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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
So fast and delicious! My kids who don’t care for coconut milk even enjoyed it. My very picky girl rated it a 7/10 which is high for her!
I am so happy to hear that, Avon! Thank you so much for trying this one! xTieghan
Dish is delicious !
Thank you so much Nancy! xTieghan
Really good! Doubled the recipe and my family loved it! I added more lime than it called for and it balanced out the buttery taste
Love to hear that! Thank you Emily! xTieghan
This has to be my favorite recipe of yours to date (and I’ve had a lot!). This sauce is so amazing, we tried it on mussels and scallops after we had it with the shrimp. We loved it with the mussels because it was great for dipping the bread in. You really taste every flavor here, it’s sweet, garlicky, a little hint of spice. It’s just amazing!!! Obsessed
Thank you so much Hannah! xTieghan
Every week, my husband and I go to my in-laws for dinner, which has been dubbed “Seafood Sunday.” This recipe has been a GO-TO! We’ve made it may times and usually eat over rice or sauteed spinach. Keep ’em coming!
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Wow love that!! I am so glad this has been turning out so well for you all! Thank you Erin! xTieghan
This was amazing! Everyone in the family loved it. It took me longer than 10 minutes to prep everything but very quick to make once everything was prepared. One of my sons is looking forward to eating just the rice with the sauce as leftovers tomorrow. 🙂 He wasn’t sure about the combo of the shrimp dish plus the mango salsa as a topper but the combo was truly incredible and complimentary. I made enough for 8 servings which meant I used lots of shrimp. Have you ever prepared this sauce for chicken, beef or pork? I’m considering trying it so I can make this dish more often at a more affordable cost. Thanks for the recipe!
Hey Felice,
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe! I haven’t tried this with chicken, but I would use about a pound of meat. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
My husband and I LOVE this recipe. It’s in our rotation. Shout-out to this blog and a fellow CO girl…my friends and I are seriously obsessed w your recipes. I have a friend coming over who doesn’t like shrimp. Think I could sub chicken in this recipe, just once? 😉
Aw that is so amazing to hear, Christine!! I hope you all continue to love my blog! Also, yes go for it! Let me know if you have any questions! xTieghan
This was one of the best meals I’ve made. Truly delicious. The flavors are perfectly balanced. And that salsa—it really added to the dish and brought a complexity to it that was fantastic! I used mango and pineapple together in the salsa and it was yummy. And I didn’t have cilantro, so I used basil for the shrimp and for the salsa—totally fine! We really really loved this!!
Thank you so much Doris!! I am so happy to hear that! xTieghan
Made this a couple of nights ago! Loved the mango salsa but I will use less cilantro next time. Husband ate his with pico de gallo. It was even better as leftovers. Flavors seemed to layer more. At his request, making soon for my dad
That is so amazing! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
I don’t have regular honey (only creamy cinnamon one) – can I use maple syrup or agave instead?
Hey Gosia,
Yes either of those would work well! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
A HUGE HIT! So yummy and this will be added to my rotation of dishes! We have 5 kids, so are usually happy with 75% approval rating — this was 100%. I added some red pepper to round it out a bit (added to the hot pan and took it out before cooking the shrimp). One thing — your photo seems to show the raw shrimp marinating in the garlic/jalapenos, but the instructions say these things are added later, and at different times (a little pet peeve when instructions and photos don’t align).
Wow that is so amazing to hear! I am so glad this turned out so well for you, Sarah! Thank you! xTieghan
So I’m having a dinner party Saturday night first one in several months. I’ve made a few of your dishes I’ve loved everyone I’m going to make this for the first time any tips?
Hi Tammy,
I would just follow the recipe as is and you should be good to go! Hope its a hit! xTieghan
Delicious! I served over cauliflower rice.
You put together the most amazing flavors, thank you!
Thank you Margaret!! xTieghan
This dish is a flavor sensation! There was not one ingredient that overpowered another; it was just a beautiful combination of flavors that came together in the most spectacular way! The shrimp with the sauce and rice are fantastic, but when you add the salsa it takes it over the top! Loved everything about this recipe!! Thank you!!
Yes!! I am so glad this turned out so amazing for you, Christine! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan
I made this tonight and it turned out perfectly. We loved the sauce. Thank you!
Thank you so much Maris! xTieghan