This mouth-watering Jamaican Curry Shrimp is bright, fresh and delicious! It includes large fresh shrimps, curry powder, capsicum peppers, onions, coconut milk and thyme. Serve it with white rice, plantain or coleslaw and make it in 30 minutes.
About this Recipe
I love serving this restaurant-quality Jamaican coconut curry shrimp for dinner and special occasions. It is creamy, rich in flavor and surprisingly easy to put together. All you need is a few easy-to-find ingredients and you’ll be enjoying this curry in no time.
Another thing I love about making this curry at home is that it can be customized to suit your taste. For example, add two scotch bonnets if you like spicy curries; if you want milder heat, use half. I also like to be generous with the number of shrimp I add to the curry as it is the best part! The capsicum peppers add beautiful color and fresh sweet colors to the curry so try not to skip them if you can.
Traditionally, Jamaican shrimp curry can be served with white rice, rice and peas, roti, plantain, coleslaw or veggies. However, feel free to serve it with whatever you please. It is guaranteed to disappear in seconds and is truly a seafood lover’s dream!
Jamaican Curry Shrimp Recipe Ingredients
- Shrimp: The fresher, the better for this recipe. I like to use good-quality raw shrimp when cooking. They come in the shell, so I remove the head and devein the shrimp before seasoning. Alternatively, you can buy cleaned shrimp or frozen shrimp instead. If you use frozen shrimp, allow them to thaw before seasoning. If you are short on time, you can soak the shrimp in warm water, which will help them thaw faster.
- Curry powder: It is important to use good quality Jamaican curry seasoning to make this curry shrimp Jamaican style. Curry powder gives this dish its wonderful darkish-yellow color.
- Salt to taste: To enhance the flavors in the curry and shrimp.
- Pepper to taste: My pepper of choice for this recipe is cayenne pepper but feel free to use paprika or black pepper.
- Green sauce: This sauce is a staple in most Caribbean households and is used to season many dishes. It typically includes basil, parsley, celery, garlic, onion, habanero peppers and more. However, don’t worry if you don’t have any. The curry will still taste great.
- Onion chopped: Use white onions for this recipe to add savory flavor.
- Garlic cloves: Fresh garlic cloves work best in this recipe. Chop them thinly or grate them.
- Scotch bonnet: Add red scotch bonnets to this curry for some extra heat. Alter the heat level depending on your preference level.
- Capsicum peppers: For a hint of sweetness add red, green and yellow capsicum peppers to the curry.
- Coconut milk: This is the base of the curry, giving it a rich and deliciously creamy flavor.
- Thyme: Traditionally, fresh sprigs of thyme are used but if you don’t have any then feel free to use dried thyme instead.
- Oil: Use vegetable or sunflower oil to cook the curry.
How to Make Jamaican Curry Shrimp
1.First, the shrimp needs to be prepared. Clean, devein shrimps and add them to a medium-sized bowl. Next, season the shrimps with 2 tbsp of curry powder, green sauce, salt to taste and pepper to taste. Rub the seasoning into the shrimps and refrigerate while you start the curry.
Tip: If you are using frozen shrimps then allow them to thaw before seasoning.
2. Next, prepare the curry. Heat a splash of oil in a saucepan. Then add onions, garlic and scotch bonnet. Cook and stir ingredients for a few minutes.
3. Add capsicum peppers to the saucepan and cook for 2-3 minutes. Then add 2 tbsp of curry powder and stir while cooking on medium heat for 1 minute.
4. Pour coconut milk into the saucepan, add thyme, salt and pepper to taste and bring to a boil then cook on low\medium heat for 5-7 minutes.
5. Remove the shrimps from the refrigerator and add the seasoned shrimps to the saucepan and stir well. Cook shrimps on each side for about 5-7 minutes or until done.
6. Then, leave the curry to cook on low heat for 5-7 more minutes and stir from time to time until the sauce thickens.
7. Once the Jamaican Shrimp Curry with Coconut Milk is done add fresh chilies and roughly chopped parsley. Serve curry with white rice, rice and peas, plantain or roti.
