Easy Shrimp Curry Recipe

Here's one of my strategies for dinner in a hurry--tweak a classic dish by loading it up with vegetables and creating a one pot meal. Recently I worked on a shrimp and feta recipe, it started out very much the same as many other recipes, but I added lots of fresh fennel. Basically this shrimp curry recipe started with a simple coconut curry recipe to which I added sugar snap peas, bell peppers and cherry tomatoes. I happened to have some sugar snap peas from Mann's produce (another great time saver because they are stringless and don't need any prep), but I could have added broccoli or sweet potatoes or some other study vegetables. Just add rice or noodles and dinner is done!

This recipe comes courtesy of American Shrimp Company, they kindly sent me some more of their fresh wild gulf shrimp. The shrimp are bursting with flavor and can be used in so many dishes. They arrive clean, deveined, peeled, fresh, not frozen, perfect for when you don't have much time for meal prep since they really don't need marinating and cook in just minutes. I don't use all the shrimp at once so some of them go in the freezer to use at a later date.

The benefit of making a one pot meal is that you don't have to bother cooking multiple side dishes and in this case, the vegetables swim along with the shrimp in a delicious curry sauce. I'm going to continue to experiment with more dishes like this. What classic shrimp dishes would you add vegetables to in order to make it a meal? Shrimp and grits? Scampi? Shrimp gumbo? The possibilities are endless. 

Easy Shrimp Curry

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon coconut oil or vegetable oil

2 garlic cloves, grated

1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger

1/2 sweet onion, sliced

1/2 red bell pepper, sliced

1/2 orange bell pepper, sliced

3/4 pound raw peeled and deveined shrimp

1 Tablespoon curry powder

1 cup sugar snap peas

1/2 cup cherry tomatoes

1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk

1 teaspoon soy sauce

Pinch cayenne pepper, optional

1/4 cup fresh chopped cilantro, optional

Instructions

Heat a large deep skillet or wok over medium high heat and add the coconut oil. Add garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds then add the onion and peppers. Stiry fry until the vegetables have slightly softened, about 5 minutes. 

Add the curry powder and  the snap peas and stir for a minute then add the coconut milk and soy sauce. Increase heat and bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the shrimp and cook just until they shrimp are cooked through, about 2-3 minutes. Taste for seasoning. You can add more soy sauce or a pinch of cayenne pepper if you like. Serve with rice (or rice noodles) and garnish with cilantro. 

Enjoy! 

Disclaimer: My thanks to The American Shrimp Company and Mann's for providing me with shrimp and sugar snap peas. I was not compensated monetarily for this or any other post. 

Fish with Olives and Leeks Recipe

Recently I got a delivery of Pacific Grenadier from Real Good Fish. Grenadier has the unfortunate reputation as a "junk fish" because it's by catch--caught unintentionally by fisherman going after black cod. It's a deep water fish, with a long body and a very thin tail. Pacific Grenadier has a delicate texture similar to cod, snapper and orange roughy, and a very mild flavor. The thin fillets cook very quickly and need to be handled gently. Because it's not a large commercial fishery you may have trouble finding specific recipes for it, but you can use pretty much any recipe that calls for snapper or orange roughy. 

This is yet another recipe inspired by what was in my refrigerator. It's a little fussier than I would like because you have to cook the leeks and onions in a skillet before transferring them to a baking sheet to form a bed for the fish. But I like the combination of a savory olives, sweet onions and leeks and juicy tomatoes. Lately I've been finding one pot or one pan recipes to be particularly appealing. Less clean up is definitely a factor! 

When preparing leeks I slice them lengthwise and rinse them thoroughly. I often chop them and soak them in a bowl of cold water since the soil can really get stuck between the layers. The water clinging to the leeks is just enough to cook them so there's no need to any extra liquid to the recipe. I like the combination of leeks and onions, but you could certainly skip the onions if you don't want to bother with them. You could also add a clove or two of garlic if you're using an olive paste or tapenade with no garlic. I found the saltiness of the olives was enough seasoning for the fish, but add salt to taste if you find it needs it.

Fish with Olives, Leeks and Tomatoes

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 pound grenadier fillets 

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved, optional
2 cups chopped leeks (white and pale green) about 2

1/2 cup chopped onion

Olive pesto

1/2 cup green or black olives, pitted preferably oil cured (or a combination)

3-4 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Instructions

To make the olive pesto combine the olives with the olive oil in a food processor and blend until creamy but not completely smooth, you will need to scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times. You can use prepared olive tapenade, paste or pesto if you have it on hand. 

Heat oven to 400° F. Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the leeks and onions, and cook for 5 minutes over medium high heat.

Transfer the leek mixture onto a parchment lined rimmed baking sheet top with the fish fillets. Spread with about 1/4 cup of olive pesto. Scatter the tomatoes on the sheet, if desired; bake until the fish is opaque, about 10 minutes. Transfer fish and vegetables to plates. 

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: My thanks to Real Good Fish for supplying me with the fish. I was not compensated monetarily for this or any other post.  If you live in the Bay Area, visit their website to learn more about their subscription program. 

Shrimp & Feta Recipe

I have made many versions of shrimp and feta over the years and maybe you have too. Sweet shrimp and salty feta is such a great combination and while you really don’t need a recipe to make it, this one is a particular favorite. I’ve simplified the steps—no need to saute and bake as many recipes require. The recipe also uses mostly pantry staples. Keep some good quality shrimp in the freezer and with just two purchases—feta and a fennel bulb, you can make this dish in no time flat.

Speaking of shrimp, the gorgeous shrimp I used for this dish came from the American Shrimp Company an online retailer of wild caught American shrimp. They are mostly sourced out of the Gulf and Southern Atlantic. If you purchase them online, they arrive in perfect condition, fresh and ready to use. I used half the shrimp I received right away and the other half I froze to use later. I am a strong believer in using the best quality ingredients you can afford, especially when it comes to seafood. American gulf shrimp are not only more sustainable but much more delicious than ones imported from farms in Asia. Just 4 large shrimp per person makes for a very satisfying meal in a dish like this one.

The reason I like this recipe so much is that it includes lots of fresh vegetables making it a one pot dish when served with orzo or cooked grains. I’m particularly fond of the fennel in this dish. If you like it too, you could also add a splash of ouzo or Pernod to the vegetables before adding the tomatoes.

Shrimp & Feta 

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced fennel bulb

2 cloves garlic, minced

14 oz can crushed roasted tomatoes

1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined, tail on or off

1 cup crumbled feta cheese
Fresh herbs—chopped dill or fennel tops

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and fennel and cook, stirring, until soft about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds then add the tomatoes  and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and let simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Sprinkle the feta over the top, then add the shrimp in one layer.  Cover the skillet and simmer over low heat just until the shrimp are cooked through and the cheese begins to soften, about 3 minutes.

Serve hot over orzo and garnish with fresh herbs.

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: My thanks to the American Shrimp Company for providing me with the shrimp for this recipe. I was not compensated monetarily for this or any other post on Cooking with Amy. 

Honey Soy Ginger Black Cod Recipe

Black cod is probably my most favorite fish because it is so luscious. It’s also really easy to cook. It doesn’t need the kid glove treatment that halibut requires. It’s so moist it’s hard to overcook. I usually cook it with miso, but recently I was looking for another idea and came across a recipe from chef Laurent Tourondel for Black Cod Marinated with Honey. Of course, I changed it up quite a bit. His recipe has grapeseed oil in it and I find black cod so rich I didn’t think it was necessary at all. I decreased the honey, increased the soy sauce, used rice wine vinegar instead of white vinegar and added one other flavorful ingredient, ginger juice. 

I learned about ginger juice from Amy Kaneko, author of Let’s Cook Japanese Food! (more about that book soon). In it she describes finely grating ginger and then squeezing the pulp to get the juice out. It’s a brilliant technique because you get the flavor of fresh ginger without the pulp. For some preparations grated ginger is fine, but sometimes it's too fibrous.

