Recipe: Caribbean Shrimp with Allspice, Curry and Pineapple

Caribbean Shrimp with Allspice, Curry and Pineapple
Source: From Fusion Food Cookbook by Hugh Carpenter & Teri Sandison
Serves 4

1-1/2 pounds large raw shrimp*
4 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 shallots, minced
1 tablespoon finely minced fresh ginger
1 Scotch Bonnet chile or 4 fresh serrano chiles, minced (including seeds)
1 green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped
1 large vine-ripened tomato, seeded and chopped
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoon whole allspice berries, finely crushed
1/2 cup homemade chicken stock
1/4 cup dry sherry
2 tablespoons thin soy sauce
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons light-grade olive oil or cooking oil
1/2 fresh pineapple
Salt, to taste

Shell, devein, and cut the shrimp deeply lengthwise. Combine the garlic, shallots, ginger, and chile(s). In a medium bowl, combine the bell pepper, tomato, curry powder, allspice, chicken stock, dry sherry, soy sauce, cornstarch, and 1 tablespoon of the brown sugar.
Place a 10-inch saute pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the oil along with the garlic, shallots, ginger, and chile(s). Saute for 15 seconds, then add the sauce. Bring the sauce to a boil and cook until it thickens enough to lightly coat a spoon, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cool, cover and refrigerate. Cut the top and bottom off the pineapple. Cut the pineapple in half lengthwise. Cut off and discard the fibrous center core. Remove the pineapple flesh, cut in to 1/2-inch-thin slices, and set aside. The recipe to this point can be completed up to 8 hours in advance of last-minute cooking.

last-minute cooking:

Coat the pineapple with the remaining 1/3 cup brown sugar. Turn the oven setting to broil or prepare a barbecue. If using a gas barbecue or indoor grill, preheat to medium (350F). If using charcoal or wood, prepare a fire. When the coals or wood are ash-covered or the gas barbecue or indoor grill is preheated, brush the grill with oil and grill the pineapple slices until they become slightly soft and golden, about 2 minutes; then turn the pineapple over and grill on the other side. If broiling, place the pineapple on a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and broil 4 inches from the heat until golden. Then turn the pineapple over and cook on the other side until golden. Meanwhile, place a 12-inch saute pan over highest heat. When hot, add the remaining 2 tablespoons cooking oil. When the oil becomes very hot and just gives off a wisp of smoke, add the shrimp. Stir and toss until the outsides of the shrimp turn white, about 2 minutes. Add the curry-tomato sauce ingredients and bring to a low boil. Stir in the barbecued pineapple. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Transfer to 4 heated dinner plates and serve at once.

*The authors suggest that you marinate and "velvet" the shrimp in oil, as follows:

2 egg whites
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons cooking oil
1 tablespoon dry sherry
1/2 teaspoon salt

In a small bowl, beat the egg whites just until they become slightly frothy, then stir in the cornstarch, cooking oil, sherry and salt. Shell the shrimp, then split the shrimp deeply along the top ridge, rinse away the vein, and pat dry. Add the shrimp to the velvet marinade and mix thoroughly using your fingers. Refrigerate the shrimp for a minimum of 1 hour and as long as 8 hours. Place a wok over highest heat. When hot, add the cooking oil and heat until a thin slice of ginger skips across the surface (at about 350F). Stir the shrimp, then add to the oil. Cook the shrimp, stirring constantly, until the moment they turn white, about 2 minutes, then tip them into a large sieve or colander placed over a heatproof container.