium sized shrimp such as a 31-40 count per pound. Be sure to use full fat coconut milk in this dish. Light coconut milk will make the end product watery and not as flavorful. Start steaming your rice at the same time as you begin the curry, that way everything will be done at the same time. Don’t skip the brown sugar, it really balances out the flavors in the dish. Store any leftover curry in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. I don’t recommend freezing this dish, as the sauce can curdle and separate when thawed.

What do you serve with curry?

Steamed white rice is the most common accompaniment to shrimp curry. That being said, there are plenty of other options such as brown rice, rice noodles, coconut rice, egg noodles or quinoa.

Flavor variations

This recipe is delicious as is, but you can add other ingredients to the mix to customize it to your tastes.

Protein: Swap out the shrimp for tofu cubes, chicken or sliced flank steak. You can even make it a seafood curry by adding chunks of fish, clams and mussels. Curry: Instead of red curry paste, use green curry paste for a spicier dish, or yellow curry powder for a milder flavor. Vegetables: I recommend using carrots, bell peppers, baby corn and bamboo shoots as those are the vegetables that my local restaurant uses. That being said, you can really use any variety of vegetables such as potatoes, eggplant, celery, spinach or butternut squash. Herbs: Try thinly sliced lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves or cilantro instead of basil.

Once you try this shrimp curry, you’ll find yourself making it on a regular basis. It’s just that good!