Shrimp Tikka with Mango Chutney
There are few things that I don’t eat. At the top of the list are cucumbers and raisins. Raisins freak me out. They always have. When I was young I got the idea stuck in my head that raisins looked like shriveled up roaches and haven’t been able to eat them since. Cucumbers I can tolerate but will avoid if possible and not embarassing. If I go to someone’s house and they have slaved over a huge cucumber salad I will have a small portion as to not cause a ruckus. If they are in my Greek salad I’ll pick them out. Like I said I can tolerate them if I can’t avoid them.
I say all this to say that I volunteerly made a meal involving cucumbers! As in I went to the supermarket and BOUGHT a cucumber. I guess I was just inspired by this recipe . I found this recipe through the always great Epicurious! I love Indian food, shrimp and mangoes so I knew that it would be a winner. I thought of substituting the cucumber out for something else (jicama?) but gave up on that one.
The recipe is pretty easy both in terms of ingredients required and preparation. It’s a good one to do in stages if you won’t have enough time at dinnertime to get everything going. You can make the marinade and chutney ahead of time. I didn’t make many substitutions on this one with the exception of skipping the mint in the chutney. I often skip the mint. It usually costs about 2 bucks and I end up using a few leaves… and then what? I’ve tried freezing it but it’s never quite the same. I also didn’t skewer and grill the shrimp. Instead I pan fried them. I’m sure that grilling would have added an extra layer of crispy, smoky goodness but I was willing to go without that being an apartment dweller.
Overall a super yummy dish. A good dish to use up a not-so ripe mango which abound at this time. But really, if you live in Canada and are buying mangoes in November/December you are just asking for trouble!
Rating: **** (out of 5)
Shrimp Tikka with Fresh Mango Chutney Gourmet | June 2008
Yield: Makes 6 servings
Active Time: 45 min
For shrimp:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 (1-inch) piece fresh jalapeño, chopped (about 2 teaspoons)
1 (1-inch) piece peeled ginger, chopped
1 large garlic clove, smashed
2 teaspoons ground garam masala
3/4 teaspoons turmeric
1/8 teaspoons grated nutmeg
2 pound large shrimp in shell, peeled, leaving tail fan attached
For chutney:
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 (3/4-pound) unripe mango, chopped
1/3 seedless cucumber, peeled and chopped (3/4 cup)
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 to 2 teaspoons minced fresh jalapeño with seeds
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 tablespoons thinly sliced mint
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Marinate shrimp:
Purée all ingredients for marinating shrimp, except shrimp, with 1/2 tsp salt in a blender until smooth. Pour into a sealable bag, then add shrimp and marinate at cool room temperature, turning bag occasionally, 30 minutes. Make chutney while shrimp marinate: Toast cumin in a dry small skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Stir together remaining chutney ingredients with 1/4 tsp salt, then sprinkle with toasted cumin.
Make kebabs:
Prepare grill for direct-heat cooking over hot charcoal (medium-high heat for gas);
Thread 4 shrimp onto each skewer, leaving small spaces between them. Put on a tray.
Oil grill rack, then grill skewers, covered only if using a gas grill, turning once, until just cooked through, 4 to 6 minutes total. Serve with chutney.
Cooks’ notes:
·Shrimp can be cooked in a hot well-oiled large (2-burner) ridged grill pan, turning once, about 8 minutes total.
·Marinade can be made 1 day ahead and chilled.
·Chutney can be made 6 hours ahead and chilled.
