Shrimp in coconut sauce (Encocado de camaron)
This Ecuadorian/Latin American coastal dish is prepared with shrimp, onion, garlic, bell pepper, tomato, cilantro, coconut milk, lime juice and other condiments.
Servings 4 portions
Ingredients
- 500 gr shrimp, peeled and deveined 500 grams= a litle more than a 1 lb
- Juice of ½ orange
- Salt and pepper
For the refrito or sofrito base:
- 2 tbs oil regular cooking oil or achiote oil
- ½ red or pink onion, finely diced can also use the white parts of greenonions/scallions
- 2 garlic cloves finely diced or minced
- 1 bell pepper, finely diced you can use green bell pepper or a red bell pepper, or a mix of both
- ½ teaspoon achiote powder or 1 teaspoon achiote paste - if not using achiote oil add more or less based on your taste preference – use 1 tsp of sweet non-smoked paprika as a replacement
- 1 large bunch of cilantro - separate the stems and the leaves, finely chopped 1 large bunch = ~50 grams
- 1 large tomato or 2 small ones, peeled and finely diced or grated ~300 grams
- 1 can 14 fl oz of unsweetened coconut cream or coconut milk ~14 fl oz=~400ml
- 1 tsp of tapioca starch or corn starch optional
- 2-4 tbs of fresh grated coconut optional but recommended
- Juice from ½ to 1 lime - to add at the end
- Salt and pepper to taste
Recommended side dishes:
Instructions
- Chop and dice all the vegetables and herbs. Have all the ingredients for the recipe prepped and ready to go.
- Place the raw shrimp in a bowl and sprinkle them with salt, pepper, and juice from ½ orange. This is a quick marinade while you prepare the refrito and the coconut sauce. Don’t let it marinate for more than 15 minutes.
- Heat the oil over medium heat in large skillet or sauté pan. Add the diced garlic, diced onion, diced bell pepper, and achiote paste or powder (if not using achiote oil). Cook until the onions are soft, about 3-5 minutes.
- Next add the diced tomatoes, all the chopped cilantro stems, half of the chopped cilantro leaves (save the rest to add at the end), and salt. Cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat.
- Add the coconut milk or coconut cream to the refrito, mix it well, and cook for about 5 minutes. If you are using coconut milk instead of coconut cream but prefer a thicker sauce you can thicken the sauce by adding 1 tsp of tapioca starch or corn starch.
- Add the shrimp and mix well. Turn the heat down to the lowest setting. Cover and let the shrimp poach in the coconut sauce for about 5-10 minutes, stir occasionally.
- Add the fresh grated coconut (optional but recommended) and lime juice once the shrimp is cooked. Taste and add additional salt/pepper if needed.
- Stir in the remaining chopped cilantro leaves.
- Serve immediately with rice, lime slices, avocado and fried plantains.
