Before presenting today’s recipe, I want to highlight one of the spices featured in the dish. Coriander, popular in Indian, Latin, and Asian dishes, is a spice with lemony flavor and a floral aroma. This spice is the seed of the coriander plant, which most of us know as cilantro or Chinese parsley. We usually have cilantro growing in our herb garden, as we love to use it in Mexican cuisine. On the occasions that I have been lax in my deadheading of the herbs, our cilantro plants have gone to seed and we were rewarded with coriander seeds that we then allowed to dry on the plant before harvesting. But normally, we use the fresh cilantro so much that the plant never has gets to the flowering and seed production stages.

Onto the recipe. This is a pretty fast dinner recipe that packs in a ton of flavor using coriander seeds and other Indian-inspired spices. The spice mix is a fragrant combination of cumin, coriander, turmeric, cayenne, and fresh ginger that coats the grilled shrimp. The shrimp is served with a lightly sweetened, vinegar-spiked cucumber salad. Serving it over rice allows the grain to soak up all those delicious flavors on the shrimp & in the salad.

Indian-Spiced Shrimp with Cucumber Salad

Indian-Spiced Shrimp with Cucumber Salad (adapted from realsimple.com) Total Time Required: 30 minutes, Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 pounds large raw shrimp, peeled & deveined
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 3-1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 3 teaspoons grated fresh ginger, divided
• 1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
• 1 large cucumber, sliced into half-moons
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 3 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1-1/2 cups uncooked basmati or white rice

Instructions:

Cook the rice according to the package directions to yield 3 cups of cooked rice.

Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. In a medium bowl, combine the cumin, coriander, turmeric, cayenne, 1 teaspoon of the ginger, and 1 teaspoon of the salt.

Combine the spices to coat the shrimp.

Mix thoroughly, then add 2 tablespoons of the oil to the mix.

Add the oil to the spice mixture.

Toss the shrimp with the spice mixture until they are evenly coated. Thread the shrimp onto skewers and grill them for 3 minutes.

Thread the spiced shrimp onto skewers.

Flip the shrimp skewers over and grill them for an additional 2 minutes, until they are pink and cooked through.

Grill the shrimp.

Meanwhile, toss the cucumber, honey, parsley, and vinegar, with the remaining 1-1/2 tablespoons of oil, 2 teaspoons of ginger, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a large bowl until it is all well combined.

Put together the cucumber salad.

Divide the rice between 4 bowls, top each serving with the cucumber salad.

Top the rice with the cucumber salad.

Add the shrimp to the bowls and serve.

Add the grilled shrimp to the rice & cukes.

An easy, quick, and delicious dinner!

The Indian spices and marinated cucumbers make this shrimp dish something special!  ~Linda

Indian-Spiced Shrimp with Cucumber Salad (adapted from realsimple.com) Total Time Required: 30 minutes, Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 pounds large raw shrimp, peeled & deveined
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 3-1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 3 teaspoons grated fresh ginger, divided
• 1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
• 1 large cucumber, sliced into half-moons
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 3 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
• 1-1/2 cups uncooked basmati or white rice

Instructions:

Cook the rice according to the package directions to yield 3 cups of cooked rice.

Preheat the grill to medium-high heat. In a medium bowl, combine the cumin, coriander, turmeric, cayenne, 1 teaspoon of the ginger, and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Mix thoroughly, then add 2 tablespoons of the oil to the mix. Toss the shrimp with the spice mixture until they are evenly coated. Thread the shrimp onto skewers and grill them for 3 minutes. Flip the shrimp skewers over and grill them for an additional 2 minutes, until they are pink and cooked through.

Meanwhile, toss the cucumber, honey, parsley, and vinegar, with the remaining 1-1/2 tablespoons of oil, 2 teaspoons of ginger, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a large bowl until it is all well combined.

Divide the rice between 4 bowls, top each serving with the cucumber salad. Add the shrimp to the bowls and serve.