My friend Arturo grew up near the beaches of Acapulco and learned a way of preparing the garlic shrimp classic with jalapeños and coconut milk. The layers of flavor in this dish are fabulous – chile, shrimp, coconut, lemongrass (or lime). If you get the timing right, this dish cooks up quite fast.
What Shrimp to Buy
Look for jumbo shrimp (about 20 count per pound) for this recipe. Fresh or frozen shrimp are fine. If you use frozen shrimp, defrost the shrimp by putting them in a large bowl of ice water for 20 minutes or so. You can also use either peeled or unpeeled shrimp. You can choose to remove the tails, or leave the tails on for a more dramatic presentation. Peeled shrimp is easier to eat, while unpeeled absorbs flavor from the shells while cooking so has better flavor. If you want to devein your shrimp (it’s not necessary but many people prefer deveined shrimp), you’ll need to cut the peels to reveal the veins if you are using unpeeled shrimp.
How to Serve Garlic Shrimp
We serve this shrimp with a simple coconut rice made by mixing cooked long-grain rice with coconut milk. This shrimp dish is best the day it’s made, though leftovers will keep for a day or two in the fridge. The shrimp may be slightly tough upon reheating.
Love Shrimp? Try These Other Shrimp Recipes!
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While the rice cooks, continue with the recipe.
