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Sharing an easy weeknight dinner that feels extra special, 20 Minute Honey Garlic Butter Shrimp. Spicy, garlicky, gingery shrimp, pan-seared and tossed with butter, coconut milk, and sweet honey. It’s Thai inspired with a hint of Italian. Not traditional, but so DELICIOUS. Serve this simple one skillet dinner with a side rice and mango salsa. Added bonus? You only need one skillet and about 20 minutes’ time. Perfect for busy weeknights when you’re looking for something different, but still quick, healthy-ish, and of course…delicious!
I wanted to start the week off with something fun and a dish that felt a little different too. Life in quarantine has meant a lot of pantry style recipes. Which are amazing and, of course, what we all need most right now. But today, however, I just needed some fresh color.
Enter this shrimp. Yes, this is still what I consider to be a pantry style recipe. Frozen shrimp plus shelf-stable ingredients, but yet it’s light, colorful, fresh, and most importantly, so very good.
And you guys? That’s kind of all I got for my “intro” today. Honestly, there isn’t too much to report on these days, as I haven’t left home for over three weeks now. In fact, no one in our four-person family quarantine here in Colorado has gone anywhere other than the grocery store (and only twice) in over three weeks. And it’s actually been almost two weeks since our last trip. If you knew how much we normally grocery shop…once or even twice a day. You’d know that this is a long time to go without hitting up the store.
We’ll be doing a grocery restock here soon, but that’s pretty much all I have to report! My human interaction consists of zoom meetings and Instagram. It’s bare, but hey, we’re hanging in there. I feel so very thankful for you guys and this HBH community. It makes Isolation, not feel all that isolated.
Anyway, that’s it. Let’s talk shrimp.
The background.
This recipe was inspired more by my dad than anyone else. With just four of us here at home, I’ve been making more recipes based on their preferences and what they love most. He’s a huge fan of anything spicy and anything saucy. He says you can never have too much spice or too much sauce, which is probably why most of my recipes include a little bit of both.
I’ve made a few garlic butter shrimp recipes in the past, but this one is a new favorite. It’s heavily influenced by Thai flavors, but there’s also a touch of Italian with that garlic butter. It’s not traditional, but then most of my recipes aren’t traditional…so you know, what’s new? I love switching things up!
And yes, there is also a spicy, sweet mango salsa. You all know me. When I have the option to add a fruit salsa, I am adding it.
Here are the details.
As you might guess, this recipe is fast. It takes just about 20 minutes from start to finish. And it’s all made in one skillet using ingredients you hopefully have on hand right now.
It starts with pan-searing the shrimp in a little olive oil…then comes the flavor. Toss in plenty of garlic, a little ginger, and a couple of jalapeños. Then swirl in the (salted) butter. As the butter melts, the garlic caramelizes around the shrimp creating truly the most mouth-watering smell (and delicious sauce).
This is that moment you know the recipe is going to be good. Very. Good.
Once the butter has browned, stir in the coconut milk, a touch of sauce, and a bit of honey. The coconut creates a cream sauce, the soy adds a little salty flavor, and the honey balances out the spice.
Remove from the heat and finish with lime and cilantro.
Simple. Simple. But so delicious.
How do you serve this garlicky buttery shrimp?
Well, I love serving the shrimp over rice with a heavy side of that mango salsa, and some avocado too. Yes, these are fresh ingredients, so if you don’t have them on hand right now, don’t feel like you need them for this recipe. You can simply swap in the fresh ingredients you do have…any fruit would be delicious. My top picks would be mango or pineapple, but you can even just go with an avocado-based salsa.
Use what you have and make it work!
If you’re out of rice, rice noodles would be equally great. Or simply serve with crusty bread for scooping up all that buttery sauce. Delish.
Any way you serve this up it’s going to be beyond good. It’s all about that sauce. The sauce is everything.
Again, this shrimp is kind of like Italian meets Thai. A weird, but delicious mash-up that just works. It’s all things good and a nice change of pace if you’ve been eating nothing but pasta, chickpeas, and bread for the last month.
And the added bonus? This is so quick and easy to make! Yes, please! Great for a Monday, but also great for just about any other night of the week too. Hoping you all enjoy!
