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:
