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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
This was FANTASTIC!
The only thing I did differently was use both pineapple and mango for the salsa.
I think it would also be great with chicken and tofu.
I will be making this again and again.
I’ve said it before and I will say it again: thank you! your recipes are always delicious and make me look like a pro!
I am really glad you enjoyed this one! Thank you so much Maclean! xTieghan
This has been on the list for a while and finally made it last night. SO SO SO delicious- so many flavors and love that buttery coconut milk sauce. It was so addicting we were eating the sauce out of the pan once all the shrimp was gone. Going to be adding this to the weekly rotation!
Love that!! Thank you so much for trying this Victoria!! xTieghan
I didn’t have shrimp so I made it with tilapia and it was so good!!! I’ve made 3 of your recipes in the last 2 days and everything has been yummy. Thank you!
Love that!! I hope you continue to love my recipes, Amy! xTieghan
I have made this twice in 3 weeks. My family loves it. Topped with pineapple salsa… so good! Quick and easy!
Thank you so much Tara! xTieghan
Made this with chicken instead of shrimp because my bf doesn’t like seafood. It came out great! I’m going to have to try with shrimp when he’s not around.
Great! Thank you Helen! xTieghan
I made this the other night for my grandmother and fiancé and I’m not kidding- we could hardly get through a conversation while eating without one of us stopping and saying how amazing it was!! I could drink the sauce ? it was so easy and fun to make and I already can’t wait to make it again. Thanks so much for this recipe!
Wow!! I am so glad you all loved this one, Megan! Thank you so much for trying! xTieghan
Made this recipe 2 days ago and my kids and husband loved it!! I just used half the honey and added a little bit of paprika also as we like it spicy. Also, used only one jalapeño because of paprika. It smelled and tasted delicious!!! I used the leftover sauce next day to make penne with peas and broccoli and finished with garnishing with parsley. Kids loved the pasta. It tasted like Cheesecake Factory’s Spicy Chipotle Pasta. So, that’s a win again 🙂
Yes!! I am so glad this turned out so well for you!! Thank you so much! xTieghan
This was absolutely delicious! Wonderful combination of flavors. Definitely in my top 3 shrimp recipes, thanks!
Thank you so much Emma! That is so amazing to hear! xTieghan
Hi there! I just went to make this recipe and realized I only have a can of organic coconut cream, not coconut milk…would this be an ok substitute? PS…not one of your recipes has let myself or my family down, they are all amazing!
Hi Erika,
Yes the coconut cream should be okay in this recipe! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This was delicious as always and was a huge hit for Mother’s Day. The sauce tastes amazing with the shrimp and rice and the mango salsa brought a note of freshness to the meal. Definitely making this again!
Thank you so much Joyce! I am really happy to hear that! xTieghan
I made this tonight for supper and both myself and my wife really enjoyed it. Thank you so much.
Aw that is so great! Thank you Parry! xTieghan
All your recipes are so good, and this one was no different! Any advice for if I wanted to make the sauce thicker?
Hi Danny,
Thanks so much! You could remove the shrimp and add some cornstarch to the sauce to thicken it up a bit and then add the shrimp back in, you just don’t want to overcook the shrimp. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Oh my goodness, this is one my very favorite recipes. It’s soooo yummy, flavorful but not heavy. I’ve made it with both shrimp and chicken, both were amazing!
Thank you so much Kati! xTieghan
Super tasty and easy to make, my sauce seems a little thin, any tips to thicken it up? I don’t think I’m using the right amount of coconut milk for 1 person. What is the amount in ml?
Hi! The recipe calls for 177mL of coconut milk. Is that what you used? Please let me know! xTieghan
Just made this tonight and it was so good! Definitely fast enough to whip up after a long workday (whenever I start going back to the office!). I had to make some adjustments based on what I had on hand: frozen salmon filets defrosted the night before instead of shrimp, no ginger, jalapeño or mango salsa, but I added canned pineapple chunks. I loved the basil with this! This was so good, my husband just moved some frozen fish to the refrigerator and asked me to make it again tomorrow LOL! Thank you for the recipe!!
Wow YES! So glad you both loved this one, Sandra! I hope you continue to enjoy other recipes of mine as well! Thank you so much! xTieghan