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Creamy Coconutty Shrimp Salad

shrimp salad on green plate and pink wooden surface and drinks and lime orange plates on the side
Photograph by Emma Fishman, food styling by Caroline Hwang, prop styling by Elizabeth Jaime.

Inspired by Peruvian shrimp ceviche, this version features all of the usual toppings, but instead of an acidic bath for the shrimp, they get cooked outright in silky, rich coconut milk infused with garlic and fish sauce for a flavor boost. Preparing the shrimp this way is ideal for times when you’re not sure about the quality of seafood you’re working with because we’re not relying solely on acidic elements to fully “cook” the shrimp. Finish it all off with a squeeze of fresh lime and a beautiful arrangement of cilantro, tomato, red onion, jalapeño, and crushed tortilla chips (for an unconventional but delicious crunch factor) before digging in. Save time: Shrimp can be cooked and coconut sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Transfer to individual airtight containers; cover and chill separately. —Zaynab Issa

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What you’ll need

Ingredients

4–6 servings

1

large lime

2

garlic cloves, smashed

1

13.5-oz. can unsweetened coconut milk

2

tsp. fish sauce

1

lb. large shrimp, peeled, deveined, patted dry

Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

½

small red onion, thinly sliced

1

small jalapeño, thinly sliced on a diagonal, seeds removed if desired

½

cup cherry tomatoes, preferably heirloom, halved, quartered if large

1

cup (packed) coarsely chopped cilantro

High-quality extra-virgin olive oil (for serving)

1

cup tortilla chips, lightly crushed

Flaky sea salt

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Remove zest from lime in wide strips with a vegetable peeler. Cut lime in half; set aside. Bring zest, garlic, coconut milk, and fish sauce to a simmer in a large skillet over medium heat. Arrange shrimp in skillet in a single layer and cook, maintaining a bare simmer, until opaque and pink, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to a large shallow bowl and let cool.

    Step 2

    Increase heat to high; cook coconut milk until thick but pourable (similar to the consistency of runny honey), about 5 minutes; remove from heat. Remove and discard lime zest and any shrimpy bits. Season coconut sauce with kosher salt and pepper and let cool in pan.

    Step 3

    Squeeze juice from a reserved lime half over shrimp and spoon coconut sauce over. Top with red onion, jalapeño, tomatoes, and cilantro. Squeeze remaining lime half over. Drizzle with a little oil, then top with tortilla chips and sprinkle with sea salt.

    Do ahead: Shrimp can be cooked and coconut sauce can be made 1 day ahead. Transfer to separate airtight containers; cover and chill.

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  • Hmm I was excited about this but it’s a weird one. It lacked flavour and I was a bit turned off by the texture in the end.

    • Anonymous

    • 7/9/2023

  • I added lemongrass stalks to the sauce whipe it was cooking and chickpeas, and poured it over thai rice. Absolutely delicious and bright flavors. This will be on repeat throughout the year.

    • Lena

    • Brooklyn, NY

    • 7/21/2022

  • Followed the recipe and ingredients to a T. Way too sweet and way too salty, yet needs more flavor. I ended up adding hot sauce to the final result to try to get it balanced. Ate it over white rice. Definitely more soup than salad. Just make a ceviche instead.

    • Anonymous

    • Philadelphia

    • 7/10/2022

  • Loved this dish! I have some food sensitivities to subbed the jalapeño and tomatoes for slivered snap peas and avocado, added a little red pepper flake to the coconut reduction, and added sunflower micro greens and chickpeas to bulk it up as a salad. So refreshing and delicious! Will make exactly the same way again adding some peaches when they’re ripe here in the PNW.

    • Katie

    • Tacoma, WA

    • 7/3/2022

  • The recipe didn’t match the photo (the sauce was more grey than white) but the resulting dish was delicious. Would be great over rice or on brioche, or with more of the herbs and tomatoes to make it a salad.

    • Anonymous

    • Portland, OR

    • 6/29/2022

  • Very bright flavor from the lime, but also like comfort food with the creamy coconut milk sauce. I followed the recipe exactly as written and it came out tasting delicious. I did cook some jasmine rice to serve with it, which I highly recommend. Don't skimp on the jalapenos! I sliced them very thinly and the heat was not overpowering because they mellow out in some lime juice when you make the salad. Not too hot, just flavor bombs! Definitely put the crushed tortilla chips on top--awesome texture. Will make this again and again and again!

    • Laurel

    • Omaha, NE

    • 6/14/2022

  • Very fresh and tasty! Used cooked shrimp and kept them in the sauce just for a moment, and that worked still quite well.

    • Anonymous

    • Belgium

    • 6/12/2022

  • This recipe was easy to make and produced tasty results. If I make it again, I’ll take the lime zest out sooner than after 5 minutes of high heat. After about 3 minutes, the sauce became a tad bitter and I removed it right away. Salt helped even it out.

    • Amber S

    • Marietta, GA

    • 6/10/2022

  • Loved this! Great flavors. But it is not really a salad. I served it over rice with a side of lime cilantro black beans. Coconut sauce was perfect combo with rice.

    • JLB

    • Washington, DC

    • 6/3/2022

  • This is a lovely, bright, refreshing dish. Definitely poach the shrimp in the lime, coconut, and fish sauce situation (and I added ginger!). I think I over-reduced the sauce after taking out the shrimp, as it became a thick, caramel-like consistency. The next time I make this, I will likely not reduce the sauce and keep it brothy. I also served mine atop some vermicelli noodles to make it a bit more filling for dinner. Overall, would make it again, with some small modifications!

    • Sasha

    • Jersey City, NJ

    • 6/1/2022