Curry Butter Shrimp

An easy and flavorful meal made from pantry staples, curry butter shrimp 

takes ten minutes to make and is gluten-free and paleo-friendly.

I've kind of been boycotting grocery stores. Weekend before last I went to Florida for a wedding, and since getting back I have not set foot in one. I finished up my last week of my last internship for graduate school this past Friday, we're getting ready to move down to Chattanooga this coming weekend, and I'm exhausted. Ben has been kind enough to pick up essentials like coffee, eggs, fruit, and bacon for us, but the eggs ran out yesterday.

What's a girl to do without any eggs for breakfast and with a long day of packing ahead of her? The answer is definitely not grocery shopping. The answer is curry butter shrimp! Yes, I ate this at ten in the morning. No, I have no regrets. #dinnerforbreakfast may not be mainstream yet, but just you wait and see!



I didn't do a 30 Minute Mondays post yesterday because I wanted to announce my cookbook (Paleo Planet is available for pre-order from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and indie bookstores near you!). This is even better, though, because this is like 10 Minute Wednesday--not as alliterative, but much faster. Not counting the rice or cauliflower rice, this meal comes together in just ten minutes. (And, true confession, I didn't even make this rice. It's left over from the Indian food we ordered last night.)

Curry butter shrimp is a flavorful pantry recipe that requires almost no chopping (except for the cilantro--but if you're really anti-chop you could just break that up into little sprigs). Melted butter or ghee is mixed with Thai curry paste to form a fragrant sauce for cooking the shrimp. A tiny bit of maple syrup and fish sauce add just enough sweetness and umami to complement the rich butter and spicy curry.



I love cooking with Thai curry paste because it has so many great flavors condensed into one easy-to-use pantry staple. Instead of chopping chiles, garlic, shallots, and lemongrass and measuring out spices, you just scoop some curry paste out of the can or jar. I used Maesri panang curry paste, which does have a tiny bit of added sugar in it. If you're looking for a sugar-free curry paste, I recommend Thai Kitchen's red curry, which is also delicious. Maesri curry paste is quite spicy, so I don't use much at a time. I put the rest of the can of curry paste in a ziplock bag and freeze it--it's super easy to cut off a chunk to use when you're cooking, and you can add it right to the pan without defrosting it.

If you're boycotting grocery shopping, too, or just having a busy week, I highly recommend you make yourself some curry butter shrimp. And, of course, you don't have to make it for breakfast--it's scrumptious for lunch or dinner, too.

Curry Butter Shrimp
Yield: 2-3 servings
Prep time: 2 minutes
Cook time: 8 minutes

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter or ghee, divided
1 tablespoon panang or red curry paste, or more to taste (I used Maesri)
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails removed if desired
1 teaspoon maple syrup, honey, or coconut sugar (optional)
3/4 teaspoon fish sauce, or to taste

Chopped fresh cilantro, for serving

Melt two tablespoons of the butter in a very large skillet over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the curry paste and stir until the curry and butter are thoroughly mixed.

Raise the heat to medium-high and add the shrimp in a single layer. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until pink on the bottom. Flip the shrimp over and cook for 2 more minutes, or until the shrimp are opaque throughout. Stir in your sweetener of choice, if using, and the fish sauce.

Turn off the heat, add the remaining tablespoon of butter, and stir until the butter is melted and incorporated. Serve the curry butter shrimp topped with fresh cilantro, alongside white rice or cauliflower rice if desired.

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