Name: Coconut Curry Shrimp
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1 lb shrimp (peeled and deveined); salt (to taste); 1 ts pepper (freshly ground); 1/4 cup coconut oil; 2 cloves garlic (minced); 1 tbsp fresh ginger (minced); 1/4 cup onion (diced); 1/4 cup green bell pepper (deseeded and diced); 1/2 cup tomatoes (deseeded and diced); 6 cardamom pods (crushed); 3 tbsp curry powder; 2 ts Tabasco habanero pepper sauce (or use your favorite hot pepper sauce or omit if you prefer a milder curry ); 2 cups seafood or chicken stock; 2 cups coconut milk; 2 tbsp cilantro (chopped)

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Belizean cuisine has been influenced by so many diverse cultures. It truly is a melting pot. Some of these include Maya, Chinese, Lebanese, Mennonite, Carribean, British, East Indian, and Creole.

Located on the Caribbean Sea, it is obviously a place that is rich with delicious seafood…conch, spiny lobster, grouper, and shrimp to name but just a few.

The dish I would like to share with you is Coconut Curry Shrimp, and the recipe is from my Flavors of Belize cookbook, which I bought during a trip to Belize in 2013.

The trip to Belize was in a word INCREDIBLE. Beautiful people, animals, flora, food, sea, and culture…it was everything I wanted in a vacation and more.

Lamanai Mayan Ruins Belize — Lamanai Mayan Ruins, Belize

Elvi’s Kitchen – Ambergris Caye, Belize

During our trip, we were privileged to dine at Elvi’s Kitchen, on Ambergris Caye. Elvi’s Kitchen is one of the most famous and popular restaurants on Ambergris Caye, Belize’s largest island. Elvi’s Kitchen restaurant’s floor is completely sand and it is so fun to run your toes through it whilst eating!

Scroll through the Instagram post below to see some photos of our dining experience at Elvi’s.

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A few years ago we visited Belize, and one of the most memorable dining experiences we had was at Elvi's Kitchen. Elvi's Kitchen is one of the most famous and popular restaurants on Ambergris Caye, Belize's largest island. Elvi's Kitchen restaurant's floor is completely sand and it is so fun to run your toes through it whilst eating! I have included here some pics of their menu, as well as the sand floor, and the food that we enjoyed that day. The incredible appetizer is called Wasaviche, an Asian twist on ceviche which included wasabi, ginger, and soy sauce. Look at the topping on the ceviche! If anyone knows how to make this topping please can you send me some instructions? 🙂 The main course was the Belizean taco. These were fish grilled with a spiced rub, served on a fry jack, and topped with a basil mayo slaw. BTW fry jacks are one of the most popular foods in Belize, and are puffy and crunchy dough pieces that have been deep fried…yum. 🙂 One other claim to fame for this restaurant is that Prince Harry visited. They have his picture displayed prominently on the wall. 😊 So in the next few days I'm going to attempt a Belizean taco to recreate the experience we had at Elvi's…wish me luck! Cheers everyone, Grace #belizetravel #ambergriscaye #elviskitchen #belizeancuisine #sanantonioblogger #safoodie #traveltheworld #foodandtravel #belizeantaco #fryjack #foodpost #foodposts #foodie #eattheworld #travelblogger #letstravel

A post shared by Grace Stewart (@explore_cook_eat) on Oct 8, 2019 at 6:34pm PDT

So we dined on Belizean tacos and Wasaviche when we went to Elvi’s. In addition to buying this food, we also bought my most favorite souvenir/memento of our trip from Elvi’s…the Flavors of Belize cookbook.

Flavors of Belize Cookbook

I have been cooking up some recipes from this book and my absolute favorite recipe is Coconut Curry Shrimp, from Elvi’s Kitchen. I am absolutely thrilled that they are allowing me to publish their amazing recipe to share with everyone!

This recipe includes curry powder, cardamom, Creole sauce, ginger, and garlic. I was blown away by how amazing the flavors were, and since I am a huge fan of curries, I knew this would be a dish that I would fall in love with. 🙂 I think you will too.

Please note, I have substituted the Creole sauce with Tabasco, as unfortunately I don’t have permission to publish the Creole sauce recipe. You may consider this recipe from Food.com for Belizean Style Habanero Sauce if you would like to make your own.

A HUGE thank you to Elvi’s Kitchen! And please if you visit Belize, you MUST make a beeline to Elvi’s Kitchen, the most amazing restaurant on Ambergris Caye, Belize!!!

Other Belizean Recipes You May Enjoy

From Belize: Belizean Stewed Chicken

Recipe from Belize: Belizean Rice and Beans

Belizean Stewed Beans

Coconut Curry Shrimp

Elvi’s Kitchen, Ambergris Caye, Belize

This Coconut Curry Shrimp will blow your mind! It is a recipe from Elvi's Kitchen, a most amazing restaurant on the island of Ambergris Caye, Belize. If you love shrimp, this will become a favorite!!

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 25 mins

Total Time 40 mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Belizean

Servings 4 people

Ingredients

1 lb shrimp peeled and deveined
salt to taste
1 ts pepper freshly ground
1/4 cup coconut oil
2 cloves garlic minced
1 tbsp fresh ginger minced
1/4 cup onion diced
1/4 cup green bell pepper deseeded and diced
1/2 cup tomatoes deseeded and diced
6 cardamom pods crushed
3 tbsp curry powder
2 ts Tabasco habanero pepper sauce or use your favorite hot pepper sauce or omit if you prefer a milder curry
2 cups seafood or chicken stock
2 cups coconut milk
2 tbsp cilantro chopped

Instructions

Season shrimp with salt and pepper. Heat coconut oil in cast-iron pot or frying pan. Add garlic, ginger, onion, bell peppers and tomato. Cook until tender, about 5 minutes.
Add cardamom pods, curry powder and Tabasco (if using). Stir well. Add shrimp, saute for 5 minutes and set aside. Add stock and coconut milk to sautéed vegetables and reduce over medium heat for approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
Return shrimp to stock, add fresh cilantro and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.

Notes

Serve this on a bed of freshly cooked white rice, and complement with some fried ripe plantains! The original recipe calls for using 2 ts of creole pepper sauce, so you may use this instead. However, for ease of preparation I opted to use Tabasco. Either way, you will enjoy this amazing dish from Elvi’s Kitchen!

Keyword coconut, Curry, Shrimp

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