Looking for other quick-cooking shrimp recipes? Some of my current favorites…
Cajun Pepper Shrimp with Creamed Corn Orzo
Sheet Pan Hawaiian Pineapple Shrimp Tacos
Better Than Takeout Garlic Butter Shrimp Pad Thai
Lastly, if you make this 20 minute honey garlic butter shrimp, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Watch the How To Video:
20 Minute Honey Garlic Butter Shrimp in Coconut Milk.
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 713 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds raw jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
- 1 inch fresh grated ginger, grated (or 1 teaspoon dried ginger)
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
- 2 jalapeños, seeded, if desired, and chopped
- 4 tablespoons salted butter
- 3/4 cup canned coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons honey
- zest and juice from 1 lime
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro or basil, chopped
Mango Salsa
- 1 mango or 2 cups pineapple chunks
- 1 jalapeño, seeded (if desired), and chopped
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- juice of 1 lime
- 1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
Instructions
- 1. Pat the shrimp dry and season with salt and pepper. 2. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the shrimp and cook until pink, about 2 minutes per side. Add the garlic, ginger, cayenne, if using, jalapeños, and butter. Continue to cook the shrimp in the butter until the garlic begins to caramelize and turn light golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. 3. Add the coconut milk, soy sauce, and the honey, stir to combine, bring the mixture to a simmer, cook 2-3 minutes, until warmed throughout. Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice and zest, add the cilantro, or basil.4. To make the salsa. Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Season with salt. 5. Serve the shrimp and sauce over rice. Top with salsa. Enjoy!
So good. I have no suggestions or edits. Just make as is and enjoy !
Hey Alisha,
Awesome!! Thanks a bunch for testing this recipe out, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT
This looks so tasty! Will I need to change anything if I’ve got frozen, cooked shrimp?
Hi Hazel,
I would just make sure you are basically heating the shrimp until thawed, you don’t want to overcook it since it’s already cooked. I hope you love this dish! xT
I accidentally got “lite coconut milk” is that going to be okay in this recipe?
Hi Jaclyn,
Yes, that will be just fine for you to use! Let me know how this recipe turns out, I hope you love it! xx
Delicious! My family really enjoyed it
Hey Shannon,
Happy Friday!! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this recipe, thanks for making it and sharing your comment! xx
Made this last night -went together so quickly! I used both mango and pineapple for the salsa- why not! I did tame down the cayenne and the jalapeños but still super tasty! Flavor profile was so interesting- absolutely delish!
Hey Cindy,
Happy Wednesday!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, love to hear that it was a winner!🌞 xx
I have made a lot of HBH meals — and this may take the cake to be in my top 5. Fast + SOOO good.
Hey Kate,
Happy Wednesday!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, love to hear that it was a winner!🌞 xx
Received the ultimate compliment from my teen daughter while having this for dinner last night: “Tell Tieghan this is my favorite coconut milk recipe… EVER!” (And I must agree – SO GOOD!!!)
Lol love to hear this David!! Thanks so much for making the recipe and sharing your feedback! xT
Made this last night and was delicious! Love the flavour of the honey in the sauce. Changed a few things: added fresh parsley with the fresh basil, used coconut cream instead of coconut milk, and used Thai chilies instead of jalapeno. Will definitely make again. Thanks for the recipe!
Hey Marcy,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear that it was a hit! xx
Absolutely delicious!!!
Hey Natalie,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear that it was a hit! xx
Do you have a substitute for coconut milk??
Hey Jennifer,
Another milk that you enjoy will work for you! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
I’m not entirely sure what happened, but my butter sauce was far too thin. I made the recipe exactly according to instructions. I had to scoop the prawns out & reduce the sauce – at least 6 mins. My prawns were overdone after that. The sauce was good, but not the dish I was expecting.
Hi there,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try and sharing your review, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed! Please let me know if there is anything that I can help with! xx
This was amazing!! The sauce is lick the bowl good 🙂
Hey Sally,
Happy Monday!!⛅️ Thanks a bunch for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it turned out well for you:)
Made this last week….loved it! My son is coming next weekend and my daughter-in-law has asked if I will make it for them….so will definitely be out buying more shrimp! Love how quick and easy it is…just served it with rice and stir fried veggies.
Hey Patricia,
Happy Monday!!💐 Thank you so much for making this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it was a winner! xx
Made it again on the weekend…my son and daughter-in-law both loved it. My son particularly liked the flavor of the sauce.
Love to hear this! Thanks Patricia!! xx
I have made this several times…It’s quick and easy and always a huge hit!
Hey Emily,
Happy Wednesday! Thanks so much for making this recipe so often and your comment, so glad to hear it always turns out well for you! xx
wow gross u eat shrimp tails yuckyyyy