Curry Shrimp Recipe with Coconut Milk and Potatoes

Welcome back to the Cuban Redneck DIY Channel, or should I say Redneck Cuban Kitchen, where today we are going to once again venture outside our comfort zone by making a traditional curry shrimp recipe that is not only easy but quick to make. Cooking time is about 25 minutes, but don’t let the prep time fool you. This is a fantastic recipe and one that you will make time and time again if you like Indian and or spicy foods.

While curry shrimp is quite a staple in Indian and even Thai cuisine, this shrimp curry recipe is more traditional to the West Indies, particularly Trinidad & Tobago. I have lived in Trinidad and Jamaica, where curry shrimp is also quite popular, but I tend to lean more for the Trini taste profile when it comes to cooking it. In my opinion, it is a little brighter due in part to the way that Caribbean green seasoning is made in Trinidad. I also think that Trinis are more liberal with the use of shadow benny or cilantro. With that said, know that this is a super simple and easy recipe, even for a beginner!

• 1 Lb. of X-Large Shrimp (20-25)
• 5 oz. Can of Coconut Milk
• ½ of an Onion
• ½ of Bell Pepper
• 3-4 Cloves of Garlic
• 3-4 Sprigs of Green Onion
• 1-2 Small Tomatoes
• 8-9 Small Potatoes
• 2-3 Leaves of Shadow Benny
  *Also known as Culantro
• 1 Scotch Bonnet Pepper

I can’t emphasize enough how easy this Curry Shrimp Recipe with Coconut Milk and Potatoes truly is! I think the key to getting it right is having everything prepared. So, let’s start by peeling and cleaning the shrimp. On this particular day, I am using a batch that is already peeled and deveined. It would be much better if I had the full heads and shells, but the tail will do! Nevertheless, I am going to use the tailpieces to infuse flavor into the potatoes.

So, after washing the shrimp, let’s remove the tail and deposit them in the pot where we will boil the potatoes. Cut the potatoes in half, and after adding a little bit of salt and topping with water, let’s cook them for about 10-minutes. They are not going to be fully cooked in 10-minutes, and that is okay. We are just trying to give them a head start.

While that cooks, let’s season the shrimp with some Caribbean green seasoning, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Mix the green seasoning and the shrimp, ensuring you have even coverage and put them in the fridge until needed.

The next step is to chop our onion, green onions, bell pepper, tomatoes, garlic, scotch bonnet pepper, and shadow benny and have them ready to use.

After the minutes have expired, let drain the potatoes, fish the shrimp tails out of the strainer and let them sit until needed.

With all of our curry shrimp ingredients ready, we can start. Add about two tablespoons of oil to a deep saucepan and bring it to temp under medium-high heat. We’ll begin by sauteing the onion, half of the green onions, bell pepper, garlic, and scotch bonnet pepper. We are going to season this lightly with sea salt and black pepper. As the onion starts to get translucent, add the curry and keep stirring. We need to cook the curry for about 3-4 minutes or until it becomes graining and darkens. As the curry starts to get dry, add the tomatoes, followed by the potatoes, and stir until they are all well covered with curry.

At this point, add the coconut milk and continue to stir until all the curry is dissolved. Bring to a boil under medium heat, cover it, and cook for 10-minutes. By this time, the coconut milk should have been reduced by about 1/3, so let’s add the shrimp and stir it once again, making sure they are all covered with coconut milk. Lower the heat to medium-low, cover it and cook for exactly 5-minutes. After the time has expired, stir it gently, check for salt, add the shadow benny (culantro) and the rest of the green onions, take it off the stove, cover it, and let it rest for 2-3 minutes for the coconut milk to thicken.

My friends, that is it, a super easy Curry Shrimp with Coconut Milk and Potatoes that you need to try, and if you do, come and share your cooking at the Cuban Food Nation on Facebook! And I’ll see you next week with yet another easy recipe! My name is JC, and I look forward to having you are a subscriber.