Lime & Ginger Shrimp with Coconut Rice

A few years ago, I tried an easy recipe from a magazine. It was delicious and I passed it on to several people as well. It’s my go-to recipe in warm weather when I have company and don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Since I just can’t keep anything the same, I jazz up the recipe a little by adding different ingredients depending on what I have in the house or in the garden. If you have leftovers (I usually don’t), it’s even good the next day but heat slowly since shrimp doesn’t reheat well without getting tough. When served with coconut rice, it’s a fast and filling dinner to eat on your patio. You can also prepare the ingredients ahead of time and start the rice cooking first since it takes the longest.

Lime & Ginger Shrimp

2 lbs. shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails removed & patted dry (if frozen, thaw them)

¼ c. ginger preserves

Juice from 3 limes + zest

2/3 c. chopped cilantro leaves

2 T. olive oil

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil on medium. Add the shrimp and cook a couple of minutes until partially done. Stir in the ginger preserves and cook until dissolved and shrimp are done (pink & firm). Drain excess liquid, then remove from the heat and stir in lime juice and cilantro. Serve over the rice and top with lime zest for extra flavor.
Coconut Rice

2 c. white jasmine rice

2 c. water

11 oz. culinary coconut milk (concentrated, comes in a Tetra Pak® container) or 14 oz. can of regular coconut milk (not lite)

¼ c. shredded, unsweetened coconut

Pinch of salt

Place the rice in rice cooker. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well. Set to cook and when rice is done, allow another 10 minutes for it to sit and finish steaming/cooking (if it doesn’t look done, just hit the cook button again). Fluff with a fork before serving.

Options: Use mixture of shrimp and scallops (scallops may need to cook a bit longer depending on size); use basil instead of cilantro; or add a pinch of crushed red chili pepper if you like it spicy!