Tips and Tricks
- Shrimp: Be sure to, remove the shell, head and devein the shrimps before seasoning. If not the shrimp will have a bitter taste.
- Curry powder: When adding the curry to the saucepan, cook it on medium heat for at least 1 minute. This ensures that the curry powder is cooked and not raw.
- Tasting: Taste the curry while cooking and adjust the seasoning if necessary. For example, you may need to add more salt.
- Low heat: Once the shrimps have been added cook them on low heat to thicken the sauce and stir it from time to time.
- Consistency: If you prefer thicker curry, mix 1 tbsp of cornflour and 1 tbsp of water and pour it into the curry before adding the shrimp and stirring well. This will thicken the sauce.
FAQs
Jamaican curry has a beautiful dark yellow color. This is because the dish includes Jamaican curry powder which is yellow in color. Some Jamaican curries include coconut milk while others are cooked with water.
There are many different types of Jamaican curries. For example, Jamaican shrimp curry and Jamaican chicken curry. They usually include curry powder, coconut milk, water, thyme, scotch bonnets, some sort of protein like chicken, shrimp, beef or chickpeas and vegetables like carrots or potatoes.
Jamaican curries usually have a fairly mild heat. However, if you are making it yourself, you can control the level of heat by adding less or more scotch bonnets. If you aren’t a fan of heat, you can skip the scotch bonnets altogether.
Jamaican curries are very versatile and can be served with white rice, rice and peas, roti, coleslaw and more!
Thanks for reading this recipe, comment below if you made this and let me know how it went! Follow @simshomekitchen on Instagram, take a photo, tag and hashtag it with @simshomekitchen.
Stay connected and follow me for more recipes on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for all of my latest recipes!
Jamaican Curry Shrimp Recipe
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Large Bowl
Ingredients
- 650 g of large shrimp
- 4 tbsp of Jamaican curry powder
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp of green sauce
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 scotch bonnet
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 medium red capsicum pepper
- 1 medium yellow capsicum pepper
- 1 medium green capsicum pepper
- 1 can of coconut milk
- ¼ tsp thyme or 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
- A splash of oil
Instructions
- Add cleaned and deveined shrimp to a medium-sized bowl and season with 2 tbsp of curry powder, green sauce, salt to taste and pepper to taste. Rub the seasoning into the shrimp and leave it in the refridgerator for later.
- Heat a splash of oil in a saucepan. Add onions, garlic and scotch bonnet and cook for a few minutes.
- Next, add capsicum peppers and cook for 2-3 minutes. Then add 2 tbsp of curry powder and stir while cooking on a medium heat for 1 minute.
- Pour coconut milk into the saucepan, add thyme, salt and pepper to taste and bring to a boil then cook on lowmedium heat for 5-7 minutes.
- Add the seasoned shrimp to the saucepan and stir well. Cook shrimps on each side for about 5-7 minutes or until done. Then, leave the curry to cook on low heat for 5-7 minutes until the sauce thickens.
- Once the curry is done add fresh chilies and roughly chopped parsley. Serve curry with white rice and plantain.
I was gifted some green sauce from a neighbor and thought this would be the perfect dish to use it in and I was right! The curry shrimp was flavorful, juicy, and so easy to make.
This curry was so good! Not too spicy and perfectly zesty! Loved this recipe so much!
What size can of coconut milk are you using in this recipe?
Hi Nicholas, I use 400ml of coconut milk for this recipe. It will still work if there is slightly less or more in the can.
This curry was packed with the perfect punch of flavor. My husband loves shrimp and it couldn’t stop talking about the juiciness of the shrimp and how well it complemented the curry.
I made this for dinner last night along with plantain. This recipe made me feel like I was back in the Jamaican countryside. Thank you.
You’re welcome, Robin. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
This shrimp curry is so delicious with the perfect amount of spice! Thanks for the detailed instructions! This was super easy to make for dinner
Just the perfect amount of spice in this curry shrimp. We loved it!
This was rich, super tasty and quick to whip up! I will be making it again and again and again!
This curry was easy to make and the heat level was perfect. Will definitely make again!
What size can of coconut milk do you use in this recipe?
Hi Nicholas, I usually use 400 ml of coconut milk for this recipe.