Shrimp Vindaloo

If you love spicy & tangy seafood, this Shrimp Vindaloo is just for you! Fresh shrimp or prawns are cooked in a tangy and spicy chili-garlic vinegary paste known as Vindaloo paste. While the traditional version of Goan Vindaloo is made with pork, food enthusiasts have created dishes like this shrimp Vindaloo which is popular in the restaurants and households alike.

Since Vindaloo was inspired from the Portuguese dish – carne de vinha d’alhos, the usage of vinegar & garlic is cruicial. The dish was further customized to Indian palate with the generous usage of spices like red chilies and cumin.

The Anglo-Indian community is spread over several regions of India so you find many different versions of Vindaloo. A handful of ingredients like garlic, red chilies and palm vinegar remain the key to a aromatic vindaloo.

In this post, I share the easiest way to make a aromatic Shrimp Vindaloo. It can be served with steamed rice, Saffron rice, Poee (Goan bread), Spaghetti, artisan breads or with any flatbreads like Naan, roti, or Chapati. To round out your meal, have a bowl of yogurt or Raita and a vegetable salad.

What you need for Shrimp Vindaloo

• Shrimp or Prawns – Use either shrimp or prawns, whatever is available to you. I use fresh tiger prawns but frozen & thawed work too. Just make sure you pat dry enough with paper towels before using. Also add liquid carefully. Too much liquid can thin down the consistency of the curry.
• Vinegar – Goan vinegar/ palm vinegar, sugarcane vinegar, coconut vinegar are some of the most commonly used. Apple cider vinegar or malt vinegar are other options. I find white vinegar too strong for this recipe.
• Whole spices – Spices like cumin, cloves, mustard, black pepper, cinnamon add some heat and flavor to the sauce. Cardamom helps to tone down the vinegar well and infuses mild sweet tones. Coriander is a filler and it adds body to the curry but you may omit if you prefer not to use.
• Garlic and ginger – higher amount of fresh garlic and moderate amount of fresh ginger is used since this is a seafood dish. For best results, weigh them.
• Red chilies – I use Byadgi red chilies as these have more flavor and higher amount of heat than the Kashmiri red chilies. If using Kashmiri chilies, you may increase the number. You may substitute or top up with a mix of mild and hot chili powder, to suit your preference. Avoid using very hot chilies, unless you want a super hot dish.

Photo Guide

How to make Shrimp Vindaloo (Stepwise Photos)

Preparation

1. Deseed & break 10 byadgi or Kashmiri red chilies. Add them to a small bowl. Meanwhile in a small pot, heat 3 tablespoons vinegar and 3 tablespoons water until bubbling hot and pour over the chilies. Let them soak for 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile prepare the following:

• Peel 5 large garlic cloves (16 grams) 
• Peel & slice ¾ inch ginger (8 grams)
• Deseed & slice one medium tomato (80 grams, optional or sub with 1 tablespoon tomato paste)

3. To a grinder jar, add the following spices.

• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 inch Ceylon cinnamon piece (or use ¼ inch cassia)
• 3 cloves
• 5 black pepper corn
• ¾ tablespoon coriander seeds
• 1 cardamom pod
• ½ teaspoon mustard seeds

4. Make a fine powder.

5. Transfer ginger, garlic, soaked red chilies, vinegar and tomato.

6. Grind to a smooth paste. Taste test if you want and add more vinegar or chili powder if you want more heat. I did not add anything.

7. Fine chop 1 medium onion to make 1 cup. Rinse a sprig of curry leaves and reserve. Marinate 1 pound shrimp/ prawns (450 grams) with ¼ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon Kashmiri/ byadgi red chili powder. Cover and keep aside.

Make Shrimp Vindaloo

8. Heat a pan with 2 tablespoons oil. Add the onions & saute until golden, for 8 to 10 mins. Deglaze with 2 tablespoons of water and cook down until jammy.

9. Add the vindaloo paste & saute for 5 mins on a medium heat. Do not burn.

10. Pour half cup water and bring to a boil.

11. Cook until it becomes a thick paste and remove to a plate.

12. Heat the same pan with 1 teaspoon oil/ghee. Add curry leaves and the marinated shrimp. Cook on each side for 1 to 2 mins on a high heat.

13. Transfer the vindaloo paste and add half tsp sugar/jaggery. Mix well. At this stage I pour 1/3 cup hot water because my tiger prawns don’t release any juices. So add water accordingly, starting with lower amount & go upto 1/3 cup if you want a thin sauce.

14. Mix and cook covered on a low heat until the shrimp is cooked through, for 4 to 5 mins depending on the size. It takes on a “C” shape when they are cooked. Overcooking can make them chewy, hard or rubbery. So avoid cooking too long.

Serve Shrimp Vindaloo with plain steamed rice, saffron rice, chapati or any bread you prefer. It tastes best the next day.

Expert Tips

• Avoid leaving the salted shrimp for longer than 15 to 30 mins. Leaving them too long can affect their texture. So marinate them only before you start chopping or cooking the onions.
• Saute and cook onions really well (until soft), before adding the paste else you will end up with crunchy / undercooked onions. Deglazing and cooking them further also helps.
• If your shrimp releases moisture/juices during cooking, avoid adding additional water. I use fresh tiger prawns and mine don’t release any liquid so I use about 1/3 to 1/2 cup. This helps loosen the curry and bring it to right consistency.
• You may omit searing the shrimp seperately and add them directly to the simmering sauce.
• Vinegar kills the seafood flavor so to bring out the shrimp flavor, I prefer not to marinate them in the vindaloo paste and instead sear them.

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