Indian Whole Shrimp Curry
Growing up near the ocean in India meant access to lots of seafood and I’ve loved seafood as far back as I can remember. If you watch all the chefy shows and read all the chefy books like I do, you know most seafood is delicate and shouldn’t require a lot of work. And some people probably consider making a curry a lot of work. While I can’t disagree that gently prepared fresh seafood like shrimp can be spectacular, so can an Indian curry. The Korean market near us carries some very tasty and fresh (as fresh you can get in the Midwest) seafood and once in a while, they carry whole shrimp. My mom always cooks shrimp with the shells and heads - it’s so much more flavorful! It creates a great stock as it cooks, even though you’re only cooking the shrimp itself in the curry for about 10 mins. I think some steamed Jasmine or basmati rice is the way to go with this dish, along with something simple like sauteed spinach or minty peas.
You are welcome to cook this with whatever other type of shrimp you want, headless or peeled, if that’s easier for you to manage. If you do choose to buy whole shrimp, it’s really not that difficult to find in most places. You can also have them clean it for you, if you’d rather not have those little eyes staring back at you. I bring these home and clean them up with a pair of kitchen scissor - I trim the eyes, any long or sharp parts of the peel, and the vein. You can use the scissors to cut the back open and usually, that’s enough to remove the vein; at worst, you may need to use a paring knife after this step to slice the vein out, as you would normally if you were deveining the shrimp.
This curry recipe is my canonical curry recipe - you can use these steps to curry whatever you want. Vegetables, chicken, fish, whatever! The key is cooking the onions for a full 15 mins - that creates the perfect base that can carry whatever protein or vegetables you throw at it.
Serves 2
Ingredients
4-6 whole shrimp
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 inch cinnamon stick (optional)
3 green cardamom pods (optional)
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
1 Serrano chili (half, if you want less spice), thinly sliced
1 medium yellow onion, sliced
1 tbsp grated garlic
1 tbsp grated ginger
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp ground cumin seeds
1 tbsp ground coriander seeds
1 small pinch cayenne (optional)
1 plum tomato, roughly chopped
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 water
salt to taste
chopped cilantro to garnish
juice of 1/2 lime
Method
Clean the shrimp with kitchen scissors and set aside. First trim the eyes, any long or sharp parts of the peel, and the vein. Use the scissors to cut the back open and usually, that’s enough to remove the vein; at worst, you may need to use a paring knife after this step to slice the vein out, as you would normally if you were deveining the shrimp.
Heat a wide skillet on medium heat and add the olive oil. Once the oil is heated through and has a sheen, add the cinnamon stick, green cardamom pods and cumin seeds, and heat in the oil for 30 secs. Then add the sliced onions and sprinkle a little bit of salt and stir well. Now add the Serrano chili and mix well. Cook this mixture for 15 mins stirring, every 5 mins or so - if the onions start sticking to the pan, add a tablespoon of water at a time to de-glaze the pan. Then add the grated garlic and ginger and cook for 5-7 mins. Now add the ground spices - turmeric, cumin, coriander, and cayenne. Stir for 30 seconds to 1 minute, careful to not burn the spices. If the mixture is sticking, add a little splash of water and un-stick the pan.
Now add the whole shrimp and 1/2 cup of water. Lastly, add the plum tomato. Cover the lid and cook for 10 mins on medium heat. Remove the lid - taste and add more salt if needed. Then add the garam masala and lime juice - stir through the sauce.
Garnish with the chopped cilantro and serve!
