Panang Curry with Scallops, Crab, and Shrimp

Panang Curry with Scallops, Crab, and Shrimp is a rich and flavorful Thai dish that combines seafood with a creamy, mildly spicy curry sauce.

Here’s a breakdown of what it typically includes:

Panang Curry: A type of Thai red curry that’s usually thicker and slightly sweeter than traditional red curry. It’s made with ingredients like red chilies, lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves, garlic, shallots, coriander, and peanuts or ground nut ingredients. Coconut milk gives it that signature creamy texture.

Seafood mix: Scallops, crab, and shrimp bring a delicious ocean taste and a variety of textures—from the tender sweetness of scallops, to the delicate crab, to the juicy shrimp.

Vegetables and herbs: You might find bell peppers, basil, or kaffir lime leaves added for freshness and aroma.

Serving: Typically served with jasmine rice or sometimes rice noodles to soak up the sauce.

It’s a decadent Thai dish—both creamy and spicy—with a strong aromatic quality and a luxurious seafood flavor.

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Prep Time 20

Cook Time 20

Total Time 40

Course Appetizer, Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine Asian, International, Thai

Servings servings

Calories 281 kcal

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Ingredients

For the curry sauce

2 tbsp Panang curry paste store-bought or homemade
1 can coconut milk full-fat preferred, 14 ozs
1 tbsp vegetable oil or coconut oil
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tsp palm sugar or brown sugar
1 tsp lime juice optional, for brightness
4 Kaffir lime leaves finely sliced, optional but aromatic
½ cup seafood stock or chicken stock, adjust for consistency

Seafood

12 large shrimps peeled and deveined
8 fresh scallops
1 cup cooked crab meat or lump crab
1 tbsp fish sauce for marinating seafood
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Vegetables

1 red bell pepper thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper thinly sliced
½ small onion thinly sliced
½ cup Thai basil leaves or sweet basil

To serve

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Instructions

Toss shrimp, scallops, and crab lightly with 1 tbsp fish sauce and a bit of pepper. Set aside.
Heat the oil in a deep skillet or wok over medium heat. Add the Panang curry paste and stir for 1–2 minutes until fragrant.
Slowly pour in ¾ of the coconut milk. Stir until the paste is well incorporated and the oil begins to separate slightly—this deepens the flavor.
Stir in fish sauce, palm sugar, and lime leaves (if using). Taste and adjust balance: you want creamy, spicy, slightly sweet, and salty harmony. Add stock if it feels too thick.
Toss in sliced peppers and onions. Simmer for 2–3 minutes until slightly tender but still colorful.
Add shrimp and scallops first. Simmer for about 3 minutes until just cooked. Then gently fold in the crab meat to warm through.
Stir in the remaining coconut milk and Thai basil. Simmer 1 more minute. Taste and adjust with extra fish sauce, sugar, or lime juice as needed.
Spoon the curry over steamed jasmine rice. Garnish with cilantro, extra lime leaves, or a drizzle of coconut milk on top.

For a vegetarian version, replace the seafood with tofu, mushrooms, and eggplant.

Adjust spice level by adding more or less curry paste.

Panang curry tends to be thicker than red curry—don’t be afraid of a rich texture!

Start Cooking

Disclaimer

Some parts of recipe maybe AI-generated. Recipe pictures are examples of recipe and represent no affiliation with photographer.

Nutrition

Calories: 281kcal (14%)Carbohydrates: 9g (3%)Protein: 16g (32%)Fat: 22g (34%)Saturated Fat: 18g (113%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 82mg (27%)Sodium: 1054mg (46%)Potassium: 571mg (16%)Fiber: 2g (8%)Sugar: 4g (4%)Vitamin A: 2385IU (48%)Vitamin C: 66mg (80%)Calcium: 103mg (10%)Iron: 4mg (22%)