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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!
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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 your peeled and deveined 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 or fresh herbs.
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.
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!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
I never write reviews. But I saw this recipe on Instagram right when I was looking for a shrimp coconut milk curry recipe, and it could not have been more perfect! I used frozen cooked shrimp, no honey (I used agave syrup), no lime (still delicious without, but I bought some for next time!), And I added snap peas and bok choy to the pan at the end to steam. I served it over brown rice. Let me tell you, this dish was everything I wanted and more!! Sweet, spicy, so flavorful!! My boyfriend and I were licking our plates. I want to make the same sauce with other proteins too, I think it would go great with chicken, fish, and tofu!
I will definitely be making this again and again, because this recipe is SO tasty and so quick!!
Oh wow that is so amazing to hear! I am so glad you both loved this recipe, Tatiana! I hope you continue to! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan! It’s your your kindergarten teacher from way back when! First of all I am so proud of you! I love reading your posts and I always pin your recipes and decided today I would make this! This was fabulous and so easy to make! The jalapeño and cayenne added just a little kick to it and was not overpowering. It was also a big hit with the family! My husband said the next time we will do linguine and add more avocado to the salsa. I bet this would be great with chicken too! We definitely will make it again! Hope you are doing well! I plan to try more of your recipes! I love anything that is quick and easy! Take care and hope your family is well! Janine Walsh aka Miss DeFranco
Hi!!! How are you?! I am so honored you like my blog and are enjoying my recipes! I hope you continue to ? . I also hope you are doing well during this time! xTieghan
This was a big hit! And so easy! served it over brown rice. YUMM! Thank you!
Thank you so much Jessica! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Can I use frozen cooked shrimp?
Hi Karen,
Yes, I would thaw these first and then add them to the sauce at the end for about 1-2 minutes just to warm them through, you do not want to overcook them. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This recipe looks amazing!?? I do however have a question, is it really spicy or just a hint of spiciness?! I love spicy food and if I can make it really spicy that would be great! Thank you!
Thank you so much Nancy! It is pretty spicy, but if you would like it hotter I would suggest keeping the seeds in the jalapeño or adding a bit more cayenne! I hope you love this one! xTieghan
Made this tonight and everyone LOVED it (even my husband who isn’t a coconut milk fan)! Came together quickly – just had all the ingredients measured out and in place before starting so the shrimp didn’t overcook. Served with brown rice and cut up avocado mixed with cilantro, lime and salt. Didn’t have any mango but was still delicious! Will definitely make again.
Thank you so much Susan! I am so glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
We made this for dinner tonight and it’s perfect!
Thank you so much Stephanie! xTieghan
This was one of our favorites! And we didn’t even have the ingredients for the mango salsa. Yummm
Thank you so much Meredith! I am so glad this one turned out so well for you! xTieghan
We made this last night for our makeshift, at home, date night after the kids were down. It was SO SO good, hit my thai food craving perfectly, was super easy and had nice fresh ingredients. The mango salsa was key and tied it all together. Thank you for sharing, we’ll definitely be making this again and I can’t wait. Thank you!!
Thank you so much Shannon! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Made this last night and it was AMAZING!! Thank you so much for sharing
Thank you! xTieghan
Holy moly this was fantastic!!! When i saw the IG story from this recipe, I HAD to make it! My fiancé and I agreed this was the best thing i have ever made! And I like to cook lots of new things! Can’t wait to eat the leftovers tomorrow ☺️ Thank you for a wonderful new recipe for us to enjoy! If you’re considering making this, just do it. If you like Thai food, you won’t be disappointed!
Thank you so much Jen! I am so glad this recipe turned out so well for you! xTieghan
One of your best recipes! I added asparagus to the pan as I didn’t have mangoes for salsa. Yum!
Thank you so much Connie! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Made this last night and it was so good!! Kids loved it too. I haven’t made a recipe of yours that hasn’t been amazing. In these crazy times I’m making them more than ever. Thank you.
Thank you Kate!! I am so glad you loved this! xTieghan
WOW. Just tried this recipe, put in some left over brussel sprouts in the mix and wow it was amazing!
Thank you so much Claudia! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Amazing flavors, plus it is quick and easy, even for this novice!! Highly recommend! 🙂
Thank you so much Lisa! xTieghan