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This easy Thai shrimp curry recipe is quick, simple, and there’s plenty of sauce for the rice! Ready in less than half an hour.
I love a good coconut sauce, and this coconut shrimp curry doesn’t disappoint. I kept this recipe pretty simple so it comes together fast. Shrimp cook very quickly, so once you actually get cooking, it doesn’t take long at all. It’s also fairly healthy.
It’s been a while since I last posted a Thai-inspired recipe, but I do have a few others on here if you are interested like my Thai chicken curry soup, 15 minute Thai green curry soup, this Thai sweet potato curry, or my Thai turkey soup.
I made this Thai shrimp curry for the first time on January 27. I hated the photos so redid them like 2 months later. I hated the second batch of photos even more than the first, so we’re using the January photos. I just don’t like these photos. The light wasn’t even bad that day. Sometimes I am so baffled why things don’t turn out how I think they will. It’s not like I’m using a different window or board or bowl or camera or anything. I’ll probably end up redoing them again sometime. But, as Mark Zuckerberg says, “done is better than perfect”, so at least I know the recipe is tasty. -end rant-
I love the contrast between the rich coconut sauce and all the fresh herbs… that’s probably my favorite thing about Thai recipes. It’s not quite time yet for my garden basil, but it’ll be coming soon(ish)… can’t wait. The growing season here in Canada isn’t exactly long, but I’ll take what I can get lol.
How to make Thai shrimp curry
- Prep your shrimp. If using frozen shrimp, run them under cool water until they’re fully thawed.
- Sauté the onion for 5 minutes or until softened;
- Stir in the garlic and curry paste until fragrant;
- Stir in the chicken broth and let it boil for a couple of minutes;
- Add in the coconut milk, shrimp, and red pepper;
- Add the lime juice, season with salt & pepper to taste, and add the fresh herbs.
I love serving this Thai curry over white jasmine rice.
Want to make it spicy? Try adding some chopped fresh Thai chilis or some dried red pepper flakes if you have some in your pantry.
What kind of shrimp to use in Thai coconut shrimp curry?
I used 31-40/pound count frozen raw shrimp. You can use smaller or larger shrimp if you want; just adjust cooking time by a minute or two as needed.
Let me know if you’ve made this easy coconut shrimp curry!
Questions? Ask me in the comments below.
Easy Thai Shrimp Curry
Ingredients
- 1 pound medium shrimp thawed, peeled, can remove tails if desired
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3 heaped tablespoons Thai red curry paste
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 (13.5 fluid ounces) can full-fat coconut milk
- 1/2 red bell pepper chopped
- Lime juice to taste
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 small handful fresh cilantro chopped
- 1 small handful fresh basil chopped
- Scallions chopped, to taste
Instructions
- If you want to serve this recipe with rice, I suggest getting the rice going prior to starting the curry.
- Add the oil and onion to a soup pot over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion for 5 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and curry paste and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the chicken broth and fish sauce. Let it come to a boil and cook for a couple of minutes.
- Reduce the heat and stir in the coconut milk.
- Add the shrimp and red pepper. Let the soup simmer gently (don't let it reach a crazy boil) for 5 minutes or until the shrimp are cooked through.
- Add lime juice to taste (I used 1/2 a lime) and salt & pepper as needed.
- Add the cilantro, basil, and scallions prior to serving. Serve over rice (I love jasmine rice).
Notes
- I used Thai Kitchen brand red curry paste and coconut milk (I prefer it because it's less watery than some other brands I've tried).
- Anything from 3/4 pound to 1 pound of shrimp will work.
- If you want a thicker broth, add less chicken broth.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Made this tonight, so easy and delicious. Thank you!
You are very welcome!
Yummy! What brand of coconut milk do you suggest?
Hi! Thai Kitchen brand is our favorite. It’s not watery, making it great for this recipe. 🙂
Made it for dinner easy breezy delicious. Had a dish like this in tampa I didn’t realize it was such a simple recipe. Definitely making this again. Maybe clams and fish next time you can’t go wrong
I’m thrilled you enjoyed it!! 😀 Thank you!
Hey there!!! Could you swap out the red curry for a yellow??
Hi Angela! Our kitchen has only tested it with red curry, but if you’re familiar with the flavor profile of yellow curry paste and have worked with it before, I don’t see why not! 🙂
I tried it for the first time and it was great
Fantastic!!
So flavorful and easy to make. I reduced the curry paste a little bit for the kids and still very yummy. Think next time I will reduce the chicken broth so it comes out a bit thicker.
So glad you enjoyed it!! 🙂
Made this tonight exactly as the recipe said. Was delicious quick and easy
Fantastic! Thank you.
I recently came across your blog from someone on IG sharing one of your recipes. This is the 2nd recipe I’ve made of yours and I’m excited to browse more of your recipes! A bit watery so next time I will reduce the broth. I added zucchini instead of red bell pepper. Overall, easy and tasty dish. This will probably become one of our regular rotation meals.
So glad you liked it, Elizabeth!! 🙂 Thanks for following along. Let me know if you try anything else!
One of our weekly go to meals! We add tons of other veggies (zucchini, mushrooms, green beans or whatever else we have on hand) we also sub jasmine rice for cauliflower and its delish!!!
Excellent!! I’m so glad you enjoy it, Emily.