Hollywood stars are notorious for keeping strict diets, so you'd think that cooking for celebrities would be a giant headache. But that's how chef Gary Arabia has built his whole career: He's been catering in Los Angeles for more than 30 years-awards shows, movie sets, you name it. The main request by Modern Family's Sofia Vergara and fiance Joe Manganiello for a recent party was just to keep the food "lean, mean and fresh," Gary says. This shrimp dish turned out to be Manganiello's favorite of the night; the chef used curry paste to amp up the flavor without adding extra fat. We asked him to share the recipe so you can make it for your own big night.
- Level: Easy
- Total: 25 min
- Prep: 15 min
- Cook: 10 min
- Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
1 tablespoon Thai seasoning
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 red onion, minced
2 teaspoons Thai panang curry paste
24 large shrimp (about 1 1/4 pounds), peeled and deveined, tails intact
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup coconut milk
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 teaspoon chili powder or paprika
1/4 cup heavy cream
Thinly sliced snow peas or other vegetables, for garnish
Directions
- Preheat a grill to medium high. Toss the shrimp with the olive oil and Thai seasoning in a bowl. Thread onto skewers and grill until marked and just cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Set aside.
- Heat the vegetable oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, red onion and curry paste and cook, stirring, until the onion is just softened, about 1 minute. Add the coconut milk, fish sauce and chili powder; cook until reduced by half, about 3 minutes. Add the heavy cream and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 3 minutes.
- Divide the sauce among 4 plates. Arrange the shrimp on top and garnish with snow peas.
