Jamaican Curry Shrimp- Curry with big bold flavors like — coconut milk, thyme and bell peppers are among the ingredients that round out this curry stew profile—yet surprisingly simple to make. 
I know looking at this dish may sound exotic, far fetched and that would probably scare off some folks. …BUT in all actuality it is not. 
Large plump Juicy shrimp are simmered in a hearty sauce, infused with garlic, thyme, ginger and curry spice. Speaking of curry spice, if you haven’t made my Awesome homemade curry spice here then you are missing out – seriously.Store-bought-curry pales in comparison to homemade . So take some time and give it a try and tell me want you think. 
What is also enticing about this Jamaican curry shrimp is that you can have this entrée for family on the table in about 30 minutes, with just a few minutes more of prep included in this. 
This is excellent served with Jamaican pigeon peas and rice and no less delicious with rice and beans or this coconut rice to be served quite deliciously without any further embellishment. And of course, you are always welcome to embellish as you wish—vegetables on the side broccoli, side salad or whatever vegetable suits your mood. 
And if shrimp is not your thing then you can go ahead and make this curry with chunks of chicken breast or thighs. Enjoy!!!
Watch How to Make It
Jamaican Curry Shrimp- Curry with big bold flavors like — coconut milk, thyme and bell peppers are among the ingredients that round out this curry stew profile—yet surprisingly simple to make.
- 1- 1½ lb. extra large shrimp peeled and deveined
- 2- tablespoons virgin olive oil or canola oil
- 1 teaspoons fresh minced thyme
- 2 large garlic cloves minced
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 green onions chopped
- 1/2 -1 Tablespoon curry powder
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- 1- cup coconut milk
- ½ red bell/ green bell pepper diced
- 1 cup broth or more
- 1 scotch bonnet pepper optional
- Salt and pepper to taste
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Heat oil over medium heat in a heavy bottomed Dutch.
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Add onions, garlic, thyme, curry powder and sauté for about 2-3 minutes. If using scotch bonnet pepper add at this time.
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Add tomato paste, green onions , followed by coconut milk, and broth. Bring it to a boil then simmer for about 7-10 minutes. Toss in shrimp, and bell pepper. Cook for another 3-5 minutes.
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Adjust for salt / pepper and thickness. Serve with Jamaican rice and corn pigeon rice and/or vegetables
I have been making this recipe for several years now, so it is only fair that I review it. This. Is. Amazing. I’ve made it for work lunches. I’ve made it for dates. I’ve made it for potlucks. I’ve used chicken, potatoes, and (my favorite) shrimp. I’m a wuss when it comes to spice so I just throw in 2-3 whole habaneros and pull them out when it is done cooking. This recipe is absolutely fabulous and one of my favorites to make!!!
doubled the recipe. my wife said it tasted better than the restaurant. how do you thicken your sauce?
Hi Imma!
So excited to try this tonight, but gotta admit, I’m a little scared of the Scotch Bonnet! We love spicy, but afraid this may be too hot! Should I leave it whole? Use less? Or just go for it! ? :))
Hello Deniz.
Yes, Scotch Bonnet is a little on the hot side, but it also lends a nice flavor to the dish. You could leave it out completely though, your food will still taste delicious!
I dont think this is a Jamaican dish its an East Indian. But it looks very good regardless.
I prepared this dish today and it so scrumptious and delicious kept going back for seconds..very easy to follow the receipe too.. Thank so much for sharing .. Awesome..P..xx
I just prepared this dish today and was so scrumptious and delicious. I didn’t have any coconut milk so used my coconut cream and it gave that extra creamy flavour awsome..thank you for sharing..bless..Prims..x
I dont think this is a Jamaican dish its an East Indian.
This was soooooo good!! Thank you so much Imma! The directions were clear and easy to follow.
This dish was awesome full of flavor a wee bit on the hot side too, couldn’t find the scotch bonnet so they say habanero is very close to it. What an amazing dish. The actual prep work to longer the actually cooking it. Grateful that it’s gluten free as well.
I’m so glad I found your website. I’m 24 and just learning how to cook. This recipe is simple and easy to follow.
So happy to have you here Musu. Thanks for the feedback.
I haven’t seen my husband so excited about a meal in a few. My family loved it. I was concerned because there was not much seasoning in the recipe but it is so full of flavor. Will definitely come back for more. It was amazing!
I had no thyme… Experimented with 2 cloves. It was immaculate! I can just imagine how it will be on my second attempt. Thanks a million!!!!
