This easy shrimp curry tastes better than a restaurant in under 30 minutes! It is a Thai red curry flavored with coconut milk and curry paste.
That left us speechless. Really! Because that Shrimp Curry tastes better than a restaurant, but it’s a quick and easy dinner you can make at home. There are so many flavors here: rich coconut milk, aromatic curry paste, tangy lime and peppery basil around tender, juicy shrimp. Serve it over jasmine rice and your friends and family will sing your praises. This one’s a keeper, and better yet, it’s a healthy dinner in under 30 minutes. There are a few secrets to making this red Thai curry: here’s how!
Key to preparing shrimp curry
It’s so easy to make a shrimp curry! To make it taste like a Thai red curry you would have at the restaurant, here are some tips on the key ingredients in this easy dinner recipe:
- Red Thai Curry Paste: It’s a paste made from chili peppers and herbs like garlic, ginger, and lemongrass, and it’s an absolute must-have for seasoning! It’s not overly spicy and only adds a mild spiciness. See below for more.
- Large Shrimp: Using shelled shrimp is nice because it’s even tastier and juicier; or use the tail on the shrimp if desired.
- Whole Coconut Milk: Use only whole coconut milk here: it brings that essential smoothness to the broth.
- fish sauce: It might sound strange if you’ve never cooked South Asian food before, but adding that authentic flavor to Thai and Cambodian cuisine is absolutely essential.
- Basil or Thai basil: If you can find it, Thai basil is the most authentic and has a subtle licorice flavor. Other than that, anything fresh basil you can find will work!
What is Thai red curry?
Alex and I spent time together in Cambodia years ago, and the flavors of this shrimp curry brought us back to Southeast Asia in an instant! Cambodian cuisine features curries very similar to Thai red curry.
What is that? Red Thai Curry is a Thai dish with a sauce made from red curry paste and coconut milk. It can be made with different proteins like chicken, beef, shrimp or tofu. So what is red curry paste? If it’s not part of your kitchen directory, you need to add it: statistical.
The secret: red curry paste
Red Curry Paste is a paste in a jar that makes it easy to prepare Thai red curry. It has all the flavors you find in broth without having to buy them separately: chili peppers, garlic, lemongrass, ginger, kaffir lime leaves, cumin, coriander, and more. Alex and I use it in all sorts of dishes and it has the effect better Taste. We highly recommend putting it in your fridge! A few notes on red curry paste:
Do I really need fish sauce?
For many home cooks in North America, fish sauce may seem strange or scary. But here’s the thing: It’s the secret of many Southeast Asian recipes! When Alex and I visited Cambodia, they filled up about fish sauce everything. Why? It adds incredible depth and hearty umami flavor to everything from broths to salads.
Fish sauce is made from fermented fish. Yes, not the biggest selling point! But you can think of it more like a South Asian-style soy sauce. Adding it to the broth of this shrimp curry adds a noticeable authentic Thai flavor. Don’t leave it aside!
Use the shell on the shrimp for more flavor.
The best shrimp for shrimp curry is the shell or tail of the shrimp: mostly because it’s the prettiest! Shrimp shells have the best flavor: both because they get juicier when cooked in the shell and because the shell adds some flavor to the broth. But if the idea of peeling the shrimp isn’t desirable (we get it!), the shrimp tail is great too.
Want more shrimp recipes? Here are our best healthy shrimp recipes.
The best rice for shrimp curry? Jasmine.
The perfect pairing for this shrimp curry is rice: but not just any rice. jasmine rice! Jasmine rice is also called Thai fragrant rice: similar to popcorn because of its wonderfully nutty taste. When Alex and I used it on this shrimp curry, it was the finishing touch that transported us to Southeast Asia. Try our Jasmine Rice Recipes: How to Cook Jasmine Rice and Instant Pot Jasmine Rice.
If you can’t find jasmine rice, basmati rice will work too! Or any type of medium or long grain rice. You can also use brown rice (it has more nutrients), but here we wanted to be ultra-authentic and served it with sticky white rice.
More curry recipes
do you like curry We also. Once you’ve made this shrimp curry, here are a few more to try! There are many types of curries from around the world, with the most well-known varieties being Indian and Thai or Southeast Asian. Here are some of our favorite curry recipes:
- Easy Chickpea Curry or Vegan Curry One of our best recipes alreadyThese 20 minute chickpea curry recipes are Indian style (made with curry powder, not paste).
- Vegetable Curry This vegetable curry is the best way to eat your veggies! Cauliflower, peppers and chickpeas bathed in a broth full of flavors.
- Coconut Lentil Curry This quick and easy dinner idea that’s healthy and full of flavor. It has flavors similar to this shrimp curry!
This Shrimp Curry Recipe is…
Pescetarian, gluten free and dairy free.
The description
This easy shrimp curry tastes better than a restaurant in under 30 minutes! It is a Thai red curry flavored with coconut milk and curry paste.
- Jasmine rice (or basmati rice) to serve
- 1 yellow onion
- 2 Garlic cloves
- 1 Red pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or coconut oil
- 3 tablespoons Thai red curry paste
- 15-ounces of whole coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
- seasoning of 1 Lime (plus lime wedges for garnish)
- ½ cup the water
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large shrimp, peeled or with tail (preferably wild caught)
- 5 fresh Thai basil leaves (or sweet basil) plus more for garnish
- Start with the jasmine rice (or basmati rice).
- Chop the onion. Chop the garlic. Cut the peppers into thin strips.
- In a large skillet, saucepan, or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and sauté for 5 minutes until translucent. Add the garlic and paprika and sauté for 1 minute. Add curry paste and sauté for 1 minute.
- Add coconut milk, fish sauce, turmeric, lime zest, water, and kosher salt and bring to a boil. Once cooked, add the shrimp and cook until the shrimp are tender and opaque, about 4-5 minutes depending on the size of the shrimp. Stir in 5 large basil leaves.
- To serve, pour shrimp and sauce over rice. Garnish with additional chopped basil and lime wedges. Store in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Category: main course
- Method: Cook
- Kitchen: Thai
- Diet: Gluten free
Keywords: Prawn Curry, Thai Red Curry, Thai Prawn Curry, Coconut Curry
Last update: September 2020
