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Garlic Shrimp with Mango Cucumber Salsa and Coconut Rice is created with garlic and orange juice marinated shrimp that are quick sauteed and served with a bright and beautiful Mango, Cucumber, and Tomato Salsa. The tropical, summer flavors are complimented with tender, flavorful coconut rice.
Looking for ways to use up the summer bounty of tomatoes and cucumbers? Garlic Shrimp with Mango Cucumber Salsa and Coconut Rice combines those flavors when they are at their best and brings them to life in an unique, tropical way.
I love the combination of mango and shrimp. The sweet, savory, with a bit of heat for interest just really works for me. Two of my favorite recipes that I make on a regular basis are Spicy Shrimp and Mango Tacos and Asian Shrimp Cakes with Mango and Honey Sriracha Sauce.
Despite the flavor combinations seeming unusual, this is a dish that even my picky boys will eat and ask for seconds on.
This is an easy meal to put together. It works well for a weeknight, has a very quick cook time, and while the overall feel of the dish seems quite tropical, the ingredients are pretty common and easily found at most grocery stores. It can also be a unique but simple and sophisticated company-worthy meal.
How to make Garlic Shrimp with Mango Cucumber Salsa and Coconut Rice
Begin by making the Mango and Cucumber Salsa.
The salsa is very easy to assemble and just requires some mincing and dicing of mango, cucumber, tomato, green onion, and garlic. Add honey, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, cayenne pepper, and salt and stir together. The salsa benefits from having half and hour to an hour to sit at room temperature and marinate.
How to cut up a mango
Peel the mango with a vegetable peeler. Locate the seed, and slice the along the front and back of the two wider sides to remove the largest portions of the mango flesh. Slice off the remaining mango without cutting into the seed and then dice as needed.
Next, mix peeled and deveined raw shrimp with minced garlic, balsamic vinegar, orange juice, lots of fresh minced garlic, and a little cayenne pepper.
The shrimp only needs 15-20 to absorb the marinade flavors. Don’t marinate for longer then 20 minutes or the citrus will start to cook the shrimp. We don’t want to make ceviche.
Heat a large non-stick skillet or fry pan to a high heat. Add 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and then the shrimp into the pan, spreading them out to a single layer.
Let the shrimp cook without disturbing them for 1-2 minutes until the bottom half is no longer translucent.
Quickly flip the shrimp to sear the other side for about 30 seconds and them remove them from the pan into a bowl so that they do not continue to cook.
Shrimp is very easy to overcook, but cooks so fast, it is hard to under cook. Error on the side of underdone as over can made for a tough, rubbery shrimp.
Make the coconut rice by adding two cups of uncooked jasmine rice to a rice cooker with one 13.5 ounce can of coconut milk. Fill the empty can of coconut milk with water and add to the rice cooker and press start. The coconut milk with an equal portion of water creates a fragrant, slightly sweet, slightly sticky rice that is really subtle, but incredibly delicious. It’s perfect with so many Asian inspired dishes in place of plain white rice.
What is coconut milk and which one should I choose?
Coconut milk is pureed coconut mixed with water. Unsweetened coconut milk will only have coconut, water, and guar gum for stability on the ingredient label. Do not be confused by cream of coconut, coconut cream, or coconut water. Thai Kitchen, Imperial Dragon, and Chaokoh are common brands. An informative article by Bon Appetit can be found here about the differences.
When you use a can opener to open the top of a can of coconut milk, there is often a top layer that is thicker and more solidified, like butter, with a liquid below. Stir the two layers together with a butter knife to combine before pouring into the rice cooker.
Serve the shrimp and rice warm with the room temperature or chilled mango salsa and garnish with sliced green onions.
If you liked Garlic Shrimp with Mango Cucumber Salsa and Coconut Rice as much as I do, make sure you check out Fettuccine Pasta Alfredo with Shrimp and Thai Red Curry with Fish and Shrimp.
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Garlic Shrimp with Mango Cucumber Salsa and Coconut Rice
Garlic Shrimp with Mango Cucumber Salsa and Coconut Rice is created with garlic and orange juice marinated shrimp that are quick sauteed and served with a bright and beautiful Mango, Cucumber, and Tomato Salsa. The tropical, summer flavors are complimented with tender, flavorful coconut rice.
Ingredients
Mango Cucumber Salsa
- 2 mangoes – peeled and diced, pit removed
- 1 cup cucumber – peeled and diced
- 1 cup tomato – diced
- 1/2 cup green onions – sliced
- 1 clove garlic – finely minced
- 1/4 cup honey
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar flavored balsamics are ok – ie peach or raspberry
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Shrimp and Marinade
- 2.25 pounds shrimp – raw, peeled, deveined
- 1/4 cup orange juice – fresh squeezed
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 6 cloves garlic – finely minced
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt – added while cooking
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Coconut Rice
- 2 cups jasmine rice – uncooked
- 13.5 ounces coconut milk 1 can
- 13.5 ounces water
Instructions
Mango Cucumber Salsa
Combine the salsa ingredients and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Shrimp and Marinade
Combine shrimp and marinade ingredients.
Let shrimp marinate for 15-20 minutes.
Heat a large non-stick saute pan or frying pan to a high heat.
Add olive oil to hot pan and swirl to coat the pan.
Spread shrimp in a single layer, sprinkle with salt, and cook undisturbed for 1-2 minutes until the bottom half is not longer translucent.
Flip the shrimp in the pan and cook for another 30 seconds and immediately remove from the pan into a bowl. Do not overcook.
Coconut Rice
Spray the interior of the rice cooker with non-stick spray. See recipe notes if not using a rice cooker.
Add rice, coconut milk, and water to the rice cooker and stir together.
Cook to rice cooker specifications.
Recipe Notes
Alternative rice cooking methods may be used without changing the Coconut Rice ingredient proportions.
Nutrition facts are approximate.
Wife, Mother, and Food Obsessor. I love being inspired with fresh, seasonal ingredients and relish every opportunity to elevate my home cooking. Join me!
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