Hello Imma,
I came across your site by fluke. I made the curry shrimp last night. It was full of flavor and so easy!!! It was amazing! My husband loved it. He usually polishes off all the food and we never have leftovers, but he left extra in the pot so he can take for lunch today. I will definitely be visiting your site again. Thank you!
Awww. That just made me smile. Thank you for taking the time to let me know, Kathleen. Happy weekend!
This was so goooood that I had to make it two days in a row. The second time I added spicy chorizo sausage and potatoes. I didn’t have tomato paste so I used spicy Chipotle BBQ sauce. My husband went back to the pot 2 additional times and my son cleaned the plate( no need to wash that plate LOL) I definitely will try this again very soon. Thank you so much for this recipe. In the words of my hubby… “God bless the cook” 🙂
Hahaha! God bless you Christiana!!! Thank you so much for taking time out to share your thoughts with us. It really means a lot to me.
Soo Good
This recipe was excellent. This dish brought me back to being on the island. My husband had three servings. Thanks for the recipe.
I have been meaning to review this recipe for some time.
I can honestly say, I think this is the most delicious meal I have ever prepared! The first time I made it, I followed the directions to the letter, including preparing the fresh curry powder (so worth it!) We had some leftovers, and my husband confessed the next day that he kept thinking about the curry, almost obsessively!! I generally double this recipe now because – it’s so, so delicious!
I have since made this numerous times, using a mock chicken, monk fish, and again the shrimp or just vegetable.
The recipe is very tweakable and also very forgiving, if anyone needs to make changes.
I do tend to add some gram flour to thicken the sauce if it comes too thin, and that works like a charm. I also add some fresh lime juice right at the end, just to liven things up (and coconut and lime work so well together.)
That said, this recipe is amazing! Thank you for sharing with us!
You are too sweet Bonnie, thank you SO MUCH!!!. I chuckled at what you said about your husband – It really warms my heart that you would take time out to share this with us. God bless!
Turned out great and my friend loved it too
Glad it turned out for you, Chanel! Happy weekend!
One of the ingredients is broth. What kind of broth do you use?
Vegetable, chicken or shrimp broth would do just fine.
Your recipe sounds delicious. Can you cook all the ingredients ahead and add the shrimp later.
Hi, Joyce. I haven’t tried making the sauce ahead of time so I don’t have helpful answer to your question.
I have to say kudos to this recipe! I am a white American female and my boyfriend is Jamaican and so I decided to surprise him with some curry shrimp for dinner… I will say that ,he said that it was the Best curry shrimp he has ever had and that says a lot! I’m glad I picked this one out of all I looked at! I cooked it with love!
That’s so sweet of you, Marie! I appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback. Happy weekend!
I don’t see broth listed in the ingredients list, but it is mentioned as part of step 3… What kind of broth do we use and how much? Thanks, I can’t wait to make this!
It’s listed . Check line 11.
Loved it
Thanks!
Made this tonight. Fantastic! Although I did not make the homemade curry spice, I added in a few of the components of it, to my store bought curry powder. Pinch of clove, nutmeg, allspice and coriander. And, per previous comments, I added (veg) broth slowly, and kept adding as sauce thickened. It was perfect. And I caught myself in time….I almost added the entire can of Coconut Milk, but realized the recipe called only called for a cup. This recipe is a KEEPER. Thank you.
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback, Marnie. I appreciate it. Glad it turned out great for you. 🙂
Imma, this is the third recipe I’ve made from you and all have come out amazing!! My family and especially my husband love them. Thank you..thank you…thank you!
Ps. I followed the recipe but added a little more tomotoe paste, hot curry powder and Chicken broth to get the flavor and consistency I was looking for.
I bet it taste even wonderful, Keysha. Glad you guys love this as much as we do. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
Im making this now carnt wait will let u no how it turns out also im using dunns river carribbean hot curry powder x
Do you have any dishes that utilizes Annatto ?
I have this one here https://www.africanbites.com/alcapurrias/
This sounds amazing, and I can’t wait to make my own curry powder to use in it. We eat chicken and shrimp often, so sometimes I get a bit tired of them – I’m wondering how this recipe would work with cubes of firm tofu? I”m not a huge fan of tofu but I thought this very flavourful sauce might just be the way to make it palatable. Has anyone tried that?
Good as usual.
Thanks Franny!
Well, you forgot to say exactly when you added the main ingredient, shrimp…
Check step 3 . It’s stated . Thanks!
Made this the other day and my neighbors enjoyed it. The curry sauce over the rice was the best, didn’t need the shrimp (ok it helped). Gonna try the curry chicken recipe next. One more thing I like the step by step directions and pictures of the process. Thanks again
My pleasure! So glad to hear the step by step pictorials are really helpful . Thanks for taking the time to share this with me .
