Keto Filipino Shrimp with Achiote Oil

⏲ ~24 min total · prep 17 · cook 7 · 4 servings

By the KFI Test Kitchen · Tested & approved by Jason Lieu, KFI recipe editor

Published Sep 15, 2026 · Updated Nov 2, 2026

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup avocado oil
• 2 tbsp annatto (achiote) seeds
• 1 1/2 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails on
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• 1 medium roma tomato, chopped
• 1 1/2 tbsp fish sauce (patis)
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 3 Thai bird chilies, pierced twice with a knife tip
• lime wedges, for serving

Instructions

1. Make the achiote oil: warm the avocado oil and annatto seeds in a small saucepan over medium-low, swirling often for 5 to 6 minutes, until the oil turns a deep brick red; pull it off the heat the moment the seeds darken or the oil turns bitter.
2. Strain the oil through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding the seeds; pour 3 tablespoons into a 12-inch skillet and reserve 1 tablespoon.
3. Heat the skillet of achiote oil over medium, add the garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant, then the onion for 2 minutes until translucent and the tomato for 2 more, pressing it until it collapses into a rough sauce.
4. Add the shrimp in a single layer and sear 1 minute per side, just until they blush pink at the edges.
5. Stir in the fish sauce, pepper, and pierced chilies, tossing constantly 1 to 2 minutes, until the shrimp curl into loose C shapes — the moment they coil tight they are overdone.
6. Pull off the heat, drizzle over the reserved tablespoon of achiote oil, and serve hot with lime wedges.

Why this recipe works

• Achiote oil Annatto seeds steeped in warm oil turn it deep brick red and lend an earthy note without heat. Three tablespoons cook the dish and a reserved tablespoon finishes it raw.
• Fish sauce A tablespoon and a half of patis seasons the shrimp through the sauce instead of on the surface. Plain salt sits on top; fish sauce folds in.
• Pierced chilies Two knife slits per Thai bird chili release aroma and moderate heat into the oil without scattering seeds. They flavor the dish in the two minutes they spend in the pan.

Tips for making this recipe well

Do not leave the seeds

Annatto goes from brick red to bitter fast. Five to six minutes of swirling over medium-low, and pull it the moment the seeds darken. Bitter oil cannot be fixed later.

Strain, then measure

A fine-mesh sieve catches the seeds before they keep browning in the skillet. Measure three tablespoons for cooking and hold one back for the finish.

Cook to a loose C

A minute per side blushes the shrimp, then one to two minutes of tossing curls them into loose C shapes. A tight coil means they have already gone past done.

Press the tomato

Press the chopped tomato against the pan until it collapses into a rough sauce. That pulp is what carries the red oil onto every shrimp.

Lime is required

The wedges are not decoration. Acid lifts the fish sauce and the achiote, and the dish tastes flat without a squeeze at the table.

Serving suggestions

Weeknight, late summer, thirty-five minutes, and a skillet that smells like a good street stall. Pile the shrimp into a wide bowl with the red oil pooled over them, chilies scattered on top for whoever dares, lime wedges around the edge. Cauliflower rice keeps the plate at 3.3 net carbs and soaks up the oil. Eat them hot, with a bowl nearby for the tails. Cold from the fridge the next day, they are a different dish and a good one.

Storage and meal prep

The shrimp are best the day they are cooked, but they hold well. Refrigerate them in a covered container within two hours, for up to three days. Leave the chilies in only if you want the oil to carry more heat overnight, which it will; fish them out for a milder next day. Reheat briefly in a skillet, no more than a minute or two, because shrimp turn rubbery with extra pan time. Freezing cooked shrimp is safe for two to three months, though they come back softer.

Variations worth trying

• More heat Add two extra chilies, or mince one in with the garlic for a sharper burn. The fish sauce and lime round it either way.
• Pork on the side Crisp a few slices of pork belly first and cook the shrimp in some of the rendered fat alongside the achiote oil. Serve the pork under the shrimp.
• Coconut finish Stir a quarter cup of coconut cream in off the heat for a milder, richer sauce. The color softens from red toward salmon-pink.
• Calamansi if you can Calamansi is the traditional squeeze where it is sold; lime is the honest stand-in. Same wedges, same moment, right before eating.

Frequently asked questions

What is annatto?

A seed, sold as annatto or achiote, that steeps into a red, mildly earthy oil. It colors and flavors the dish without adding heat. Latin and Asian groceries both stock it, usually cheaply.

Can I use frozen shrimp?

Thaw them completely and pat them dry, or they will steam in their own water instead of searing. Large shrimp hold up best to the high heat. Tails on make them easier to turn in the pan.

How do I know the shrimp are done?

They blush pink at the edges after a minute per side, then curl into loose C shapes during the final toss. A shrimp curled into a tight O is past done. The whole cook takes three to four minutes.

How spicy is this?

As written, warm rather than fiery; pierced chilies release more perfume than burn, and fish sauce and lime round it further. For a barely-there version, leave the chilies whole and unbroken. Remove them before serving if you like.

What goes with it?

Cauliflower rice soaks up the red oil and keeps the meal at 3.3 net carbs a serving. Something cold and plain on the side balances the salt of the fish sauce. Squeeze the lime over everything at the last second.

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