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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
We loved this! Great flavors and pretty simple to make. I couldn’t find the rice ( I know.) in my pantry so I used some millet and brown rice ramen. My husband wants me to put this in the dinner rotation. He wanted me to take a picture of him licking his plate. I decline. I’m wondering if I could use frozen mango for the salsa instead of fresh. Thanks for another great recipe.
Hey Marcia,
Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
10/10 Tieghan strikes again! This tastes like a restaraunt quality meal with an essence of Thailand! My husband says it’s his favorite new meal I’ve made him during quarantine, his other favorite is HBH Thai Basil Beef. I’m so happy with how it turned out and will be adding this to my recipe collection. Thanks so much for sharing!
Hey Tiara,
I am thrilled this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! Happy Sunday! xTieghan
So easy and incredibly delicious, the sauce is heavenly!!
Thanks so much Julie! xTieghan
This was amazing- quick, easy, and fresh and flavorful. We served with the mango salsa over rice. Will definitely be making again!
Hey Ashley,
I am delighted that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for trying it out! Happy Friday! xTieghan
Simple, scrumptious and just the right spice level. I needed a veggie so added some steamed wax and green beans. Served over rice noodles to make GF. Thanks for your inspiration.
Hey Shelley,
Thank you so much for making the recipe, I am thrilled it was enjoyed! Have a great weekend:) xTieghan
Simply outstanding! We used 1 1/2 pounds of jumbo, wild caught shrimp and it was more than enough for two. The jumbo size of the shrimp ensured that they’d stay meaty and not get overcook — we did roughly 1 minute and 45 seconds per side. We also didn’t make the salsa and ate it over rice. My husband born and raised in the Philippines and loves shrimp dishes. He isn’t a picky eater per se but he will not comment on or compliment a dish unless he truly loves it — this one blew him away, a true rarity and a testament to how delicious this dish is! We’ll be making this again soon without a doubt.
Hey Jay,
Thanks so much for making the recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Have a great week! xTieghan
Hi Tiegen…..my niece, sister and I have tried so many of your recipes, excellent….this garlic butter shrimp was so good and fresh….we live in Rhode Island but ethnically from India and we cook a lot. Your recipes are well thought out, correctly spiced, quick well put together combination of fresh ingredients. I return to India in 2 weeks as I live there and will try your recipes there too.
Hey Sudha,
I am so thrilled that you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for giving it a try! Happy New Year! xTieghan
I made this for my family tonight so I doubled the recipe and it was absolutely INCREDIBLE!!! I made the salsa with canned pineapple because that’s what I had on hand and it still tasted delicious. Although it was optional, definitely recommend serving with avocado, added a creamy element! The sauce was the star of the dish, I’m gonna go eat some more after this 🙂 This was the first recipe I’ve tried from HBH and needless to say, this will not be my last!! I can’t wait to try more recipes!!
Hey Zainab,
Thank you so very much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it worked out for you! Happy New Year! xTieghan
Oh boy, this was scrumptious. We decided we’re going to make it again but larger batch and toss it with pasta because we couldn’t get enough of the delicious sauce. A new fan favorite at home! We did throw the jalapeño in a mini food processor with more coconut milk to make sure it was nice and finely chopped as the sauce is thin, would recommend that ☺️
Hey Charlotte,
Thank you so much for giving the recipe a try, I am thrilled you enjoyed the recipe! Happy New Year! xTieghan
This was simple and really flavorful. Great even without the Cilantro. It was perfect over rice and had just the right amount of heat. Thank you.
Thank you for trying this one Gabe!! xTieghan
Would this be good over ramen noodles or would it be weird?
Hey Sarah,
Sure you could serve this over ramen! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions. Happy Holidays! xTieghan
I tried making this recipe for my kids as they really love eating prawn a lot and they liked it so much that they requested me to make it again for the next weekend and all this credit goes to you thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
Thank you for trying this one! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Wow! I rarely go back to recipes and leave comments but this was beyond amazing! I can’t believe there are still novel recipes out there that are fast, new to my family and this good! I dialed it back and did only a pound of shrimp because the people in my orbit calmed that they “weren’t very hungry.” But that changed the minute we tasted this… next time I’ll double the recipe, no question. I served this over brown rice for most and my Keto husband ate it over steamed cabbage. He took a little hit on the honey but it was so protein heavy and YUMMY that he said it was totally worth a little honey. I liked this sauce so much that I’m going to try this recipe with boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breast chunks next. Thank you!
Hi Adirenne! I am really glad this recipe turned out so well for you! Thank you for trying it!! xTieghan
This was delicious and I will make again. Both my wife and I said we will probably something like pine nuts for a little texture next time. Keep on rocking the recipes Tieghan.
Thank you so much Mark! I hope you both continue to enjoy my recipes!! xTieghan
I made enough for left overs …. well that is not going to happen !!! OMG was this Delicious !! Sadly I am allergic to cilantro so used the end of my summer basil.. The flavors were amazing and the lime is certainly the co-star in this dish. What a great surprise !!
You never cease to amaze !!!
By the way … how do I get back to the link you sent yesterday for your Etsy venture. I wanted to pass it along today to friends and family and could not find my way back to it
Hi Judi! I am so happy this turned out so well for you! Thank you for trying it! Also, I am so happy you like the Etsy line! I will leave the link below! xTieghan
https://www.etsy.com/collections/half-baked-harvest?utm_medium=influencer_collections_promoted&utm_source=blog&utm_campaign=HBH20&utm_content=hbh_blog