Thai-Style Shrimp with Coconut-Curry Broth

With summer fast approaching, I am trying my best to cook our meals a little lighter for obvious reasons! Ellie Krieger is always my first resource when looking for healthy meal ideas because I have found that her food does not compromise in flavor like others sometimes do. In this recipe, I like how she cuts the richness (and calories/fat) of the coconut milk with chicken broth and enhances the curry with lime and cilantro to make it more of an everyday meal. This sauce is so delicious! I have a real fondness for curry and am always looking for new ways to incorporate it into my regular menu rotation so I always double the sauce when I make this so that I can freeze half. The next time I crave this for dinner I can have it on the table in 15 minutes!


Thai-Style Shrimp with Coconut-Curry Broth
Adapted from Ellie Krieger
4 servings

2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 small onion
3 teaspoons red curry paste
1 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup light coconut milk
1/2 teaspoon salt, plus 1/4 teaspoon, plus more for seasoning
1lb peeled and deveined shrimp (21-30 count)- firm white fish or chicken are great substitutes
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 scallions, green part only, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
freshly ground black pepper
2 cups cooked basmati rice, for serving

Preheat the oven to 425. Lightly cover asparagus spears with olive oil or cooking spray and season with salt and pepper. Roast asparagus on a baking sheet lines with tin foil for 15-20 minutes depending on the thickness of the asparagus. Set aside to cool and then cut into 1 inch pieces.

In a large sauté pan, heat the oil over moderate heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the curry paste and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the chicken broth, coconut milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer until reduced to 2 cups, about 5 minutes.

In a separate pan season the shrimp with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Sauté the shrimp in a little oil in a non-stick pan for about 2-3 minutes per side.

Arrange a pile of rice in the bottom of 4 plates. Top the rice with the shrimp and the asparagus. Stir the cilantro, scallions, and lime juice into the sauce and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Ladle the sauce over the shrimp, rice, and asparagus.