By Bonnie S. Benwick, The Washington Post
Recipes are often tweaked to save a step or two, but we’ve added an extra one here — with your convenience in mind.
Shrimp With Spicy Cashew Sauce builds on a seafood stock. But who keeps that in their pantry? The simple fix: Make your own, in the time it takes to prep the ingredients for the dish.
Start by peeling shell-on shrimp, then place the shells and tails in a small saucepan filled with 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and cook for 8 to 10 minutes while you devein the shrimp and chop and slice green bell pepper, garlic and onion. Strain and discard the stock’s solids; you’ll have about twice as much as you need for this dish, which means you’ll have enough to freeze for the next time you want to make it. Then, you’ll be able to save a few minutes’ time and use peeled, deveined shrimp instead.
And I’m betting you will want to make it again. Not only does it show Americans another side to its author, the British baking queen Mary Berry, but it also makes shrewd use of cashews that might otherwise be downed by the handful.
Shrimp With Spicy Cashew Sauce
4 servings
The original recipe called for scallops, but we’ve swapped in shrimp here for a good reason: You can create your own small amount of the “seafood stock” that’s required.
Serve over jasmine or brown rice.
MAKE AHEAD: This will make twice as much shrimp stock as you need for this recipe; the stock can be frozen for up to 6 months.
Adapted from “Cooking With Mary Berry” (DK Publishing, 2016).
Ingredients
- 1 pound large or jumbo raw, shell-on shrimp
- 2 cups water, or more as needed
- 2/3 cup toasted, salted cashews (may substitute 2 heaping tablespoons cashew butter)
- 1 small onion
- 1 medium green bell pepper
- 1 small red chili pepper (Thai/bird’s eye; may substitute the spicy red pepper of your choice)
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons sunflower or safflower oil
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 teaspoon whole-grain mustard
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Steps
Peel and devein the shrimp, tossing the shells and tails into a small saucepan filled with the 2 cups of water as you go. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the rest of the prep for this recipe is done.
Grind the cashews in a mini food processor or nut grinder to a paste; this may take a couple of minutes, and you could add a splash or two of water to get things going, as needed. (If you’re using cashew butter, omit this step.)
Cut the onion into small dice. Cut the green bell pepper and small red chili pepper in half from the stem end; stem and seed, then cut each into thin strips. Crush the garlic cloves.
Strain the stock, discarding the solids. You’ll need 1 cup for this recipe; reserve the rest for another use (see the headnote).
Heat the oil in a large skillet, preferably cast-iron or nonstick, over medium heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the garlic; stir for 5 seconds, then add the shrimp. Cook just long enough for them to become opaque, turning them as needed. Transfer to a plate.
Add the onion, green bell pepper and red pepper to the skillet; cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring a few times, or until the onion has softened but not begun to brown. Add the turmeric and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
Add the ground cashews and cup of stock; increase the heat to medium-high. Once the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and cook for 5 minutes or until it thickens. Discard the garlic, if desired.
Reduce the heat to low. Return the shrimp to the skillet, stirring to coat. Add the mustard, then taste and season with salt and pepper, as needed. Once the shrimp have warmed through, remove from the heat.
Serve hot.
Nutrition: Per serving (using sunflower oil): 320 calories, 28 g protein, 12 g carbohydrates, 19 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 185 mg cholesterol, 530 mg sodium, 2 g dietary fiber, 3 g sugar
