Coconut Shrimp Curry

Coconut Shrimp Curry

Silky coconut milk, golden curry, a hit of honey, and plump jumbo shrimp — this one-pan dinner comes together in under 30 minutes and tastes like it took all day. Serves 3 to 4.

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1½ lb. jumbo shrimp, peeled & deveined
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
• ½ tsp. turmeric
• 1 Tbsp. yellow curry powder
• 1 can (13.5 oz.) coconut milk
• 2 Tbsp. honey, plus more to taste
• ¼ tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1 lime, juiced
• 12 basil leaves, chopped
• Hot sauce (optional)
• Cooked basmati rice, to serve

Instructions

1. Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp in a single layer and cook for 1–2 minutes per side until pink and just opaque. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
2. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion to the same pan and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4–5 minutes until softened and lightly golden.
3. Add garlic and ginger. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant, then stir in turmeric and curry powder. Let the spices toast for 30 seconds.
4. Pour in the coconut milk and stir to combine, scraping up any golden bits from the bottom of the pan. Add honey and salt. Simmer for 5–6 minutes until the sauce thickens slightly.
5. Return the shrimp to the pan. Squeeze in lime juice and stir in chopped basil. Taste and adjust salt, honey, or hot sauce as needed.
6. Serve immediately over basmati rice, topped with extra basil leaves.

Chef’s tip

Don’t overcook the shrimp in step 1 — they’ll finish cooking when returned to the sauce. Pulling them off the heat while they’re just barely opaque keeps them tender and juicy.

Optional vegetables

Want to bulk it up or sneak in some greens? Any of these work beautifully in this curry. Add hearty veg with the coconut milk; add tender greens in the last 2 minutes.

Baby spinach

Stir in a big handful at the end — it wilts down in under a minute and soaks up the sauce beautifully.

Sugar snap peas

Add with the coconut milk. They stay crisp and add a lovely pop of sweetness and color.

Zucchini

Slice into half-moons and simmer with the sauce. Absorbs all that golden curry flavor.

Bell peppers

Red or yellow peppers add sweetness and brightness. Slice thin and sauté with the onion.

Butternut squash

Cube small and add early — it takes 10–12 min to soften and makes the sauce extra velvety.

Frozen peas

The easiest add-in. Stir in frozen straight from the bag in the last 2 minutes. No prep needed.

For heartier vegetables like butternut squash or bell peppers, add them earlier so they have time to cook through. For quick-cooking or delicate ones — spinach, frozen peas — stir them in during the last couple of minutes so they don’t get mushy. Sugar snap peas are a personal favorite here because they hold their crunch and complement the sweetness of the honey-coconut sauce really well.