SERVES 4
Ingredients
Sauce
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0.67 cup (161 ml) coconut milk
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6 tbsp (90 ml) Chicken Broth or Stock
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1 tbsp (15 ml) tapioca or arrowroot starch
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2 teaspoons (10 ml) curry powder
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1 teaspoon (5 ml) palm sugar
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0.25 teaspoon (1.3 ml) sea salt
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0.125 teaspoon (0.6 ml) red pepper flakes
Stir-Fry
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1 pound (16 oz / 453.6 g) extra-large shrimp, wild-caught, peeled and deveined
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2 teaspoons (10 ml) Soy Sauce
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3 scallions, minced
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3 garlic cloves, minced
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1 tbsp (15 ml) grated fresh ginger
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4 teaspoons (20 ml) coconut oil
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2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 2-inch-long matchsticks
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0.33 cup (79 ml) water
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12 ounces (340.2 g) asparagus, tough ends removed and cut into 2-inch-long pieces
Preparation
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For the Sauce: Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl.
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For the Stir-Fry: Toss shrimp and Soy Sauce together in a bowl; marinate for 10 to 30 minutes. In a separate bowl, combine scallions, garlic, ginger, and one teaspoon oil.
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Cook bell peppers and water together in a covered twelve-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until water is boiling and peppers begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Uncover, add asparagus, and cook until water has evaporated and vegetables are crisp-tender, about 2 minutes; transfer to colander.
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Add remaining 1 tbsp (15 ml) oil to now-empty skillet and place over high heat until just shimmering. Add shrimp with marinade and cook until lightly browned on all sides but not fully cooked, about 2 minutes. Clear center of skillet, add garlic mixture, and cook, mashing mixture into pan, until fragrant, 15 to 30 seconds.
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Stir in cooked vegetables. Whisk sauce to recombine and add to skillet. Simmer until shrimp are cooked through and sauce is thickened, about 1 minute. Serve.
Chef’s Note: Shrimp come in a variety of sizes and are typically identified by count per pound. Use this chart determine which shrimp to purchase for the recipe. Shrimp per pound:
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Colossal: 10 shrimp or less
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Jumbo: 11 to 15
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Extra-large: 16 to 20
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Large: 21 to 30
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Medium: 31 to 35
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Small: 36 to 45
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Miniature: about 100
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Stir-fried shrimp and asparagus with coconut curry sauce is a weeknight dinner with real personality. Extra-large shrimp, crisp asparagus and sweet peppers simmer in a quick coconut curry that thickens in a minute. One skillet, twenty minutes, and no takeout menu required.
Pro Tips
- Marinate the shrimp in the soy sauce for 10-30 minutes first — it seasons them and helps the high-heat sear happen fast.
- Steam-fry the pepper matchsticks in a third of a cup of water under a lid, then add the asparagus once the water is boiling; both stay bright green and crisp-tender this way.
- Cook the shrimp only about 2 minutes until lightly browned but not fully done — they finish in the simmering sauce and stay plump.
- Clear the center of the pan for the garlic-scallion-ginger mixture and mash it into the hot surface for 15-30 seconds until fragrant.
- Whisk the sauce to recombine right before adding it (the tapioca starch settles), then simmer just one minute until it thickens and coats everything. Use extra-large shrimp — 16-20 per pound, per the recipe's chart.
Frequently Asked Questions
What's in the coconut curry sauce?
Coconut milk, chicken broth, tapioca starch, curry powder, a touch of palm sugar and red pepper flakes — creamy, gently spiced, and thickened in about a minute.
How spicy is this dish?
Mild and warming — the curry powder leads and only an eighth teaspoon of red pepper flakes backs it up. Add more flakes at the sauce stage if you want heat.
Why add the shrimp back to the sauce at the end?
Shrimp turn rubbery the moment they overcook. A 2-minute sear followed by 1 minute of simmering keeps them tender while the sauce thickens around them.
Can I use other vegetables?
The asparagus and red pepper are the recipe's balance of sweet and green, and both cook in minutes. Anything quick-cooking that keeps its snap will fit the same method.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Method
- Stir-Fry
- 1 pound (16 oz / 453.6 g) extra-large shrimp, wild-caught, peeled and deveined
- 2 teaspoons Soy Sauce
- 3 scallions, minced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbsp grated fresh ginger
- 4 teaspoons coconut oil
- 2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 2-inch-long matchsticks
- 0.33 cup water
- 12 ounces (340.2 g) asparagus, tough ends removed and cut into 2-inch-long pieces
- For the Stir-Fry: Toss shrimp and Soy Sauce together in a bowl; marinate for 10 to 30 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, combine scallions, garlic, ginger, and one teaspoon oil.
- Cook bell peppers and water together in a covered twelve-inch nonstick skillet over high heat until water is boiling and peppers begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Uncover, add asparagus, and cook until water has evaporated and vegetables are crisp-tender, about 2 minutes; transfer to colander.
- Add remaining 1 tbsp oil to now-empty skillet and place over high heat until just shimmering.
- Add shrimp with marinade and cook until lightly browned on all sides but not fully cooked, about 2 minutes. Clear center of skillet, add garlic mixture, and cook, mashing mixture into pan, until fragrant, 15 to 30 seconds.
- Stir in cooked vegetables.
- Whisk sauce to recombine and add to skillet.
- Simmer until shrimp are cooked through and sauce is thickened, about 1 minute.
- Serve. Chef’s Note: Shrimp come in a variety of sizes and are typically identified by count per pound. Use this chart determine which shrimp to purchase for the recipe. Shrimp per pound:
- Colossal: 10 shrimp or less
- Jumbo: 11 to 15
- Extra-large: 16 to 20
- Large: 21 to 30
- Medium: 31 to 35
- Small: 36 to 45
- Miniature: about 100
