Coconut Shrimp

I’ve been on a seafood kick lately. This crispy, coconut shrimp has a simple, light coating and reheats beautifully in a 400° F oven. Serve with your favorite dipping sauce; I’d recommend something spicy with an acidic note to balance the perfectly fried coconut shell.

ingredients

• 1 lb shrimp, cleaned and deveined
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided in half
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour, divided in half
• 1 egg
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/3 cup sparkling water, unflavored
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
• 1/3 cup panko breadcrumbs
• neutral, high smoke point oil for frying (i.e., avocado, canola)

method

Coat Shrimp

1. Clean and devein the shrimp if purchased with the shells on. Dry the shrimp will with a paper towel and season and toss the shrimp with 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Set aside.
2. Set up your breading station by lining up 3 bowls.
3. In the first bowl (left to right), add 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour.
4. In the middle bowl, add the egg and whisk. To the egg, add the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, cayenne pepper, baking powder, sparkling water and the remaining 1/4 cup all purpose flour. Whisk to combine until there are no lumps. The batter should be slightly thinner than a pancake batter. If the batter is too thick, add more sparkling water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to thin out.
5. To the last bowl (on the right), combine the shredded coconut and panko breadcrumbs.
6. To bread the shrimp, work left to right. First, dip the shrimp into the flour (left bowl) and coat completely. Shake off any excess so that only a light coating of flour remains. This first steps sets the foundation for the coating to adhere to the shrimp.
7. Next, dip the lightly floured shrimp into the egg mixture so that it is completely coated, letting any excess drip off. It it important that it is a thin, even coat; if it is too thick, the crust will fall off after it’s fried.
8. Lastly, roll the shrimp in the shredded coconut mixture and coat the shrimp completely. