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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 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.
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.
Watch the How-To Reel
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!
This post was originally published on April 6, 2020
I just made this tonight, amazing. I’ve made so many of your meals but this is the first I’ve commented. You are a household favorite! This was an amazing sauce and it went really well with sautéd broccoli as well. Spicy enough to know it’s there, but not too spicy where you’re chugging water. I will be making this again. Thanks for all your creative recipes. You are my go to blogger for food!
Aw wow that is so amazing to hear! Thank you so much Jena! I hope you continue to enjoy my recipes! xTieghan
This recipe is delicious and so easy to put together.
Thank you.
Thank you so much Christine! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Made this today for a quick lunch when we were short on fresh groceries but had frozen shrimp! Had to sub Worcestershire sauce for soy sauce and omit the basil/cilantro at the end (really low on groceries), but still turned out flavorful. Love these easy recipes.
Thank you so much Smita! I am so glad you loved these! xTieghan
Would it be weird to use maple syrup? I can’t use honey for our 7 month old but I’m not sure if the flavour would throw it off.
Hi Jordan! No, I am sure it will taste great! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Don’t laugh, I am going to try this with tofu. We used up the shrimp and am trying to stay away from the store a bit longer. I think it will be fine! Thanks for brightening our inboxes, Tieghan,
Hi Lori! I hope you love this one!! Please let me know how it turns out for you! I hope you are staying well! xTieghan
Made this last night and my husband and little sister LOVED it!! Leftovers for lunch today, thanks so much for the recipe! Just got my copy of your first cookbook in too, so excited to start cooking through it! Just discovered your blog a few weeks ago on Pinterest and absolutely in love! Thank you for all your efforts as us amateurs are relying on home recipes more than ever right now! not all heroes wear capes :). P.S. for the other commenter, I used frozen shrimp too, just had my husband take it out and run some water over it and it was fine lol I’d probably add the shrimp last next time just to reduce its cook time since it doesn’t take long to overcook.
Hi Lorie! Welcome! I am so glad you are enjoying my blog and hope you love all of the recipes in the book! Thank you so much! Stay well! xTieghan
This looks amazing! I’m off for my grocery run as we’re basically out of fresh food now in a minute – fingers crossed! Stay safe xx
Thank you so much Rachel! I am so glad this recipe spiked your interest! I hope it turns out amazing for you! xTieghan
Wow! simple, fresh and Excellent flavor. Everyone loved it. Saw the recipe and was able to get some good shrimp served it with rice& a simple green salad Big hit in our “stay at home” family. Love a new fun easy recipe. Lot and lots of home cooking going on around here and this is added to the rotation of recipes! Thank you.
Hi Joan! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! Thank you so much! I hope you are all staying well! xTieghan
great idea for a quick dish, color bonus points too! Coconut milk is a nice tweak too, thank you!
Thank you so much Sabrina! That is so amazing! xTieghan
I needed this tonight! It’s our anniversary, and the shrimp will be perfect with some grains and frozen peas, maybe! Gotta go check the freezer! Thank you!
Yes! I hope you both love this recipe Jen! Thank you! xTieghan
oh my god… these look sooo good!! ahhh im drooling! love me some shrimp
http://dorky-and-weird.blogspot.com/
Stay safe!
Beijinhos Jessy
Ooooh! This looks fantastic. Will definitely have it on the to do list, but closer to the weekend. @Nan – you could substitute olive oil and cauliflower for rice and butter to make a lighter version. My mom has to modify her diet for glucose issues as well, and frequently has cauliflower instead of rice. 🙂
Thank you Aline! I hope you love this! xTieghan
I desperately want to make that but will wait until I talk to my doctor tomorrow; honey, butter and rice are off the menu but maybe if I skip the rice the honey and butter would be okay. I don’t use cilantro; they say that for some of the population it tastes like soap but it doesn’t taste like anything to me, I simply don’t taste it. I don’t have lime.
Hi Nan! I hope you are able to make this, but of course your health comes first!! I hope you are staying well! xTieghan
This looks amazing! Do you think Heaven cream would work instead of coconut cream? Or would it be too heavy or separate?
Hi Jennie,
Heavy cream is a good substitute! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Looks great but I only have frozen COOKED shrimp. It won’t absorb all the yummy flavors as much but I’m assuming I can still use it. It’s all I’ve got ?♀️. Any advice on when to put the shrimp in the pan and how long to “cook” it?
Hi Kathi,
I would put it in add the end after the sauce is finished and just warm the shrimp through, so 1-2 minutes in the sauce. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan