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Sharing an easy…let’s make this weeknight feel special…dinner, Saucy Garlic Butter Shrimp with Coconut Milk and Rice Noodles. Spicy, garlicky, and gingery shrimp, pan seared and tossed with a touch of butter and coconut milk. This dish is creamy, saucy, a touch salty, and just a little spicy. It’s served over rice noodles and comes together in no time at all (about 30 minutes). Perfect for busy weeknights when you’re looking for something a little more special, but still quick, healthy-ish, and DELICIOUS.
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Recipes like this saucy shrimp are my favorite. This shrimp has a mix of flavors, fusion food as some might say. It’s quick, it’s saucy, relatively healthy (there’s some sneaky greens in all that sauce), and just an all around delicious meal.
Traditionally garlic shrimp is more of an Italian dish, and is served simply with butter and lemons. But I wanted to put a twist on the classic and switch things up a bit.
So I threw in some Thai flavors by adding creamy coconut milk, a squeeze of fresh lime, and rice noodles. Yes, it’s different, and I will probably get criticized for this not being “authentic” over on Instagram (if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all, right?). But hey, my purpose here is to provide you guys with easy and delicious recipes, this shrimp is both, so all is good.
The shrimp is first tossed with a little olive oil, garlic, ginger, and spicy jalapeño. These are the main flavors, so if you don’t love garlic, this recipe might not be for you. And if you want to tame the spice level, just use one jalapeño.
Let the shrimp sit a few minutes and cook the rice noodles. I really love using vermicelli rice noodles, but any noodle works, so use your favorite.
Next, cook up some bacon. It adds a really deep flavor and a hint of saltiness that is delicious. Go with me on this. Now, pan sear the shrimp. The key is to remove the shrimp from the garlic marinade. If you cook the shrimp in the marinade, the shrimp with steam, and the garlic will burn. So first remove the shrimp, cook, add the butter, and then add all of that garlicky marinade. 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…so good.
At this point, I like to remove half of the shrimp and save it for topping. Honestly, you don’t have to do this step. You can instead leave the shrimp in the skillet and combine it with the coconut milk. I just like to remove some of the shrimp so that it stays crisp…and if being truly honest, for photo purposes.
Once the coconut milk has been added, the shrimp looses it’s crispness a bit. It’s also a little more visually appealing to have a few shrimp sitting atop the rice noodles. And we all know that I’m all about a visually good-looking dish…
You guys always ask if I do anything special to the food for photos, and the answer really is no. But I like to add garnishes or pull out tricks like this one…
If you have something extra saucy, or you’re making a soup and want to keep the dish both colorful and full of texture. To create a beautiful looking dish, remove a little bit of one of the main elements of the recipe. In today’s case the shrimp. But think along the lines of keeping out some of the chickpeas in a curry, or the noodles in a soup, things like that. Then reserve them for topping the dish just before serving. Again, this is not necessary for flavor purposes. But if you want to create that “Instagram worthy” food photo, this is one of my go-to tricks to really make food pop off the page, as seen in the cacio e pepe, lemon garlic chicken soup, and herb salad.
Okay, styling talk over. Moving along now.
Once I’ve removed half the shrimp from the skillet, I add the coconut milk. I know the coconut milk might seem like an odd ingredient to add, but as I mentioned, I wanted to put my own twist on a classic, and the coconut milk creates a creamy, flavorful sauce.
It’s beyond good. Especially with the rice noodles. It’s kind of like Italian meets Thai. A weird, but delicious mash-up that’s just a touch cozy, a touch on the healthy side, and all things good. And quick, which is always a very nice bonus!
