Coconut Shellfish Curry

I know: we've already done a coconut curry fish dish on the blog. Listen, don't be a food whore, just in for a series of one-night stands with your recipes. You gotta settle in for some relationships. Because they change over time. And morph. And grow. That's the very essence of life. Cooking, too.

So today's from-the-sea curry is a different take, a twist on the last one on the blog: a different curry paste, shellfish, some green beans. This one's also more aromatic--and more luxurious. It's just the thing as winter morphs into spring.

First, make a simple curry paste. This time, put the following in a mortar: 2 tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger, 2 tablespoons bruised fresh lemongrass, 1 tablespoon cumin seeds, 1 tablespoon sambal (a Southeast Asian chile sauce), 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, 3 whole cloves, and 1 quartered garlic clove. Grind this with the pestle into a coarse paste.

Don't want to use a mortar and pestle? (Are you sure you want to read a food blog?) Then use a mini food processor or even a spice grinder--but be careful: too much and you'll make the paste too smooth. Just pulse it until you get a grainy consistency.

Now prepare the shellfish: 2 frozen lobster tails, thawed, then the shells removed and the meat chopped; 8 medium peeled and deveined shrimp, cut into thirds; and 8 sea scallops, each cut into two disks. Or whatever combo you like that adds up to about 1 1/2 pounds shellfish. I can even imagine shucked oysters!

You're ready. Heat 1 tablespoon peanut or almond oil in a deep saucepan, a sauté pan, or even a wok. Add 1 chopped large yellow onion and 8 ounces thinly sliced mushrooms. Stir this over the heat until the mushrooms release their liquid and it reduces to a thick glaze, about 6 minutes.

Add the curry paste you've made, stir a few seconds until ridiculously aromatic, then pour in 1 1/3 cups coconut milk and 3/4 cup white wine.

Bring the liquids to a full simmer, stirring once in a while--then pour in all the prepared shellfish as well as 1 red bell pepper, cored and chunked up, and 1/2 pound trimmed green beans. Cover the pot, pan, or wok, reduce the heat to low, and simmer just until the shellfish is cooked through, about 4 minutes.

Stir in 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 tablespoon grated palm sugar (or light brown sugar), and 2 teaspoons soy sauce. Stir it up and serve it over white rice. Done. And like a relationship, better with the twist. 

Comments

[Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial]

Wine? Oysters? What an unusual combination...since grape wine is a relatively new addition to Asian diets, this is true fusion cooking. I'm impressed the wine doesn't curdle the coconut milk. Thank you for this interesting recipe!

[Mark Scarbrough]

Wine and oysters are brilliant in curry! But Celia, you're right: grape wine is certainly not traditional in a curry like this. However, we get pretty piss-poor Shaoxing and other rice wines in the United States so it seems a better choice here for curries. No, the grape wine cannot curdle the coconut milk. Its proteins are not denuded by acid, as those in cow or goat milk.

[Celia @ Fig Jam and Lime Cordial]

I didn't know that about coconut milk - thank you! I'm not a big fan of Shaoxing wine either, I've always tended to use sherry instead (just because my mother always has). Don't think it would work in a curry though!

[Island Eye]

I am excited to cook it...looks so appetizing.