Easy Green Curry Shrimp is a vibrant, effortless, flavor-packed dish that brings the bold taste of Thailand to your table in just 30-minutes! A rich and creamy, aromatic green curry sauce bursting with coconut milk, lime, and fragrant herbs that is soaked up by tender, juicy shrimp.
With over 20 years in the culinary world, I’ve made my fair share of curries, but this one remains a standout. Another favorite seafood dish with coconut milk is cast iron salmon with creamy schug sauce.
Did you know there's no need to pick up green curry paste at the store? You will love the depth of flavor when you make your own.
If you're a fan of strong flavors like this Thai Shrimp Curry, you'll love this chicken shawarma pita too!
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Recipe Ingredients
- Shrimp: I recommend buying raw shrimp that's been peeled and deveined for ease. Do not buy cooked shrimp, the flavor is not the same and it will not soak up the sauce the same way. I like buying 16-20 count shrimp for Thai Shrimp Curry.
- Fish Sauce: Fish sauce is a very pungent smelling sauce frequently used in Asian cooking cooking. It's one of my favorite ingredients and can be found in almost any local grocery store in the Asian cuisine section. Word to the wise, do not smell the fish sauce, just use it. Trust me, haha!
- Coconut Milk: This will balance out the spices and also make a really rich and creamy sauce. Buy unsweetened coconut milk from the can, not coconut milk from the 'milk' section at the grocery store. The same full fat coconut milk that I use in Coconut Cream Pie.
- Eggplant: Japanese eggplant is soft, tender, and nearly seedless.
- Kaffir Lime Leaves: Also known as Makrut lime leaves add a wonderful complex citrus flavor. I prefer using fresh however, you can use frozen as well. Dried would be the last option. Find these at your local Asian market, or check other local grocers or purchase lime leaves online.
- Fresh Basil Leaves: Much like pesto, fresh basil leaves will give lots of texture and color.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic cloves are the only way to go here! I never recommend pre-chopped in a jar.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions & Variations
- Use jalapeno pepper instead of serrano pepper if you're sensitive to spice.
- If you have a hard time sourcing Japanese eggplant, use any type of eggplant available.
- If you can't find kaffir lime leaves, go ahead and use lime zest instead. It's not quite the same or as complex of a flavor but it works in a pinch.
- Basmati, white rice or even brown rice, work just fine if you don't have Jasmine. I've even used cooked sweet potato instead of rice!
- Want more veggies? Green beans and cauliflower work really well with spicy Thai green curry.
- If you prefer a little more texture on your shrimp, the shrimp can be fried separately in a pan then added to the Easy Thai Shrimp Curry.
- I often throw a couple fresh mint leaves on top for garnish and flavor. It works great for many different cuisines such as Mediterranean Tomato Cucumber Salad or Peach and Burrata Salad.
This recipe has not been tested with other substitutions or variations. If you replace or add any ingredients, please let us know how it turned out in the comments below!
How To Make Green Curry Shrimp
Step 1: Add all green curry paste ingredients to the bowl of a food processor.
Step 2: Add homemade green curry paste to a skillet with a drizzle of olive oil or coconut oil to heat through.
Step 3: Stir in coconut milk, fish sauce, eggplant, and shrimp. Bring coconut milk to a simmer, just until shrimp is cooked. Don't overcook the shrimp!
Step 4: Taste to check seasoning, add salt to taste if needed. Serve Thai shrimp curry over cooked rice. Garnish with basil leaves and green onions.
Expert Cooking Tips
- Shrimp is done as soon as it turns pink and just starts to curl into a "C." Don't over cook or it or it will be rubbery. The same rule goes for Tacos de Camaron or any shrimp recipe.
- Shake coconut milk can well before opening. Do not be alarmed when you see thick white chunks in your coconut milk, this is normal. It's the solid fat that will melt after being cooked.
- Blend the green curry paste very well in the food processor or high powered blender so your final sauce doesn't have any chunks. Vitamix is my all time favorite blender, it's widely used in the food industry. It's pricey but well worth it!
