Shrimp in Roasted Goldenberry Sauce
Healthy goldenberries (aka Peruvian ground cherries, pichuberries, etc.) provide the flavorful foundation for this Shrimp in Roasted Goldenberry Sauce. Their sweet-tart flavor is complemented by ají amarillo chile paste and cilantro. Shrimp, diced sweet potato, and English peas round out the dish. Served with rice this savory goldenberry recipe is easy enough for a weeknight, but equally suitable for a dinner party!
Goldenberries are my current ingredient obsession! I started with a fresh goldenberry pico de gallo, followed by a simple recipe for dark chocolate covered goldenberries. I’ve worked on but not finished a recipe for sheet pan chicken thighs with goldenberries – and other veggies.
This recipe for shrimp in roasted goldenberry sauce is really very simple. The goldenberries, onion, and garlic roast in a 400° oven for about 20 minutes. The roasted vegetables get puréed with cilantro and ají amarillo paste to make a very flavorful and savory sauce. Caramelizing the vegetables (maillard reaction) intensifies their flavors and adds a smooth sweetness to the dish.
This dish comes together so quickly. While the goldenberries roast, the diced sweet potatoes sauté. Shrimp and English peas cook so quickly, they’re perfect when time is important. If I’m focused, I can get it done in about 40 minutes.
- goldenberries – Fresh goldenberries (aka Peruvian ground cherries, cape gooseberries, Pichu berries, etc.) look like a small yellow tomatillo, and have a sweet-tart flavor that works really well in a savory sauce. You may find them with or without their papery cover (calyx).
- onion – Peruvians use a LOT of red onion, and I always have them on hand. You can substitute white or yellow onion, or shallots.
- garlic
- cilantro
- ají amarillo chile paste – I keep a jar of ají amarillo chile paste in my pantry. There really is no substitute for these bright, sunny looking chiles. You can add a jalapeño or two to the roasting pan, and purée along with the goldenberries, but the flavor will be different.
- sweet potato
- English peas – Frozen peas are fine in this dish, but I never pass up a carton of fresh ones! Remember to par-cook them as they require more time to cook.
- shrimp – Using large shrimp cuts down on prep time, but any size is fine.
- Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C). Drizzle the goldenberries, onion, and garlic with a bit of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
- When the vegetables are browning (about 20 minutes), remove from the oven and cool. Meanwhile, dice the sweet potato and prep the shrimp.
- Add the roasted goldenberries, onion, and a few of the roasted garlic cloves to the bowl of a food processor. Add the cilantro leaves and ají amarillo paste. Pulse until smooth.
- Sauté the diced sweet potato in a drizzle of olive oil until almost tender (about 5-10 minutes depending on size). They should be starting to brown…
- Stir in the roasted goldenberry sauce mixture. Bring up to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
- Add the shrimp and English peas. Stir to combine with the sauce and sweet potato. Cover the pan and cook 1-2 minutes until the shrimp begin to turn pink. Give everything a good stir, and turn the shrimp if necessary to get both sides cooked. (See Tips). Remove from the heat until ready to serve.
💭 Tips
A small dice on the sweet potato gets the dish done more quickly. To aid in the process, I usually use my food chopper. However, good knife skills can achieve the same small dice. Be careful!
How long will I need to cook the peas? If you use frozen petite peas, they’ll cook in the same amount of time as the shrimp. If you’re fortunate enough to have fresh English peas, they’ll take longer. I highly recommend par-cooking them. Just add them to a pot of boiling water (no salt), and boil for about 1 1/2 minutes. Rinse in a colander with cold water to stop the cooking process. Add with the shrimp as per the recipe.
What size shrimp should I use? The bigger the better IMHO! I hate peeling and deveining shrimp, and the bigger shrimp mean fewer shrimp to prep. You can really use any size shrimp in this recipe, but the jumbo shrimp are really striking. I serve 6 ounces per person.
How to avoid overcooking (or undercooking) the shrimp: One of the huge advantages of cooking shrimp is the short cooking time. If you’re not careful, though, you can end up with “shoe leather” shrimp. The key is to get the shrimp to turn from translucent to opaque, and the pink will look more orange than pink. Keep an eye on the crevice where the vein was removed. If it’s opaque the shrimp is done! Long story short? You can’t ignore your shrimp. 😀
🍷 Pairing Suggestions
On photo day, I served the shrimp with roasted goldenberry sauce with simple basmati rice and air fryer plantains. It was a great combination! We enjoyed a glass of pinot noir – a light-bodied, medium dry, and fruit forward red wine. It was a good pairing. A sauvignon blanc or torrontes would be a good choice in a white wine.
Peruvians eat a lot of white rice, and I was focused on perfecting the shrimp dish. Normally, we don’t eat refined carbs. Quinoa (another Peruvian staple) is a good choice as well.
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As I’ve mentioned so often, shrimp is a “go to” weeknight protein as it cooks so quickly, and it’s an excellent and very lean protein source. If you’re ready to venture into Peruvian-style cooking, this is an exciting place to start!
Shrimp in Roasted Goldenberry Sauce
A flavorful sauce made with roasted goldenberries and ají amarillo paste replete with succulent shrimp, diced sweet potato, and English peas.
Ingredients
- 5 ounces goldenberries
- 1 small red onion
- 1 bulb garlic
- A drizzle of olive oil
- 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
- 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon ají amarillo paste (see Ingredients in post)
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 medium sweet potato - small dice
- 3/4 cup English peas
- 12 ounces large shrimp - peeled, vein and tail removed
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C). Drizzle the goldenberries, onion, and garlic with a bit of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
- When the vegetables are browning (about 20 minutes), remove from the oven and cool. Meanwhile, dice the sweet potato and prep the shrimp.
- Add the roasted goldenberries, onion, and a few of the roasted garlic cloves to the bowl of a food processor. Add the cilantro leaves and ají amarillo paste. Pulse until smooth.
- Sauté the diced sweet potato in a drizzle of olive oil until almost tender (about 5-10 minutes depending on size). They should be starting to brown...
- Stir in the roasted goldenberry sauce mixture. Bring up to a simmer, stirring occasionally.
- Add the shrimp and English peas. Stir to combine with the sauce and sweet potato. Cover the pan and cook 1-2 minutes until the shrimp begin to turn pink. Give everything a good stir, and turn the shrimp if necessary to get both sides cooked. (See Tips). Remove from the heat until ready to serve.
Notes
Macronutrients are an approximation only from MyFitnessPal.com!
Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 343Total Fat: 2gCarbohydrates: 35gProtein: 43g
Becoming part of our regular dinner rotation; need to add a little broth while doing the final simmer to optimize texture and volume of sauce. Goldenberries not usually available at my regular market, but whole foods has them
I’m so glad you liked the dish Rick! When I first became familiar with goldenberries in Peru, we couldn’t get them in McAllen, Texas. However, both our HEB market and our Sprouts market regularly stock them now, and I’ve found many ways to use them! Thanks for taking time to comment!