Thai Inspired Creamy Coconut Shrimp
Dec 03, 2020, Updated Jun 02, 2024
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This Creamy Coconut Shrimp is full of Thai inspired flavors! An easy shrimp recipe bursting with coconut milk, basil, ginger, garlic, and fresh shrimp. Made in only one skillet and ready in 20 minutes!
One Skillet Creamy Coconut Shrimp
Add a little spice to your life with this creamy Coconut Shrimp recipe! I love how easily recipes like this garlicky, gingery, coconut shrimp skillet come together, with super-minimal cleanup to go with that super-delicious flavor. This dish is another favorite in our household, and we often switch between it and our beloved Shrimp Shumai. What’s important is that we all agree, even the littles, that one-skillet meals are near perfection!
Coconut shrimp is also healthy, and there’s a ton of luscious sauce to serve over a bed of jasmine rice, cauliflower rice, or these extra slurpable teriyaki noodles.
Ingredients You’ll Need
We will use a few basic ingredients to create this delicious shrimp and coconut recipe with Asian inspired flavors. These simple staples combine to make a flavorful coconut sauce shrimp that’s just so good!
- Olive Oil: This is for sautéing the ingredients. You can also substitute coconut oil or even avocado oil.
- Shrimp: You’ll need two pounds of fresh raw shrimp, peeled and deveined. (It’s up to you whether you want the tails on or off.)
- Salt, Pepper, and Smoked Paprika: For seasoning the shrimp.
- Diced Onion: I use a yellow onion, but you can substitute white, red, or sweet onions if you like.
- Fresh Garlic and Basil: Mince the garlic (or use a garlic press), and chop the basil leaves.
- Ground Ginger: As always, make sure your ground spices are fresh.
- Canned Diced Tomatoes: Drain the tomatoes well before using.
- Unsweetened Coconut Milk: I use canned coconut milk. Be sure to shake it well before measuring and using.
- Lime Juice: For tangy flavor!
- Garnishes: Chopped fresh cilantro and basil are wonderful garnishes for this light and fragrant dish.
Can You Use Frozen Shrimp?
You can definitely use frozen raw shrimp in this dish. Thaw them first by placing them in a colander under cold running water for several minutes. Then, peel and devein (if necessary), rinse and pat dry with paper towels, and continue with the recipe.
How To Make Creamy Coconut Shrimp
- Cook the Shrimp. Heat a tablespoon of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season your raw shrimp with salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. Cook them for about two minutes per side, or until pink and cooked through. Then, remove the shrimp from the skillet and set aside.
- Cook the Aromatics. After wiping down the skillet, set it over medium-high heat and add the remaining oil. Add the onions and cook until softened. Then stir in the garlic, basil, and ginger, and cook for about 20 more seconds, or until fragrant.
- Add the Tomatoes and Coconut Milk. Stir the drained, diced tomatoes into the onion mixture and cook for 3 minutes, or until just softened. Add the coconut milk and bring to a simmer; continue to simmer for 5 minutes.
- Return the Shrimp to the Skillet. Add shrimp to the skillet and cook for 1 minute, or until heated through. Remove from the heat and squeeze the lime juice over the shrimp. Garnish with cilantro and basil, and serve.
How To Cook Shrimp
- What size shrimp do I need? Keep in mind that shrimp can be purchased in a number of sizes and that smaller shrimp will cook even faster than larger ones, which already cook very quickly.
- Cook until pink. Raw shrimp are a dull grayish color but turn firm and pink when cooked. It can be difficult to take the temperature of shrimp correctly, but you’ll know that they are done when they are completely opaque and a nice pink color.
- Don’t overcook them. Shrimp curl up tightly and even appear to “shrink” when overcooked, so avoid cooking to that point. Overcooked shrimp have an unpleasantly tough and chewy texture.
What Goes with Coconut Shrimp
- Rice. Any saucy dish like this coconut shrimp recipe pairs perfectly with rice. You can use any rice you like, even Cauliflower Rice or my Lemon Rice!
- Salad. For a refreshing side dish, serve the shrimp with my spicy Asian Cucumber Salad or this fabulous Sesame Cucumber Salad.
- Coconut Mojitos. If you’d like to serve a cocktail, what could be better than a delicious, tropical drink like Coconut Mojitos?
- Chocolate Banana Popsicles. So maybe they’re not exactly seasonal, but Chocolate Covered Frozen Bananas are just so good! I love how the light sweetness of the fruit contrasts with the indulgently rich chocolate, and both flavors are a welcome complement to the main course.
How To Store and Reheat Leftovers
- To refrigerate. Store leftover coconut shrimp in airtight containers, and keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
- To freeze. Place leftovers in airtight storage bags or containers, leaving about 1 inch of “headspace” for the sauce to expand during freezing. Keep in the freezer for up to 2 months. The texture of the sauce may degrade somewhat due to freezing and thawing.
- To reheat. First, thaw the leftovers in the refrigerator (if frozen). Then place in a covered saucepan over low heat. While stirring frequently, cook until heated through.
ENJOY!
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Creamy Coconut Shrimp
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 2 pounds raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails on or off
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 small yellow onion, finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- 14 ounces can diced tomatoes, well drained
- 1 cup canned unsweetened coconut milk, (shake the can before opening)
- Lime juice, to serve
- Chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
- Chopped fresh basil, for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet set over medium-high heat.
- Season shrimp with salt, pepper, and paprika.
- Add shrimp to the hot oil and cook for 1 to 2 minutes per side, or until pink and cooked through.
- Remove shrimp from skillet and set aside.
- Wipe down the skillet, set it over medium-high heat and add remaining olive oil.
- To the heated oil add the onions and cook for 3 minutes, or until softened.
- Stir in garlic, basil, and ginger; cook for 20 seconds, or until fragrant.
- Add diced tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes, or until just softened.
- Stir in the coconut milk and bring to a simmer; continue to simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add shrimp to the coconut milk and cook for 1 more minute, or until heated through.
- Remove from heat.
- Squeeze lime juice over the shrimp.
- Garnish with cilantro and basil.
- Serve.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
Everybody love it! Was easy to make, I have it with basmati rice and steamed broccoli! I will make it again!
Thank you! I’m so glad you loved it! 😊 Basmati rice and steamed broccoli sound like the perfect sides. Can’t wait for you to make it again!
Delicious! I will make this again!
This has become a regular in the rotation at my house. It’s easy to make and I love that I usually have the ingredients on hand.
I enjoyed the flavor of this dish. Easy to prep and in five minutes, complete. It took longer to make my Jasmine rice! Lol.
This was seriously lacking in flavor and did not taste at all Thai inspired. The crushed tomatoes overwhelmed the dish and it was overall poorly composed. No one in my family enjoyed it.
Google sent me here since I didn’t know what to cook tonight:
We had it with noodles and absolutely loved it.
I let the mixture cook a little longer on the stove to thicken the sauce, noodles were creamy and it was well balanced in flavor overwall.
I’m so glad you found the recipe and that it turned out great with noodles! Letting the sauce thicken sounds like a perfect touch. Thanks for sharing your experience—I’m happy you loved it! 🙂