Just the name of this meal makes me think of beaches, warm winds blowing, and tropical trees swaying. I have had this recipe marked for over a year to try and thankfully, I finally got around to trying it! This recipe is from Chef Dave Lieberman, who is one of my favorite chefs because his recipes are so easy to follow, even the ones (like this) that sound way more complicated than they are. I originally thought this would be a “special” recipe that cost more than $10 but with a few key ingredients on sale, I was able to get this in at $9.99 for a family of 4. I bought my shrimp on sale for $5 lb (at least once a month one of the three grocery stores has their shrimp on sale for this price and I always buy several bags). King Soopers had mangos on sale for $1 each and I bought a huge bag of basil at a good price at King Soopers too. In the summer, if you grow your own basil, it would lower the price of this even more. But even if you can’t get all of these ingredients on sale, it would still be a relatively inexpensive meal to make.
I made my salsa the night before, which literally took me about 10 minutes to mix together, and the rest of the meal cooked up in about 20 minutes. This is a definite keeper for us….easy, inexpensive, bursting with flavors and cooks in about 30 minutes from start to finish!
*This recipe calls for the zest and juice of 1 lime. Zest your lime before you squeeze the juice out (much easier). The zest of any citrus fruit is the brightly colored outside of the peel. Use a peeler or small hand grater or zester to remove the zest, but leave the white part, called the pith, behind, because it’s very bitter.
This list of ingredients may look long and complicated but it really isn’t. And I believe once you try this, you’ll be making it more than once! The shrimp does need at least 30 minutes to marinate.
INGREDIENTS:
For Salsa-
- 1 mango, peeled, pitted, and finely diced
- 3 scallions, sliced
- 5 basil leaves, thinly sliced
- juice of 1 lime
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
This salsa is gluten free and vegan.
For Shrimp-
- 1 or 2 fresh jalapenos, sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated (fresh ginger is in the produce department-you don’t have to buy the entire thing, just snap off a piece)
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- zest from 1/2 lime
- 1/4 cup coconut milk
- small handful basil leaves, torn
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 15 grinds black pepper (I used about 1/2 teaspoon)
- 1 pound peeled, deveined large shrimp (I used medium shrimp)
For lime jasmine rice-
- 1 cup jasmine rice
- 3/4 cup coconut milk
- 3/4 cup water
- pinch of salt
- zest from 1/2 lime
Directions:
For the salsa: Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl. Make up to a day in advance. Keep tightly covered in the refrigerator.
For the shrimp: In a mixing bowl, combine jalapeno, garlic, ginger, brown sugar, soy sauce, lime zest, coconut milk, basil, vegetable oil, salt and black pepper. Add the shrimp and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.
Heat a nonstick skillet over high heat. Use tongs or a fork to remove the shrimp from the marinade and place in an even layer in the pan, reserving marinade. Cook shrimp until well browned on each side, turning once, about 3 to 4 minutes total. Transfer cooked shrimp to a serving plate. Meanwhile, add reserved marinade to pan, bring to a boil and cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Pour over the cooked shrimp and serve with lime jasmine rice and mango-basil salsa.
For lime jasmine rice: Put the rice, coconut milk, water, and salt in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cover and gently simmer until liquid is absorbed, about 12 to 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork and stir in the lime zest. Serve immediately.