Coconut Shrimp Curry

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This delicious creamy coconut shrimp curry recipe is a fantastic and cozy meal!

I'll show you how to make a flavorful coconut curry shrimp with step-by-step instructions.

This easy recipe will be welcome on any dinner table - it's so full of flavor and great ingredients.

This easy coconut curry shrimp is a take on Jamaican curry shrimp, although it's not a 100% authentic recipe, it's very similar!

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Instructions
• More Great Shrimp Recipes
• Substitutions & Variations
• Storage
• Tips for Making this Recipe
• Coconut Curry Shrimp

Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make this easy shrimp curry recipe.

• Shrimp - you can use large shrimp or smaller gulf shrimp. If you use frozen shrimp, make sure to defrost it before using it.
• Coconut Milk - you can use full-fat or light coconut milk for this recipe.
• Diced Tomatoes - any type of canned diced tomatoes will work, or if you have fresh tomatoes, you can use 5 to 6 small tomatoes instead
• Yellow Onion - yellow onions have the deepest flavor of all the types of onions and are best when cooked.
• Bell Pepper - I used red bell pepper for the color, but you can use yellow or orange bell peppers as well.
• Fresh Ginger - ginger adds a slightly sweet peppery flavor to the sauce and I highly recommend using a fresh piece of ginger for this dish.
• Garlic Cloves - fresh garlic adds a more intense flavor. If you used prechopped, canned garlic, double the amount.
• Curry Powder - a curry powder blend usually contains a mixture of turmeric, garlic, ginger, chili, and sometimes cumin and coriander. You can use Jamaican curry powder for this recipe as well - which also contains mustard seeds and scotch bonnet pepper.
• Kosher Salt - a saltier salt than sea salt (see our whole post on types of salt). If you use sea salt, add another ½ teaspoon to a full teaspoon of salt.
• Red Pepper Flakes - these dried bell pepper add a little bit of heat.
• Ground Black Pepper - freshly ground black pepper adds a lovely but light depth of heat without being spicy.
• Optional - chopped cilantro or parsley, lime juice, lime wedges, sliced chili peppers

To serve - pair the shrimp curry with cooked rice or cauliflower rice.

See the recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large frying pan or large skillet over medium-high heat.

Add the onion to the pan and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until translucent. 

Add the diced bell pepper and cook for 3 more minutes. Add the garlic and ginger, cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. 

Add the curry powder, salt, red pepper flakes, and black pepper. Stir for 30 seconds. 

Pour in the coconut milk and diced tomatoes. Stir till combined and all coconut milk is combined.

Add the raw shrimp into the pot. Stir gently to coat all the shrimp.

Increase the heat and bring the mixture to a low boil, reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 10 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Turn off the heat and top with optional herbs.

Optional - serve with brown or white rice (I like Jasmine rice) and top with sliced chiles and slices of lime. 

More Great Shrimp Recipes

If you like shrimp, be sure to check out all of our Healthy Recipes with Shrimp or try some of these favorites!

• Honey Garlic Shrimp
• Pesto Shrimp
• Easy Oven Baked Shrimp Recipe
• Shrimp Summer Rolls

Substitutions & Variations

Need to make some substitutions to this recipe? Here are some optional swaps to make.

• Bell Pepper - you can swap the bell peppers for poblano peppers or another type of vegetable like green beans, bok choy, or broccoli.
• Thai Curry Paste - you can swap the curry powder for red curry paste if you'd prefer more of a Thai-inspired curry dish.

Storage

This curry will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator when stored in an airtight container.

I would not recommend trying to freeze it - the shrimp will not hold up well.

Tips for Making this Recipe

Cooking Tips - watch the sauce and shrimp while it's simmering. If it's cooking too quickly or the shrimp turn pink almost immediately after you add them to the sauce, reduce the heat.

Recommended Tools - I like using a heavy Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed skillet for this recipe. It helps the sauce cook more gently as the heat is more distributed.

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