If you make this saucy garlic 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 also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Watch the How To Video:
Saucy Garlic Butter Shrimp with Coconut Milk and Rice Noodles
Ingredients
- 8 ounces rice noodles
- 3 strips thick cut slices bacon, chopped
- 1 1/2 pounds raw jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1/4 cup extra olive oil
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 4-6 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
- 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
- 2 jalapeños, seeded and chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro OR basil, roughly chopped , (use you personal favorite)
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 can (14 ounce) coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 2 cups baby spinach or kale, roughly chopped
- juice and zest from 1/2 a lime
- sliced jalapeño pepper and green onions, for serving
Instructions
- 1. In a medium size bowl, toss together the shrimp, olive oil, honey, garlic, ginger, and jalapeños. Toss well to combine. 2. Cook rice noodles according to packaged directions.3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook until crisp and the fat has rendered, about 5 minutes. Remove the bacon from the pot and drain on a paper towel lined plate.4. Working with the same skillet, use a slotted spoon to scoop the shrimp out of the marinade, reserving the marinade, and into the hot skillet, season with salt and pepper. Cook the shrimp until pink, about 2-3 minutes per side. Add the reserved marinade, the butter and a large pinch of pepper. Continue to cook the shrimp in the butter until the garlic begins to caramelize and turn light golden brown, about another 1 to 2 minutes. Remove half the shrimp and reserve for topping. 5. To the skillet, add the coconut milk, 1/3-1/2 cup water, spinach, and the fish sauce. Stir to combine, bring the mixture to a boil, cook 3-5 minutes, until warmed through. Remove from the heat and stir in the lime juice and zest, and the cilantro, or basil.6. To serve, divide the noodles among bowls. Spoon the sauce and reserved shrimp and bacon over the noodles. Top with peppers and green onions. 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.
Made this tonight and it was so delicious. Followed the recipe but used coconut cream instead of milk.
Great flavors!! Will definitely make this again!
Hey Terri,
Thanks so much for making the recipe, I am delighted it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Per my husband “that was by far, one of the best things you’ve ever made.” Never made a dud recipe from this site. Thank you for making me a star home cook!
Hey Jennifer,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
This was so delicious! Easy to make, relatively healthy (I loved the kale!), and the perfect Valentine’s Day meal. I am a fan!
Hey Sam,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
Made this one tonight – two thumbs up!
Hey Shannon,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
This was so delish! Important to note- really get the noodles drained. It was a little watery but still super yummy. Added Siracha for some Zing. Yum❤️
Hey Carrie,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
Can you make this with something other than shrimp and bacon (my husband doesn’t eat either) and still make it taste wonderful
Hey Kristy,
Sure, you could make this with chicken. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi, sadly, I no longer enjoy shrimp.
Can this be made with a different meat? Thanks!
Hey Shari,
Sure, you could use chicken in this recipe! I hope you love the dish, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
What kind of peppers do you top with? And if I leave out the bacon do you recommend adding anything in its place? Thanks!
Hey Marie,
You are going to top with the sliced jalapeño peppers and you can skip the bacon:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi! Planning to make this, but no fish sauce. Any substitute for that? Thank you!
Hey Madison,
You can use some soy sauce in place of the fish sauce. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Where do you buy your shrimp from? I also live in Colorado, so just curious!
Hey Sidney,
I get my shrimp from Whole Foods. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
I’m allergic to shellfish, so I used chicken and soya sauce instead of fish sauce, this was so delicious even my picky husband loved it
Hey Debbie,
I am delighted you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
Made this for a friend for her birthday and it was a HUGE hit! Used linguini and the Italian/Thai fusion was phenomenal. Will for sure make again!!!
Hey Erin,
I am so glad the recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a try! Have a great week! xTieghan
Very delicious!
Thanks so much Nicole! xTieghan
Late to the party but this recipe is such a big hit! I’ve made it several times and end up making double because everyone wants seconds. So delicious and comforting.
I am, however, out of shrimp and was wondering if I could substitute another fish like cod or salmon? Thank you! <3
Hey Annalee,
I am so thrilled the recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a go! Sure, any fish you like would work here. Happy Friday! xTieghan
I made this tonight for dinner. So incredibly delicious! I can’t wait to eat the left overs! Thank you for another great recipe!
Hey Elle,
I am so thrilled the recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for giving it a go! Happy Friday! xTieghan