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Learn how to make a quick and easy spicy shrimp masala that’s perfect to serve with rice or with warm naan. It’s an Indian inspired prawn masala recipe that’s sure to please!
Spicy shrimp masala!
Guys, guys, guys! I’ve been DYING to share this recipe with you.
First, picture this: spicy sauteed tomato paste flavored with fresh ginger and garlic paste, followed by coriander and cumin (because what Indian recipe is complete without it,) and finally tons of freshly squeezed lemon juice and chopped cilantro. So to sum it all up, it’s all the flavors you LOVE from Indian food that come together in this spicy shrimp masala.
True story: I hesitated a bit when I first started developing this recipe. I mean, we love the flavors of good Indian food because we both grew up on it. But this isn’t something that’s super familiar to everyone, and I had no idea how you guys would feel about shrimp and masala together.
For our spicy shrimp masala, we start by making our scented masala paste from scratch, and then we cook the shrimp in that paste and what you get is this dry mix of shrimp masala. This recipe doesn’t have a whole lot of gravy, so I prefer to serve it with roti, chapati, or naan, but for my rice lovers, this would work well over basmati rice too!
It was very tasty and easy to make! I am Indian and it was very authentic tasting
Ingredients for 30 Minute Shrimp Masala
- Oil: Use any high heat friendly oil that you typically use at home. We like avocado oil.
- Roma Tomatoes: Fresh tomatoes work well here, but feel free to use canned tomatoes if you prefer. You only need 3.
- Ginger Paste and Garlic Paste: I typically buy this from the International aisle as a paste, or simply grate or mince them fresh.
- Jalapeño Peppers: Bring freshness to the dish along with adding some much needed spice.
- Seasonings and Spices: you’ll need all the spices typically used in Indian cuisine. Ground coriander, turmeric, red pepper flakes, cumin, fenugreek leaves, garam masala, and chaat masala. Some of these are optional but they do give the dish the best flavor.
- Shrimp: I like to use medium or large shrimp for this. Peel and devein the shrimp before using them in the shrimp masala.
- Lemon Juice: adds tang and really plays up the shrimp flavor.
- Cilantro: finish the dish with cilantro to add earthiness.
- Rice or Roti for serving: I suggest homemade basmati rice. If you’re Pakistani/Indian, you might want to make zeera or jeera rice as it really enhances the flavor of Indian curry.
Making Shrimp Masala at home
- Make the masala. First add the oil to large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the tomatoes and cook them down in the pan until they turn into a paste like consistency.
- Season the pan sauce. At this point, stirin the garlic paste, ginger paste, jalapeños and let them cook down. You’ll notice this recipe doesn’t have onions, and that’s because it’s an ingredient that isn’t very common in shrimp masala. I like to reserve onions for chicken or beef Indian curry. Once the aromatics cook down, you’ll season with 1½ teaspoon cumin powder, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon coriander powder, and the remaining first batch of spices. Then add a splash of hot water to keep the spices from burning.
- Cook the shrimp. Then add the bowl of cleaned shrimp and let them cook in the seasonings to really grab all that flavor. Shrimp and most seafood doesn’t take very long to cook, about 1-3 minutes.
- Finish the dish. Season with kosher salt, fenugreek leaves, garam masala, chaat masala, and then turn off the stove and add the lemon juice. You can also use lime if you’d like. serve with plain rice or naan.
FAQs about this recipe
No, fenugreek leaves cannot be replaced with fenugreek seeds in this recipe.
I’d say about 2-3 days covered in the refrigerator. Just microwave to reheat.
You can, but I’ve always made my shrimp masala with flakes. I’d start with ¼-½ teaspoon Kashmiri chili and work your way up as desired. Deggi red chili powder would work too.
Other recipes to try:
- 30 Minute Garlic Brown Lentil Dal
- My Moms Beef Samosas
- Tandoori Chicken Sheet Pan Dinner
- The Best Butter Chicken (Murgh Makhani)
- Chicken Tikka Masala
30-Minute Spicy Shrimp Masala
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¼ cup oil
- 3 roma tomatoes diced
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste
- 2 tablespoon grated ginger
- 1 jalapeno seeded and minced
- ⅓ cup water
- ½ teaspoon coriander powder
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1½ teaspoon cumin powder
- 16 ounces shrimp peeled and deveined*
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon fenugreek leaves crushed between fingers
- ½ teaspoon garam masala
- 2 teaspoons chaat masala*
- chopped cilantro
- Prepared basmati rice or naan for serving
Instructions
- make the masala: Heat the oil over a large sauté over medium-high heat. Carefully add the tomatoes, so the oil doesn't splatter. Stir the tomatoes around and allow them to cook for several minutes until they cook down into a thick paste, about 8-10 minutes.
