Easy Thai Shrimp Soup
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Skip the take-out and try making this at home – it’s unbelievably easy and 10000x tastier and healthier!
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reasons to make easy thai shrimp soup
- Takeout favorite
- Budget-friendly
- Uses easy-to-find ingredients
- Cold weather comfort food
- Leftovers taste even better
- Super flexible recipe (and can be made vegetarian friendly)
what is red curry paste and where can i find it
Commonly used in Thai dishes, red curry paste is made from a blend of red chili pepper, garlic, lemongrass, Thai ginger and various spices.
Red curry paste is typically used for stir-fry, soups or mixed with coconut milk for curry. It is readily available in most grocery store chains, particularly the Thai Kitchen brand, and online, with some brands containing shellfish (shrimp paste).
tips and tricks for success
- Know your shrimp size. Shrimp size is calculated on number of shrimp per pound. The smaller the number, the larger your shrimp. There are about 40-50 medium shrimp per pound.
- Buy frozen shrimp. For superior quality and freshness, using frozen shrimp is ideal (but avoid the bags with freezer burn), opting for a quick thaw under cold running water.
- Use your favorite protein. This recipe will work well with chicken thighs, chicken breasts, shrimp or tofu.
- Use full fat coconut milk. Although lite coconut milk can certainly be used, full fat coconut milk will yield a much more rich and creamy broth.
- Mix it up. Swap the red curry paste for green, add in more veggies (cabbage, zucchini, mushrooms or bok choy) or use rice noodles in place of rice.
- Stir in more stock with leftovers. When reheating leftovers, stir in more stock as needed as the rice will continue to soak up the broth.
what to serve with thai shrimp soup
Easy Thai Shrimp Soup: Frequently Asked Questions
You can thaw frozen shrimp overnight, transferring it from the freezer to the fridge the day before. For a quick thaw, you can run them under cold water until completely thawed, about 5-10 minutes. Pat them dry as thoroughly as possible to remove any excess moisture.
Yes! Chicken is a great swap for the shrimp, and you can sub chicken stock for the vegetable stock as well.
We personally love Mae Ploy (contains shrimp paste). Thai Kitchen is also great with mild heat, and more readily available at most grocery stores.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 1-2 days.
We do not recommend freezing this as coconut milk tends to separate when frozen.
Easy Thai Shrimp Soup
Ingredients
- 1 cup basmati rice
- 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 2 tablespoons red curry paste
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 (13.5-ounce) can coconut milk
- 3 cups vegetable stock
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Equipment
Instructions
- In a large saucepan of 1 1 /2 cups water, cook rice according to package instructions; set aside.
- Season shrimp with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Melt butter in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add shrimp, and cook, stirring occasionally, until pink, about 2-3 minutes; set aside.
- Add onion and bell pepper to the Dutch oven. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in red curry paste, garlic and ginger until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Stir in coconut milk and vegetable stock; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until slightly thickened, about 8-10 minutes.
- Stir in rice, shrimp, lime juice and cilantro.
- Serve immediately.
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This is the best soup and recipe ever.
What I am adding is scallops and salmon as well. And this I discovered by inviting guests without knowledge of lack of shrimps and time…and it is delicious mmmmmm.
Thank you for sharing this recipe.
My husband and I love this soup !! 10/10
I made this tonight for my family and it is a definite “do again” as we like to call it. Very yummy. This time I made it pretty much strictly to the recipe. Next time I have ideas for some tweaks as well as making it spicy. Another Damn Delicious winner!!
Delicious! Knowing we’d have leftovers (2 of us), I put the broth in bowls, then about 5 shrimp each, then about 1/4 cup of rice, then 1 shrimp on top of rice to make it look even more amazing and served. Looking forward to leftover – Definitely a keeper recipe!
I’ve made this many times over the years and it’s been a hit every time. Great recipe that you can easily make switches to depending on what ingredients you have available – tonight we added green beans, last time we added spinach – very damn delicious .
Without the rice the soup is 265 per serving for 6 servings. Making this for a luncheon with a friend. I’ll review it fully then.
Making tonight!! I’m confused on how many cups of coconut milk though. Please help!
12 ounces = 1 1/2 cups.
Great stuff. We like spicy food, so I add some peppers to it (jalapeños, serranos, and habaneros), but other than that, follow the recipe as written.
Very good and easy to make. Thank you!
Delicious! The only thing I changed is I used less rice and a little less curry paste and it was soooo good. Next time I will double the recipe because my family tore it up!
Only need half the rice. Made it way too thick. Good flavor
Easy, tasty shrimp soup. great to serve to guests (1 or 2 at the most) with a salad. Thanks.
This shrimp soup is awesome! The whole family loved it! Thank you.
This is a keeper. I made two changes that, in my opinion, improved the experience. First, I substituted 8 oz. of mahi mahi for half (8 oz.) of the shrimp. I cut the fish into bite-sized chunks before searing in the Dutch oven prior to the shrimp.
Second, I reduced the vegetable stock and coconut milk in a separate saucepan while cooking the fish, shrimp and veggies. This not only preserved the texture of the veggies, but cut the cooking time in half. I combined everything and simmered for 5 minutes to get everything “involved” before serving.
This is very authentic tasting! I’ve only been to Thailand a couple times but eating this reminded me of being there!
Wow and wow. My husband said it was better than any restaurant!
Few modifications:
Added 2 small thin sliced carrots and sauteed
Used less red curry, 1.5 Tbsp
Added a small roasted diced potato
Added 2+ cups chopped spinach
Chicken stock as that is what I had on hand
Immersion blended the onion/pepper/coconut milk to thicken
Awesome recipe and will make again.
Made this. Delicious and easy!
New family favorite! Easy to make and very flavorful.
Is there a substitution for the coconut milk as one of my family members is allergic? Thank you and your recipes are fantastic!
Can this be made ahead of time?