Coconut Curry Shrimp and Scallops Over Island Rice

This is the new recipe I made for our Christmas dinner this year.

 For the rice, I toasted 1 C. of sliced almonds in the oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes then set them aside to cool.

 Next, I made the curry sauce by cooking 1/2 of a diced Spanish onion and 4 diced garlic cloves in 2 T. of butter.

 Add 1 tsp. chipotle pepper, 1/2 tsp. Spanish paprika, 1/2 tsp. curry powder and cook for 1 minute.  Then add 1/3 C. of chicken broth, 2 C. coconut milk and 1/2 tsp of salt.  Cook for 15 minutes at a low boil.  Puree in a blender.

 Keep warm until ready to serve.

 You can make any kind of rice you want to.  I sauteed 1 C. of diced onion and 1 T. diced garlic in 2 T. olive oil.  Add 2 C. basmati rice and cook stirring for 1 minute. Add 3 C. of chicken stock and 2 C. of coconut milk.  Cover the pot and place in a 350 degree oven for about 50 minutes.  Remove from the oven and stir in 1/2 tsp. salt, the toasted almonds and 4 T. butter.  Stir until the butter melts.

 Season the shrimp and scallops with pepper and sea salt and brown them on one side in a bit of olive oil in a heavy skillet. Turn them over and pop the pan in the 350 degree oven for 3 minutes.  Remove them from the oven and serve them with the rice and the curry sauce.  I plated them using a ring mold and poured the sauce around the rice and then placed the seafood on top and added a bit of arugula.