This is one of my favorite meals. Period. Shrimp and kale are served with a dead-simple coconut sriracha sauce that's irresistibly creamy and a touch spicy. I love to serve the shrimp and kale over grits or rice for an easy dinner that's ultra seductive.
This is one of those meals that can do triple duty for date nights, dinner parties or busy weeknights. It tastes like a modern, flavor-packed twist on shrimp and grits, and it's always a crowd pleaser.
How to make coconut sriracha shrimp and kale:
- Cook the kale: Start by sautéeing red onion and garlic, then add the kale. Drizzling in a few tablespoons of water steams the kale and helps it tenderize. The kale gets finished with a spritz of lime or lemon juice, which wakes up the flavors.
- Cook the shrimp: Once the kale is cooked, it gets transferred to a bowl, and you use the same pan to cook the shrimp. I go for peeled and deveined shrimp for ease. When the shrimp are just about cooked through, throw in sliced garlic and sriracha. The garlic turns sweet and the sriracha caramelizes slightly. Scrape the shrimp into a bowl, then use the same pan to cook the sauce.
- Make the sauce: This is a loose coconut sauce, kind of like a curry, made with nothing more than coconut milk and a smidge of sugar. The coconut milk is simmered until it's slightly thickened, then the shrimp are scraped back into the pan to warm through. The dish is finished with chopped scallions and cilantro for brightness, and you can always swirl in some more sriracha if you like it spicy.
Serving suggestions:
You can serve the shrimp and kale over rice or quinoa, but I personally LOVE it over these creamy homemade grits (check out the video below to see how they come together). The grits are a cinch to make and are the perfect bed for the slightly spicy shrimp. You can make the grits and let them sit while you finish up the shrimp and kale.
Other easy meals you might like:
- Cast Iron Skillet Pork Chops with Caper Shallot Pan Sauce
- Shrimp Tacos with Cilantro Pesto
- Lemon Garlic Roasted Chicken
- Slow Cooker Salmon with Cilantro Yogurt Sauce
- Healthy DIY Stir-Fry
Watch the video
Get the recipe!
Coconut Sriracha Shrimp and Kale
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- ½ medium red onion, thinly sliced
- 4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced, divided
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 bunch curly kale, stemmed and coarsely chopped
- Juice from ½ lime or lemon, or more to taste
- 1 pound shelled and deveined shrimp
- 3 tablespoons sriracha, or more to taste
- 1 (13.5- ounce) can coconut milk
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro, plus more for serving
- 1 tablespoon thinly sliced scallions, plus more for serving
- Grits or rice, for serving
Instructions
Cook the kale
- In a large skillet with a lid, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and half of the garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is softened and starting to lightly brown, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add the kale and season with a bit more salt and pepper. Pour in 2 tablespoons of water. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kale is wilted and tender, adding more water as needed if the skillet starts to look dry, about 7-10 minutes. Stir in the lime or lemon juice. Taste and season with additional salt, pepper or citrus juice, if needed. Transfer to a bowl and cover to keep warm.
Cook the shrimp
- Wipe the skillet clean then place it back over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Once melted, add the shrimp and spread them in a single layer. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until pink on the bottom, about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the shrimp over and cook 1 minute longer. Scatter in the remaining garlic and drizzle in the sriracha. Cook, stirring, until the shrimp are cooked through, about 1 minute longer. Spoon the shrimp mixture onto a plate.
Make the pan sauce
- Place the skillet back over medium heat (don’t wash), and add the coconut milk and sugar. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring, until slightly thickened around the edges, about 5 minutes. Scrape the shrimp back into the skillet and cook until warmed through. Remove the pan from the heat and season with additional salt, pepper and/or sriracha as desired. Stir in the cilantro and scallions.
- To serve, swirl grits into four shallow bowls and divide the kale over top. Spoon the shrimp and sauce over the kale, and garnish with a sprinkle of cilantro and scallions.
*This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you purchase a product through a link you clicked on here, I receive a portion of the sale (at no cost to you). Thank you for supporting FromScratchFast!!
Stay Connected!
I’d love to hear what you’re cooking, and I’m happy to answer any questions! #FromScratchFast
Instagram: FromScratchFast
YouTube: FromScratchFast
Facebook: FromScratchFast
Pinterest: FromScratchFast
Ginger LaBella says
Good lord girl. How did I miss this one??? Looks A-MAZ-ING!!! Will be making this pronto! XO
Nicki Sizemore says
Ginger!! I hope you are well, and I hope you enjoy the shrimp! It's one of our faves.
Ginger LaBella says
Hi Nicki! I made this last night for the "fam" which is (during COVID) hubby and mother-in-law. Three thumbs way up! We all LOVED it. We had leftover sauce, greens and grits, which I mixed together and put in the fridge overnight. Right now I am having THE BEST breakfast: a slab of the grits melange pan-fried in a little butter, with a fried egg on top. YUM!!!
Nicki Sizemore says
Thank you so much for letting me know, Ginger, and that breakfast sounds AMAZING!! Big hugs to you and your fam!
Susan says
Received the Build A Bowl Cookbook for Christmas and this recipe for spicy shrimp with kale is in it. It is the second recipe I made out of the cookbook so far and my husband and I loved it. It is so unique and the flavors work well together. I made it with basmati rice but it looks great too with polenta. I am glad I went on line to find your website with other delicious looking recipes to try.
Nicki Sizemore says
Hi Susan! Thank you so much for your comment, and I hope you like Build-a-Bowl! Please keep in touch, and happy cooking!
Jean says
Very delicious, very easy! The simplicity of this recipe caught my eye. I was fairly true to the recipe but did sautee the shrimp in their shells for added flavor and also added a very healthy squeeze of 1/2 a lime to the finished shrimp in sauce. I used polenta, as that's what I had on hand, and did an oven baked version because I was feeling extra lazy. This was a hit and I will definitely make this again. Thank you for sharing! I look forward to trying some of your other recipes!
Nicki Sizemore says
Thank you for your comment, and I'm so glad you liked the recipe!
Erin says
I made this tonight for dinner and it was delicious! I used collard greens instead of kale and followed the recipe exactly. I will definitely be adding this to my recipe collection 🙂
Nicki Sizemore says
Hi Erin, I'm so happy you liked the recipe!