Guys!! Honey. Garlic. Butter. Shrimp. YESSSS!

Honey Garlic Butter Shrimp In Coconut Milk | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

All done with Belizean inspired flavors…which yes, is just as good as at sounds. Or at least I think it sounds good…. cause IT IS.

So let me explain this recipe, as it has a bit of a story. My brother and his girlfriend Lyndsie were just in Central America traveling through Guatemala, Belize and those areas. These two do a lot of traveling, I like to call them the “wanderers”. Basically they’ve figured out the key to life….travel, eat really good food and be happy. I could never be them because it’s just not my personality type, but sounds pretty awesome, and to each their own!

Technically they went on this trip for “work”, but let’s be real, chillin on the beach and drinking tequila sounds a lot more like vacay. They were on the hunt for textiles, furniture, antiques and that sort of thing for Lyndsie’s sister, who is an interior designer in LA. A little work and lot of relax is how they like to do things. Like I said, they’ve got things figured out.

Speaking of the fam, some of them went to Cincinnati and then up to Cleveland over the weekend to celebrate my cousin Matt’s graduation. Matt is one month younger than me, and guys, we could not be in more different places in our lives. Matt is SO excited to be done with school and have a little time off before he starts his new job at the Cleveland Clinic and steps out into the real world. Sometimes I wonder what I would be doing right now if I took a more traditional path. Like would I be writing this blog? Writing a cookbook? Would I have fallen in love with food photography? Or would I be a stylist in LA drinking kombuchas out the yazoo?? Like what? I wonder about this sometimes, but I’m super happy with where I’m at, so that has me pretty pumped!! That said, I am so happy for Matt! Graduating is such a huge deal…like HUGE. It takes a lot of freaking work to get through four years of school.

Congrats Mathew! 🙂

PS. all weekend long I was watching everyone’s snapchats back in Ohio, and man, they sure know how to have a good time…whoa.

Honey Garlic Butter Shrimp In Coconut Milk | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

ANYWAY, back to this KILLER Belizean Honey Garlic Butter Shrimp.

Brendan’s and Lyndsie’s trip through Central America, and all the delicious food they ate, inspired this shrimp. I’m sure it’s not super traditional or anything, but all the flavors are spot on. Coconut, garlic, shrimp, cilantro, plantains, jalapeño, ginger, rice and black beans.

All the good things in the world. 🙂

I’m actually not a huge shrimp person, I mean, I like it, but it’s got to be seasoned perfectly and just super flavorful. Plain shrimp I just can’t do, it’s too fishy or something for me.

SO, this shrimp is PACKED full of, but don’t worry, it’s still simple, fast and easy!! I’m all about these three elements now a days.

Here’s how this goes.

Start out by tossing your shrimp with olive oil, ginger, garlic, cilantro, honey, jalapeños, cumin and cayenne. This is the marinade/sauce, but the shrimp really only needs to sit in the marinade for about ten minutes or so because you also cook it in the same marinade, which in turn creates a yummy sauce! Once you’ve cooked the shrimp a bit, you then add the butter and sort of caramelize that garlic…YUM.

Then just finish up with the coconut milk and a generous handful of fresh basil.

Serve with a side of rice, avocado, black beans and fried plantains.

Done and DONE. It’s a super quick, no fuss meal, which I love on a Monday.

BUT, and this is SUPER important, you gotta, gotta, gotta make those fried plantains and a side of steamed rice. One, because the plantains are everything, and two, you need the rice for soaking up all the delicious honey garlic butter sauce. Obviously.

For real though, this sauce is EVERYTHING. You should probably put it on everything…thinking chicken, salmon, maybe even cook some chickpeas in it and get them all crispy…that would be YUM.

Either way though, the rice, the avocado and the plantains are a MUST. Just saying.

Honey Garlic Butter Shrimp In Coconut Milk | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest
Print
4.21 from 97 votes

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

The Recipe

Honey Garlic Butter Shrimp In Coconut Milk with Fried Plantains.

By halfbakedharvest

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American, Asian
Keyword: coconut milk, fried plantain, honey garlic, shrimp

SO, this shrimp is PACKED full of, but don't worry, it's still simple, fast and easy!! I'm all about these three elements now a days.

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 4 Servings
Calories 415 kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 pound raw tail on shrimp
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 4-6 cloves garlic finely minced or grated (I like using around 4)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
  • 2 jalapenos seeded + chopped
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper (use less for less heat maybe 1/4-1/2 teaspoon)
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 1/4 cup canned coconut milk
  • 2 tablespoons fresh basil chopped + more fore serving
  • kosher salt + pepper
  • steamed white rice + black beans + sliced avocado for serving

Fried Plantains

  • 4 inch yellow plantains sliced into 1/2 rounds
  • oil for frying
  • flaky sea salt

Instructions

  1. Add the shrimp to a gallon size ziplock bag or medium size bowl. Add the olive oil, honey, garlic, ginger, jalapeños, cayenne, cumin and cilantro. Toss well to combine, seal the bag or cover the bowl and place in the fridge for 15-30 minutes or up 24 hours.

  2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot use a slotted spoon to scoop the shrimp out of the marinade, reserving the marinade, and into the hot skillet, season with salt and pepper. Cook the shrimp until pink, about 2-3 minutes per side. Add the reserved marinade, the butter and 1 teaspoon pepper (or more or less to your taste) to the skillet. Continue to cook the shrimp in the butter until the garlic begins to caramelize and turn LIGHT golden brown, about another minute or two. Be careful not to burn the garlic. Remove from the heat and stir in the coconut milk and basil.

  3. Serve shrimp alongside rice, black beans, fried plantains, avocado and lime wedges. Garnish with freshly chopped basil.

Fried Plantains

  1. Heat an inch or so of oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot add the plantains and fry for 2-3 minutes per side or until just lightly golden. Remove and drain on paper towels. Now transfer the plantains to a cutting board and, using the back of a wooden spoon, smash them down into round flat disks.
  2. Return the plantains to the hot oil and fry another 2-3 minutes on each side or until they are golden and crispy. Remove to a paper towel lined plate and sprinkle with salt. Chips are best eaten right after frying, but any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
Honey Garlic Butter Shrimp In Coconut Milk | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Sooo, Monday night dinner??!! FOR SURE. K, bye. ?