The end of the season is near and I am about to blend what remains of the basil, coat it in EVOO and freeze it in ice-cube trays for use in the dead of winter. Before I do that, I am going to use it in as many different recipes as possible so that I can enjoy the fresh taste.
I have been jonesing for shrimp recently and so I thought about a basil shrimp combo meal. Now pesto and shrimp go together like fish and chips, but I have over-done the pesto recently. So, I am going to take a leaf out of Karl’s book – bung a bit of coconut milk in with the shrimp and basil and then call it dinner! There is a little more to it than that, but not a lot.
Put on your rice to cook – for the GL conscious, you can make that brown basmati – and make the curry. They should be done about the same time.
Add desiccated, unsweetened coconut flakes to a dry skillet over a medium heat. Cast iron works well, but is not necessary.
Gently toast the coconut until you can smell the nutty flavor and the flakes have a variety of color. Pay attention. Once the flakes begin to turn, they will cook VERY QUICKLY!
Heat butter and EVOO in a different large skillet (I used nonstick) over medium-high heat.
Add three or four cloves of garlic and one small or half a large onion to the skillet and stir to cook for 2 minutes, until the onions are translucent.
Sprinkle about a tablespoon of good quality curry powder over the onions and continue cooking, stirring, for another couple of minutes.
Add the toasted coconut flakes, reduce the heat to medium low and…
pour in a can of coconut milk, stirring to combine.
Add salt and lime juice, and allow the sauce to heat up until bubbling gently.
Add the shrimp to the sauce, tossing to coat, and allow it to simmer until slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.
Taste the sauce and add more salt or lime juice, depending on your taste. Stir in the basil. (Add hot sauce if you want a little kick.)
Serve the shrimp and sauce over a bed of cooked basmati rice, garnishing with more basil. Delicious!
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