‘Pescatarian’ Curried Masala King Shrimp with Coconut Rice

“Pescatarian?” What’s Pescatarian? Is it an ingredient?...a cooking method?...a regional name? For those who have never heard of the term, Pescatarian is simply defined as a vegetarian who adds seafood and fish to their diet. Sometimes people choose to add fish and seafood to their vegetarian diets to benefit from the healthy combination of a plant-based diet and heart-healthy fish and seafood.

A pescatarian doesn’t eat meat, but will consume fish. The term originated in the early 1990’s and interestingly, is the combination of the word in Italian for fish, which is “pesce”, and the ending of the word “vegetarian”. It can be indicated as either pescetarian or pescatarian, but by either spelling, the word means the same thing.

So, getting back to our recipe for Curried Masala King Shrimp with Coconut Rice, this is a recipe that’s not just for pescatarians, but all seafood lovers! It features shrimp, which is a favorite seafood among many many people, and it’s got a lot of spices—which may be intimidating to some, but could easily be altered to suit almost any taste. Feel free to put your own spin on the recipe!

Today’s magnificent recipe comes to you courtesy of Pescatarian Kitchen.com:

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes Total Time: 30 minutes Serves: 2 people (adjust quantity of shrimp to satisfy number of guests)

INGREDIENTS:

  • 10 oz. king shrimp
  • ¼ tablespoon ground ginger
  • ½ tablespoon cayenne pepper
  • ½ tablespoon ground coriander
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 1 tablespoon garam masala
  • 1 tablespoon coconut cream
  • 1 tablespoon coconut milk
  • 1 clove garlic (chopped)
  • ½ lime (juice)
  • 20 ml vegetable oil

Rice

  • 1 cup jasmine rice
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • 1 cup water
  • Pinch of salt

METHOD:

1. Add the ginger, cayenne pepper, coriander, cumin, garam masala, coconut cream (1 tbsp.) and coconut milk (1 tbsp.) to a pestle (or small bowl) and mix together well. This will form the masala paste.

2. Coat each of the king shrimp liberally with the masala paste and leave to one side in a bowl.

3. Put a frying pan over a medium heat and add the vegetable oil and chopped garlic. Fry the garlic for 2 minutes until it begins to brown slightly.

4. Add the shrimp to the pan and cook them 3-4 minutes on each side until they’re pink through.

5. Serve them up with a portion of coconut rice (directions below), a handful of chopped cilantro and squeeze of lime.

RICE

1. Add 1 cup of water, 1 cup of coconut milk and a pinch of salt to a saucepan. Place the saucepan over a high heat until the water reaches a rolling boil. Now turn down the heat.

2. Add 1 cup of rice to the saucepan and cover the pan with a lid. Leave to boil 12 for 12-15 minutes, until the rice has absorbed all of the liquid.

3. Leave the rice to sit for five minutes off of the heat before serving.

If you really enjoy intensely spicy food, this dish is meant for you! Don’t let the spices intimidate you too. You can make it as spicy or as mild as you like. Replace spices listed with other spices more to your liking. When you throw all of the spices together and mix them up in a bowl with coconut cream and milk, you’ll wind up with a curry paste that you can use for other foods as well.

The shrimp used in the recipe is labeled as “king” mainly because of its size, and can also be labeled as a “prawn”. Shrimp and prawn are merely common names for the same crustacean, and shouldn’t be confused with the scientific names for the aquatic animal. King shrimp or prawns are named as such because they’re typically larger than the species that is fished commercially in the United States and known continentally as “shrimp”. Prawn is the name more commonly used in the U.K., Ireland, and in the British Commonwealth nations.

Whatever you prefer to call them, Lobster Gram searches the globe for big, full-of-flavor jumbo shrimp(or prawn!). You’re sure to receive rave reviews if you serve these to your guests. You can order them cooked, peeled, and deveined, and we’ll ship them fresh to your door! So let Lobster Gram do some of your shopping for you, especially for special recipes like these. Remember, the freshest seafood shipped right to your door is only a phone call away or click away!