Scrumptious Trinidad Curry Shrimp

Trinidad curry shrimp is full of flavor with spices like curry, geera, masala creating a base of flavor for the succulent shrimp to simmer down in. Pair this with some delicious rice or roti. This is the easiest curry dish you could find.

  


We can never get enough of curry you know. Coming from a multicultural country, it is one of our main food spices. We are always eating curry in some form and it is popular across all Caribbean cuisines.

We "curry" just about every protein just as much as we "stew" them. I think curry chicken is probably the most popular protein though.

What I love about the ease of this seafood curry recipe is that you get to build the layers of flavor of the curry sauce first before adding in the meat, since seafood doesn't need a lot of time to cook. Makes this is faster dinner option to prepare.

If you love making curry seafood, also check out my curry conch recipe. Another seafood curry favorite of mine.

   

Difference between Caribbean curries and other curries

Caribbean curries vary from Indian curries. Ours have higher levels of turmeric and include spices like garlic, paprika, cumin, and fenugreek.

We tend to add other spices to our blends like scotch bonnet pepper. We also use our curry to marinate our meats prior to cooking while also using it to cook with.

Indian curry blends are also very spicy curry blends. Spicier than Caribbean curries. So if you want to substitute with it, then you might leave out any additional pepper suggested in the recipe. Check out the ingredients list on the pack you have.

Indian and Thai curries themselves also have a lot of variation.

The best type of shrimp to use to curry

To get the best outcome from this dish, using medium to large shrimp is the best option. I only use small if I know I'm going to be eating this with a lot of other sides like pumpkin, and aloo. So that I can get a bit of everything in good portions.

I wouldn't use jumbo shrimp for this type of curry, because the larger you go the less shrimp you get. So for this type of dish to share with your family you want to have enough to go around.

Raw shrimp is also the better option. If you just happen to have already cooked on hand, just make sure you cut down the cooking time of the shrimp.

Ingredients for curry shrimp

  

I think the curry shrimp recipe is one of the easier curry dishes we have. It's a simple, quick dish. With a flavor profile that is built up.

• Shrimp - use the medium to large raw shrimp.
• Oil - any type you have vegetable, coconut, or canola oil.
• Bell pepper.
• Chadon beni.
• Pimento pepper.
• Onion.
• Garlic.
• Tomato.
• Black pepper.
• Potatoes.
• Curry powder - I like using chief curry powder which is a popular brand in Trinidad and Tobago. A good Jamaican curry powder brand is Betapac Jamaican curry powder.
• Geera.
• Garam masala.
• Fresh thyme.
• Scotch bonnet pepper/hot pepper/pepper sauce.
• Water.
• Green seasoning.
• Bell peppers (optional) - I normally would use a mix of red and green bell pepper in this dish if I was going to eat it with steamed rice.

How to make Trinidad curry shrimp

Making curry shrimp is almost like making curry crab since both these types of meat do not require too much cooking time. We create the base of flavor first then add the meat.

Make sure your shrimp are deveined and cleaned. Rinse them off with water.

Season with green seasoning, onions, fresh thyme, curry powder, and... set aside to marinate for about 20 minutes.

  


In a medium pot, on medium-high heat, heat your oil.

Add the garlic cloves and let them burn, as it starts to get black remove from the oil and add the cumin, turmeric, and curry powder. Mix till the spices are dark and grainy.

It is important to cook these ingredients here. It helps to activate the flavor of the spices and also it is important to cook curry.

Eating uncooked curry can cause adverse effects on your stomach. What we call "run belly". There are definitely some dos and don'ts with curry powder.

Once that is nice and grainy, add a cup of water to the curry mixture and keep simmering and let the spices mix for another 2-3 minutes.

Add the seasoned shrimp to the pot and let simmer for about 4 minutes. Lower the stove to medium heat.

Add more water, hot pepper, tomatoes, and let that simmer down for about 4 minutes.

Taste and adjust for salt, black pepper, and/or hot pepper, using hot pepper sauce to add more heat.

What to serve with Trinidad curry shrimp

 

Personally, I love my shrimp with roti. Throw in some curry channa on the side and a drop of tamarind chutney.

But it's also great with some plain white rice, basmati rice, or even brown rice.

How to store and reheat leftovers

This Caribbean Curry shrimp is not something I like to keep in the fridge for too long. Any type of curry in fact. At maximum, I would keep this for 2 days after cooking.

Store in an air-tight container.

How to reheat

The main thing is to make sure your curry is heated all the way through.

You can warm up in the microwave or on the stovetop (best method). Add a little water to the pot on the stovetop and simmer till warm.

Substitutions/Additions

Add potatoes: If you want a curry shrimp and potatoes recipe, that's easy to create. Take two Irish potatoes and cut them up into eights, add them to the pot with the shrimp near to the end, and let the potatoes cook.

Add coconut milk: If you want this to be a Trinidad curry shrimp with coconut milk, you can add some creamy coconut milk to the pot. After you have burnt the spices, add a cup of milk (in place of the hot water). This will give you a nice coconut curry sauce to simmer down the shrimp in.

I rather use a curry paste: Some people prefer to use a curry paste than a dry curry. That's okay. Just combine the curry, green seasoning, cumin, geera, and a little water or stock and make a liquid paste. Add enough water that it is not chunky.

Add some ginger: Chief curry, which is the brand i typically use, already has ginger in it so I don't really add. But if you need more ginger, grate some fresh ginger (about tablespoon) and add to the pot. If using ginger powder I would use less and add to taste.

  

Check out some other great seafood recipes:

• Jerk shrimp tacos
• Stovetop jerk shrimp
• Steamed conch
• Bahamian conch fritters
  
• Trinidad pepper shrimp

If you made and love this recipe please consider giving me a rating below and leaving a comment.

Thank you!!