Thai Lemon Shrimp with Coconut Rice

Thai food definitely knows how to wake up your taste buds.  This cuisine often satisfies every mouth-watering desire you could ask for from salty (fish sauce) to sweet (brown sugar) to bright (lemongrass) to spicy (chiles).  These are many common ingredients that you’ll find in Thai dishes.  That being said, you’re not often left thirsting for a little more of something.

I made this for the first time and it has been deemed an automatic weeknight staple (according to hubby).  Not only was this one of the easiest dishes I’ve ever made, it was pretty enough to make for a special occasion - not to mention, amazingly flavorful!  I decided to stick with the Thai theme and serve this with a side of coconut rice and sautéed bok choy.  The richness of the coconut rice balances well with the delicate shrimp and brightness of the lemon.  Seriously, this one is a winner!

Thai Lemon Shrimp:

1 lb shrimp

1/3 c sweet chili sauce

1 lemon, juice & zest

1 lime, zest only

1 tsp chili paste (like sambal oelek)

1 tbsp fish sauce

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp brown sugar

¼ c coconut milk

¼ c cilantro, chopped

Marinate shrimp in the chili sauce, lemon juice, lemon zest, lime zest, chili paste, fish sauce, garlic, and brown sugar for 15 minutes.

Heat a pan over medium heat.  Add shrimp and marinade to pan.  Add coconut milk.  Simmer until shrimp are cooked (2 minutes on each side).  Remove from heat and mix in cilantro.

Coconut Rice:

Cooking spray

2c jasmine rice

1c coconut milk (light or full fat)

2-3 tbsp sweetened shredded coconut

2 tsp salt

2 c water

Rinse rice with water and drain.  Spray rice cooker bowl with cooking spray.  Add rice, coconut milk, coconut, salt and water.  Cook in a rice cooker according to directions.

Crockpot Thai Chicken with Jicama and Mango Salad

I really like the woman who does my hair. We have great conversations about being moms, about how to keep it all together, how to stay sane (she's better at this than me) and we talk about food. All the while she does a lovely job on my hair! The last time I went in she mentioned this crockpot meal she loves, and I had to get the recipe! 

I made a few little tweaks in quantities, but mostly stuck the original. This came together really quickly - even for a crockpot meal. Just over 3 hours start to finish. We ate this with coconut rice, cucumber salad and a new jicama and mango salad I'd been working on. It was all delicious, warm, easy, and served 4 grown ups, with 3 extra little meals. 

Crockpot Thai Chicken - from MMM...Cafe
Serves 4-6
3 hours in the crockpot on low

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup hot salsa (the picture shows medium, but I used hot.)
1/4 cup peanut butter
Juice of 2 limes - about 1/4 cup 
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 cloves minced garlic
1 inch of fresh grated ginger
1 cup coconut milk - added later
Cilantro and Sriracha to serve

Place chicken breasts in the crockpot. In a small bowl whisk together salsa through ginger. Pour salsa mixture ontop of chicken and set the crockpot to cook on low for three hours. Walk away and enjoy the day.

When chicken is cooked and easily shredded, add in 1 cup of coconut milk and let it warm for 20 minutes. 

Jicama and Mango Salad

1 1/2 cups thinly sliced jicama
1 mango thinly sliced (or if you're me, hacked apart - mango, why do you have to be so difficult??)
2 tablespoons thinly sliced red onion
1/2 cup chopped cilantro 
1 serano chilli seeded and minced
2 minced garlic cloves
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
Juice of 1 lime, about 2 tablespoons

Slice jicama, mango and red onion. Chop cilantro, serano and garlic. Mix together gently, trying to keep the jicama and mango from breaking up too much. Pour over lime juice and sesame oil. I let this rest in the refrigerator for about 2 hours before serving it. Just before serving, add the sesame seeds. It was tangy, delicious, a tad bit sweet, and super refreshing with the rich chicken and coconut rice.

A few things about this recipe...
The chicken was NOT spicy. I think hot salsa was perfect and then we added Sriracha to our tastes.
This is definitely in our rotation from now on! I want to be better at cooking ahead and this will be a great help!

Things made this time last year...
Banana Bread

Rhubarb Coffee Cake

Halibut en Papillote with Thai Pesto

My cousin Yolanda Banks is an AMAZING cook.  She has her own cookbook called “Cooking for Your Man” and also her own website www.freshisfabulous.net.  Check her out when you get a chance!  Needless to say, I have plenty of people in my family who have some serious kitchen skills but I was blown away when she made steamed black cod with thai pesto for me and a friend of hers.  It was my first time having thai pesto and I was just itching to make it myself!  I put my own spin on the thai pesto by adding garlic, using olive oil, and making a few other modifications.

You’ll find a recipe that Yolanda has on her website for halibut with thai pesto but she actually cooks it on the stove.  Since I was so blown away by her steamed black cod from before, I decided to try this with halibut and use the same cooking technique.  En papillote is a French term that means “in parchment”.  This is also known as “al cartoccio” in Italian.

Halibut en Papillote with Thai Pesto

4 halibut fillets

1c basil

1c cilantro

½ c unsalted pistachios, shelled

1 garlic clove

Juice from 1 lime

Zest from 1 lime

1 tsp peeled ginger, roughly chopped

½ jalepeno, seeded and roughly chopped

1 tbsp canned, pre-sliced lemongrass

¼ c extra virgin olive oil

kosher salt

ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400F.

For pesto: Starting with basil, add all ingredients (through olive oil) to food processor and process until smooth.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Note: You can find the canned, sliced lemongrass at whole foods.  Yes, I’m lazy :)  If you don’t want to use the canned lemongrass, then substitute it with one stalk of fresh lemongrass.

 

Place 2 pieces of parchment paper on a baking sheet.  Fold each piece of parchment paper in half to create a crease and then unfold.

 Place 2 halibut fillets on one half of each piece of parchment paper.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Add a large dollop (~2 tbsp) of thai pesto on top of each fillet.  Fold the open sections of the parchment paper over one another to create a packet.  Do the same for the other piece of parchment paper.  Ensure that you have a good seal so the fish will steam properly.

Tip: For a detailed tutorial on how to create a parchment packet, visit the Reynolds website at http://www.reynoldsparchment.com/basics-how-packet.asp.

Place the baking sheet and packets into the oven and roast for 12 mins at 400F.  Remove from oven and let set for 5 mins. 

 

Once you cook fish en papillote, you’ll realize why it is one of my favorite ways to cook fish.  It is almost impossible to overcook it.  The fish turns out so moist and flaky that it practically falls apart.  That being said, be sure to use a spatula to move fish from the packet to a plate so that it doesn’t fall apart on you (I learned that the hard way). 

For a quick and easy meal, you can add frozen or fresh veggies to the packet and place the fish on top.  I used frozen haircot verts (french green beans), because that is what I had but you could use snap peas, carrots, broccoli, or really any vegetable you have a taste for.  

I hope you enjoy this pesto!  It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.  You can use it in pastas, as a dip, or on chicken.  It is very versatile so it’s well worth making extra whenever you make it. 

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