The fish I used in this recipe was black cod is from Carmel Canyon, a submarine valley in the Monterey Bay that I received from Real Good Fish. Each week I get a different delivery of fish or shellfish. It’s always local, and either responsibly farmed or from a sustainable fishery. It’s super fresh, and subscribers also receive a weekly newsletter with details about the catch.

Honey Soy Ginger Black Cod

Serves 4 

Ingredients

1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tablespoons mild honey, such as sage
2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons ginger juice, squeezed from finely grated ginger
1 pound black cod cut into fillets

Instructions 

Combine the honey, soy sauce, vinegar an ginger juice in a zip top bag. Add the fish and squeeze out the air. Seal and let marinate in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours and as long as 24 hours. 

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Remove the fish from the marinade and pat dry. Put the fillets on a greased foil-lined roasting pan and roast in the oven until it turns golden brown and is cooked through, about 7 or 8 minutes.

Enjoy! 

Disclaimer: My thanks to Real Good Fish for supplying me with the black cod. If you live in the Bay Area, visit their website to learn more about their subscription program. This post also includes an affiliate link. 

Curry Halibut Recipe and GIVEAWAY!

Two years ago I took a trip to Alaska that I will never forget. I met wonderful chefs and fishermen. I flew over glaciers and enjoyed the wilderness. And I went fishing. Our little boat caught a ridiculous number of halibut. Not long after my trip I received pounds of Alaskan halibut which I shared with friends and family and stored in the freezer. For the better part of the year I ate halibut every which way and posted a few recipes too, one for Moqueca and another for Slow Roasted Halibut with Fennel and Tomatoes. 

Halibut is mild in flavor but it’s firm texture lends itself to bolder sauces. Because it’s leaner than some fish, it retains a luscious and lovely texture when cooked gently or slowly. Recently I had a Bengali style shrimp curry korma at Dosa, (where they are featuring dishes from a different region of India each month). The shrimp were poached in a curry sauce made with yogurt and coconut milk. It was this dish that gave me the idea to try something similar with halibut. Poaching is another very gentle cooking technique, perfect for halibut.

The halibut I used for this recipe came to me courtesy of Daily Fresh Fish. This is a company that ships fish directly to consumers, which means much fresher fish than what you can typcially buy in the store. 

GIVEAWAY! 

Daily Fresh Fish is offering an Alaskan halibut giveaway! One lucky winner (U.S. only) will win two orders of fresh Alaskan halibut (each order is two 6-oz. fillets, so a total of four 6-oz. fillets). They will also receive Mediterranean Seafood Stew for four. (Each order serves two, so two orders). 

Leave me a comment about your favorite way to eat fresh fish and I will choose the winner at random on Friday April 7, 2017. You must leave your email address in the comment form so I can contact you. Do not leave it in the body of the comment or it will be visible to everyone, not just me. Because fresh fish is seasonal, the winner must claim the prize by April 30, 2017.

Want to order some Alaskan halibut or some other sustainable fish or shellfish? First time orders get $10 off a $30 purchase AND free shipping to California and Nevada on orders of $30 or more with code FreeShip10. Outside of California and Nevada, use code CookingWithAmy10 for $10 off a $30 purchase for first-time customers anywhere in the continental US, expires May 31, 2017.

Halibut Curry 

Serves 2 as a main dish or 4 if served with other dishes 

Ingredients 

1/4 small onion, peeled and roughly chopped

1 clove garlic, peeled

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon coconut oil

1/2 teaspoon garam masala

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

pinch ground cloves

1/2 cup Greek yogurt (2% or full fat, not non-fat)

1/2 cup coconut milk, stir before using 

2 - 4 halibut fillets 3-6 ounces each

Instructions

Add the onion, garlic and water to a blender and blitz until pureed. Heat the coconut oil in a skillet and add the puree. Cook over medium heat until it begins to thicken, stirring constantly. Add the spices and when almost dry, whisk in the yogurt and coconut milk. Add the halibut to the sauce and spoon sauce on top to coat. Lower the heat and simmer very gently, flipping once, until the fish is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Serve with rice. 

Enjoy! 

My thanks to Daily Fresh Fish for providing the fish for me and for the giveaway. I was not compensated monetarily for this or any other post.