Tender and juicy Indian butter shrimp cooked in a creamy buttery masala sauce that is to die for. Serve with basmati rice or fresh naan and enjoy this tasty meal in under 30 minutes!
If you enjoy seafood but would like to make it in a non-traditional way, give this Indian Butter Shrimp recipe a try. The buttery taste goes perfectly with the shrimp, as do all the spices added to this dish to enhance the flavor. You can easily make the shrimp on your skillet and then serve it by itself, over a bed of rice, or even on top of a salad.
What You’ll Need to Make Indian Butter Shrimp
You do not need too many ingredients to prepare the Indian Butter Shrimp. Make sure you have these ingredients:
- Peeled Shrimp. Remove the tail and devein the shrimp before you start to prepare the dish.
- Minced Garlic. The minced garlic brings flavor to the dish and goes perfectly with the shrimp.
- Turmeric Powder. The turmeric powder is an everyday staple when preparing Indian dishes. It is good for your body and great to add to shrimp.
- Red Chili Powder. Give your shrimp just a slight bit of spice by using some red chili powder in the mix.
- Lemon Juice. The lemon juice adds a slight tang to the shrimp.
You will also need grated ginger, salt, tomatoes, red onion, and oil for your Indian Butter Shrimp. When preparing the butter sauce to put on the shrimp, you will need some additional ingredients, including butter, red onion, cashews, garam masala, sugar, water, heavy cream, and cilantro.
How to Make the Indian Butter Shrimp
The steps involved in making the Indian Butter Shrimp are as simple as it gets. Coat your shrimp with the marinade ingredients and allow your shrimp to sit in the marinade for about 30 minutes.
In the meantime, place a skillet on the stovetop and add a tablespoon of butter to it. When the butter starts melting, toss in your shrimp.
You will cook the shrimp for about four minutes before removing them from the skillet and setting them on a plate. Add more butter to the skillet, followed by cashews, garlic, ginger, and onion.
You may then add your tomatoes, wait until they become soft, and toss in all your spices.
Pour the contents of the skillet into an immersion blender until it becomes a puree. Add the sauce back to the stove, cook it for another five minutes, and then toss your shrimp into the butter sauce.
As a finishing touch, add in your heavy cream and cilantro, mixing well before serving.
The result is a delicious creamy flavor-packed sauce loaded with tender juicy shrimp. Serve with Basmati rice or/and fresh naan bread and enjoy this delicious dish in under 30 minutes!
Pro Tip: If you will be serving this dish with rice, get the rice started cooking before you begin making the shrimp so they are ready at the same time!
How to Store Indian Butter Shrimp
When you make the Indian Butter Shrimp, you can place it in a plastic container and seal it with a lid, labeling it with the date to keep track of when you made it. You should keep it in the fridge for no longer than three days.
How to Freeze: You can freeze the cooked shrimp if you would like to. The shrimp will stay fresh in your freezer for about two months. Please do not attempt to save it any longer than that because the shrimp will start to go bad.
More Delicious Quick Indian Recipes
30 Minute Instant Pot Butter Chicken
Indian Butter Shrimp
Ingredients
Marinate
- 1/2 lb shrimp, peeled, tail removed and deveined
- 1/2 tsp minced garlic
- 1/2 tsp grated ginger
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp red chili powder or paprika
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
To make butter sauce
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 cup diced red onion
- 1 cup diced tomato
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp grated ginger
- 10 – 15 cashews
- 1 tsp red chili powder or paprika
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
- salt to taste
- Cilantro, to garnish
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients mentioned on “to marinate”. Coat the shrimp well and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes to marinate.
- Heat a skillet on a medium flame with a tablespoon of butter. Add the marinated shrimps to the skillets and cook them for 4-5 minutes. Once done remove them to a plate and keep it aside.
- To the same skillet add the remaining tablespoon of butter, add in the garlic, ginger, cashews, and onions. Cook until the onions turn translucent and then add the chopped tomatoes.
- Once the tomatoes turn mushy add the spice powders; red chili powder, garam masala, sugar, and salt. Saute for a minute and add ¼ cup water to avoid burning the spices.
- Remove from heat and blend them on a food processor or immersion blender to a smooth puree.
- Return to the stove and cook the sauce for 5 minutes. Add the cooked shrimp to the sauce.
- Add in another ¼ cup of water to the sauce and let it simmer for 3 minutes.
- Finally, add the heavy cream and cilantro and off the flame.
- Serve the butter shrimp over the cooked basmati rice and naan.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can you make the butter sauce ahead of time and then add it to the shrimp after you have sautéed them?
Yes, that totally works!!
Amazing recipe, so delicious. Tasted authentic and it was easy to make. Thank you for sharing your art of cooking with us !
I love Indian food! This was straightforward to make. Very flavorful and loved it. Will make again!
Thank you for the delicious recipe looks so tasty!