- season: Add the garlic paste, ginger paste, and jalapenos and let cook for 1 minute or until nice and fragrant. Add the seasonings: coriander, turmeric, red pepper flakes, and cumin. Stir the masala and add the water so it doesn't burn.
- cook the shrimp: Allow the water to dry up, about 5 minutes and add the shrimp. Let cook for 2-3 minutes stirring so the shrimp are coated with the tomato masala.
- finish it up: Season with ½ teaspoon salt, fenugreek leaves, garam masala, chaat masala, turn the stove off and add the lemon juice. Stir the shrimp masala and decorate with chopped cilantro. Serve warm with or naan!
Notes
- To cut the spice a bit, you can use less red pepper flakes and fewer jalapeno peppers.
- Chaat masala is optional for this recipe however it does give it that true restaurant-style masala flavor!
- You can swap the shrimp for boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breast pieces. The chicken will take a bit longer to cook through than the shrimp, but it’ll be just as delicious!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This was so friggin delicious!!!!! Best shrimp recipe ever and so easy to make, especially on a week night! Definitely going to be on repeat!
Making this Friday. How much cilantro?
Hi Eric! A tablespoon or two does the job! Hope you enjoy this!
Thanks, I’m sure it will be delicious! We do a Home Fellowship/Bible study on Friday nights and have been starting it with themed pot luck. I’ve really been excited for Indian night tonight!
It was delicious. I make my Jen gram masala. Freshness with spices was amazing
I never rate recipes but this was it. I’m Indian and this tasted 100% authentic, even when I halved the oil. However, depending on the chaat masala you use, there may not be any need to add salt.
This was simple and tasty AF…winner
My husband, who is Indian, just made this and said it was so good and authentic tasting! Thanks for the recipe!
Love love love this recipe!!!!!!!
It looks delicious, thanks for sharing this recipe. Masala is a bit expensive where I live, but I can’t waint to try this version of shrimp.
Hi… this looks awesome. Making it tonight and will advise how it turns out. In the meantime my question is, I looked up substitute for fenugreek leaves and the suggestion was mustard seed… do you agree? Thanks…
Hi! Am making this today… but any chance I could use less oil and sub fresh tomatoes for tomato paste? I’m trying to use less oil but also I don’t have enough tomatoes!
It was very tasty and easy to make! I am Indian and it was very authentic tastimg.
Can you use canned tomatoes instead? How much will equal 3 Roma tomatoes? Thank you
Yes, that should work! You’ll need roughly three-quarters of a 14.5-ounce can!
Great recipe – thank you so much!
I made this recipe a few weeks back and thought it was exceptionally good. And a lot of fun to prepare. Sheer out of curiosity, do you think that it would also work for a fish like grouper – as an alternative to shrimp? – if not, may I ask if you have a fish curry recipe you could share? Many thanks for the wonderful, detailed and nuanced recipe which I will enjoy coming back to again and again. Miriam
Glad you enjoyed the shrimp masala, Miriam! I haven’t used grouper before, but I have used a recipe very similar to this for tilapia and it worked out well, so I think it could work. I would just be really careful not to turn the fish too much during cooking or you run the risk of it breaking into small pieces. Enjoy! 🙂
We’ve made this several times now, and it’s always fantastic. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I followed the recipe exactly with the exception of the chaat masala, which I didn’t have and couldn’t find in our (limited due to remote location) stores. It was delicious. I made It as an appetizer for 6 people as an alternative to most fried Indian appetizers and it was the perfect amount. I’ll make it again for a dinner party and will use basamati rice. Thank you for developing this recipe. Very quick, easy, and delicious.
I only have fenugreek seeds. Can they be used in place of the fenugreek leaves?
No unfortunately, the seeds are very different from the leaves. You can simply omit it from the recipe if you’d like.
Brilliant recipe! Can’t keep my hands away from the bowl.
This looks amazing!! I love those Indian flavors.