Thank you so much for this amazing recipe!! I made it tonight for my family and everyone loved it! Just the right amount of spice and flavor. I followed the recipe with no variations. Will defiantly be making again.
You are Welcome Melinda! Thanks for the feedback! Glad to hear it’s going on the menu again.
I have tried different Curry Recipes & this recipe Is the best! I added Mussels with the shrimp, My Family loved it.
That’s so fantastic !!! I’m so pleased to hear it turned out well with added Mussels , thanks for letting me know!
Is the broth chicken broth?
Yes it is.
Outstanding! This recipe is a great base for you to customize. I used frozen diced green, red and yellow peppers. I didn’t have fresh thyme so I used dried. I also used store bought curry powder but I certainly intend to make my own, now that I have a recipe. I added a 1/4 tsp of roasted chili powder ( I didn’t have scotch bonnet) and the heat was perfect. Hot enough to give you a sniffle but not enough to distort the flavor or set your mouth on fire . For me tomato paste or canned tomatoes always need a pinch of sugar to cut the acidity and believe me, that little pinch really made a difference. Salt is absolutely necessary, taste and adjust. My only problem was thickening. I added cornstarch (dissolved in water) to help thicken up the broth but it just didn’t thicken to my liking, or hardly for that matter. I was afraid if I added more cornstarch it would alter the taste so I left it as is and enjoyed it over some basmati rice. All and all this is a great easy recipe. Thank you so much xoxo
I forgot to add I also used a tiny pinch of powdered ginger!
Awesome! Glad it all worked out for you. Thanks for taking the time to offer feedback.
This looks great and am going to try it. I will also try preparing your curry powder and use that. I think, though, that you meant to say that the store bought curry powder pales in comparison to yours, not the other way around 🙂
Yes! Thanks for the clarification.
Tofu is good, make sure it’s the extre firm and extract the water first. I cut it into bite sized cubes and added after onions. But Tempeh is even better!
Hey IB, you still have your metaphors mixed up when comparing homemade curry powder to store-bought, better change that!
Thanks for the feedback Kim. I have made the corrections.
. What’s a good brand of curry to use?
I make my own curry powder featured here . Or try Chief if you can find it .
I never make comments on recipes, but I had to stop and praise this one! I used some quick fixes to make my usual curry powder similar to yours, adding Dijon mustard and ginger root. It was so delicious I couldn’t wait to get up the next morning and eat it again. I’m a Georgia girl and ended up with Shrimp and Grits, which was even better than the creamy rice I made the night before! Thank you so much!
Awesome! Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts. I appreciate you!!!
Hi Imma,
What rice do you use? I can’t find Jamaican rice in my local grocery stores.
Thanks for the great recipe!
I always use Long grain rice (Basmatic rice) for most of the recipes here.
Oh, this was SO GOOD! Next time I think we’ll use less broth to make it a thicker sauce, but all the flavours were there! Thanks!
Nice recipe but the food came out bland.
Thanks for giving this a try. Sorry to hear you didn’t enjoy it. what kind of curry powder did you use? Homemade makes it really flavorful.
This was delicious and simple. I absolutely love your recipes!
Awesome!!! Thanks for feedback Amber
So what kind of broth did you use? There are several types i.e chicken, beef, vegetable? or do we just use whatever is preferred?
I usually use chicken broth. However, feel free to use whatever you have on hand.
What a spatular curry dish Imma! You’re totally right. The name of the dish sounds very exotic, but surprisingly I found I have all the ingredients in my kitchen. Can’t wait to try it out!
What kind of vegetable is served with the curry in the picture above? Are those plantains or sweet potatoes? Something else???? Looks amazing! 🙂
Thanks! They are Plantains(Fried) .
I love curry. Love curry shrimp. With rice, roti, bread.. lol. I love seeing the different processes for currying too.
I love curry! Especially with shrimp. And I will definitely be looking up your curry mix recipe. I use curry mix all the time.
Don’t just taste way better than the bottled ones?
I am such a curry fan. I looked through the ingredients and it is amazing how universal the basics are. They transcend so many food cultures. I make a lot of Indian food and it is very similar. The colors you have on this dish are amazing. I need to try this more Caribbean style of curry.
I love how this can be made in about 30 minutes! Some nights you just don’t feel like cooking, so this would be a perfect flavor packed meal for those nights!
Oh, this looks wonderful! So vibrant and fresh! I must make this ASAP! Yummed and pinned!