- Kaffir lime leaves can be stored in the freezer in a freezer safe plastic bag! They hold for 6 months.
Recipe FAQs
Makrut lime leaves, also known as kaffir lime leaves, are the leaves from a makrut lime plant. This plant is native to Thailand and widely used in Thai cuisine and other Southeast Asian cuisine dishes. You might seek out an Asian market near you to find these leaves, but I also have luck at a few other grocery stores in the greater Chicagoland area. They are more floral and citrusy than regular limes, and slightly less acidic. I highly recommend finding them for this Thai Shrimp Curry but you can always add in lime zest if that's all you have. Hot Thai Kitchen has an abundance of information on Kaffir lime leaves if you're interested in learning more!
Absolutely! You can't beat how fresh tasting your final dish will be and it's so easy! Just throw green curry paste ingredients in the blender and you're done. This way you can also taste the paste and adjust seasonings and salt levels if you'd like. Store it in the freezer and use it for Thai shrimp curry, salmon curry or vegetable curry!
You can easily find tubes of these in the produce department. It makes it really convenient to always have these ingredients on hand in the fridge, ready to go for Thai Shrimp Curry or other dishes. Look for them near the packaged fresh herbs. Some stores might also have frozen mini cubes of these.
Absolutely! Green curry sauce freezes very well, in fact that's one of my favorite things about this 30 minute dish. You can make a larger batch then freeze it in whatever size container suits your needs best. Allow the green curry sauce to cool then add it to an airtight container and freeze for up to 2 months. Pull the container out of the freezer and allow it to thaw in the fridge before heating over low heat on the stove.
First and foremost, buy raw shrimp rather than cooked shrimp. The quality, taste and texture of cooked shrimp is very low and doesn't work in this recipe. Next, you can purchase either fresh shrimp or frozen shrimp depending on the region you live. If you have quality fresh shrimp near you then that works otherwise, I recommend purchasing frozen shrimp. Buy shrimp that has been peeled and deveined or at least partially peeled making it easier to work with. Sizing can be tricky if you've not worked with shrimp before. The smaller the number, the larger the shrimp. I like using a 16-20 count shrimp for this Shrimp Green Curry recipe. That means there are 16-20 shrimp per pound. You can use whatever size you'd like but that's a nice medium size.
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📖Recipe
Green Curry Shrimp (Thai Shrimp Curry)
Equipment
Ingredients
Green Curry Paste
- ¾ teaspoon coriander
- 2 teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon turmeric
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 4 serrano peppers stem off
- 2 green bell peppers stem off, rough chop
- 3 green onions white & green parts
- 1 tablespoon ginger paste
- 1½ teaspoon lemongrass paste
- 8 cloves garlic peeled
- ½ cup basil leaves fresh
- ½ cup cilantro fresh
- ¼ cup lime juice fresh
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice fresh
- 2 tablespoon brown sugar
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
Sauce, Shrimp & Rice
- 27 oz coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce
- 1 kaffir lime leaf
- 2 japanese eggplant sliced ¼ inch thick
- 20 oz shrimp size 16-20, peeled & deveined, tail on
- 2 cup jasmine rice cooked
Garnish (optional)
- 4 lime wedges
- ½ cup basil leaves
- red or green spicy chiles sliced thin
Instructions
- Blend all green curry paste ingredients in a blender until a paste is formed
- Heat a small drizzle of oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add green curry paste and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently
- Mix in coconut milk, fish sauce and kaffir lime leaf. Bring to a simmer and continue cooking an additional 10 minutes
- Add shrimp and eggplant, cook about 4 minutes until shrimp is fully cooked and eggplant has softened
- While sauce is cooking, prepare 1 cup jasmine rice according to package instructions
- Serve shrimp green curry over rice and topped with lime wedge, basil leaves and chile peppers if desired
Anne
I love me some curry. This did not disappointment. The spice of this dish was on point. I love it!
Krista Stechman
Awesome, thanks!!
Krista
So much flavor in this dinner! This is a favorite of both me and my husband. I could eat it everyday!