Make Coconut Shrimp

Coconut shrimp is a crunchy, juicy, delicious dish to serve as an appetizer. It's quite simple to make, and you'll have your guests asking for more. This article gives instructions on how to make coconut shrimp on the stove or in the oven.

Serves 2 to 3 people

Ingredients

  • 20 raw shrimp (peeled)
  • 2 cups (200 grams) of flour
  • 3 cups (230 grams) of shredded coconut
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/4 cup (60 ml) of cream
  • 1 teaspoon of Cayenne pepper
  • 2 tablespoons of salt
  • 8 cups (2 liters) of canola oil or peanut oil

Steps

Making Coconut Shrimp on the Stove

  1. Peel and devein the shrimp. Since the coconut shrimp will be fried, it needs to be peeled before you cook it. Remove the shell from the shrimp (you can leave the tail if you'd like) and extract the black veins that run along the shrimp's back and belly. Continue until all of the shrimp have been processed, then give them a rinse to clean off the bits of shell.
  2. Create a "dipping station." To make the coconut batter stick to the shrimp, you need to dredge the shrimp in a flour mixture, an egg mixture, and then the coconut mixture. The easiest way to do this is to make a dipping station with three bowls containing the three different mixtures.
    • In the first bowl, mix the flour, salt, and pepper together.
    • In the second bowl, mix the cream and eggs.
    • The third bowl consists of the shredded coconut.
  3. Batter the shrimp. One by one, dip each shrimp piece in the flour bowl, then the egg bowl, then the coconut bowl, in that order. Make sure that you coat each shrimp thoroughly before placing it into the next bowl.
  4. Lay each battered shrimp piece on parchment or wax paper. This keeps the shrimp from sticking to a plate.
  5. Fry the shrimp. Pour the oil into a deep frying pan. Heat the oil to about 350 degrees F or 180 degrees C. Drop the shrimp pieces into the oil and fry each piece for 2 to 3 minutes.
    • You can test whether the oil is ready using a kitchen thermometer, or by dipping the handle of a wooden spoon into the oil; if the spoon bubbles, the oil is ready to fry.
    • If you don't want to deep fry the shrimp, you can fry them in a shallow pan. Fry them on one side for 1 1/2 minutes, then flip the shrimp using a pair of tongs and fry them on the other side for 1 1/2 minutes.
  6. Drain the shrimp. Lift them from the pan with a pair of tongs. Transfer the shrimp onto paper towels to drain the oil.
  7. Serve the coconut shrimp. They go great with cocktail sauce, sweet chili sauce, mayonnaise, or any other tasty sauce.

Making Coconut Shrimp in the Oven

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  2. Peel and devein the shrimp. Use your fingers to remove the peel from the shrimp. You can leave the tails on if you'd like, but take off the shells and the legs. Use a knife to cut a slit down the back and the belly, then lift out the veins. Rinse the shrimp to remove the bits of shell.
  3. Set up a dipping station. Mix the flour and spices in one bowl, the eggs and cream in another bowl, and put the coconut in a third bowl.
  4. Batter the shrimp. One at a time, dip each shrimp in the flour mixture, the egg mixture, and the coconut mixture. Make sure each shrimp is completely coated in batter before moving to the next one.
  5. Place the shrimp in a baking pan. Grease a 9x12 glass or metal baking pan and lay the shrimp on the bottom. Make sure they aren't touching one another, or else they won't cook as evenly.
  6. Bake the shrimp. Put the baking pan in the oven and cook the shrimp for about 10 minutes, until the top is golden brown. Remove the pan from the oven and flip the shrimp to the other side, then bake for another 10 minutes. The shrimp are ready when the second side is golden brown.
    • If the shrimp don't seem to be getting brown, you can use the broiler setting on your oven to cook them. Broil for 2 - 3 minutes on each side.
    • Don't overcook the shrimp, or they won't be as juicy. Be sure to remove them right when they're finished.
  7. Serve the shrimp. Baked coconut shrimp are a healthy appetizer or main course. Serve them on a bed of mixed greens or with a dipping sauce such as honey mustard.
  8. Finished.

Tips

  • While frying, the shredded coconut will toast in the oil.

Warnings

  • Just as with strawberries and peanuts, some people are allergic to shrimp. Problems can arise unexpectedly if you re-use cooking oil from cooking shrimp to cook something else, e.g. fried chicken. Such leftover oil could trigger a serious reaction in a diner allergic the remnant shrimp particles and allergens. If you have friends or family who are allergic to shrimp, discard the oil after one use, or at least label the container "used for shrimp."
  • Be cautious when placing the shrimp into the heated oil. The last thing you want is oil splattering on yourself.

Things You'll Need

  • Parchment or wax paper
  • Food thermometer
  • Tongs

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