Jim Breard's Shrimp Braised in Coconut Milk, Bahian Style

Shrimp Braised in Coconut Milk, Bahian Style
(2 Servings)

Ingredients:
• ¾ to 1 lb. lar ge shrimp (approximately 14 to 20)
• 2 cups of water
• Salt
• 2 or 3 Tbls of lime juice
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped
• ½ of a red bell pepper, thinly sliced and cut to about 1-inch long pieces
• 1 or 2 jalapeno peppers if you want it spicy, seeds removed, chopped fine (optional)
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1 ½ Tbls of vegetable or olive oil
• 1 can of whole tomatoes, drained, seeded and chopped, or diced tomatoes
• 1 ½ Tbls of all purpose flour
• 1 cup of unsweetened coconut milk, well stirred
• ¼ cup of green onion tops, sliced fairly fine
• ¼ cup of chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 Tbls of dende oil, if available (optional)- Brazilian Product

Directions:
• De-head, peel, and de-vein the shrimp. Save the heads and shells.
In a bowl, combine shrimp, lime juice, and salt to taste. Chill covered.
Simmer the shrimp heads and shells in water for a minimum of 15 minutes. Strain shrimp stock into a measuring cup. Discard shrimp heads and shells.
In a 3-qt. sauce pan, cook the garlic, bell pepper, and onion in oil over moderate heat until soft, about 5 minutes.
Add flour to the onion mixture and cook about 1 minute, stirring throughout. Then stir in the chopped tomatoes, coconut milk, jalapeno peppers if used, and 1 cup of shrimp stock. Mix thoroughly and simmer about 20 minutes.
Add the shrimp and simmer about 3 minutes until the shrimp are cooked. Turn off heat and sprinkle the dish with the chopped green onion tops and cilantro.
If dende oil is available, pour 1 Tbls over the cooked dish.

Serving:
• Serve over hot coconut rice or regular hot rice.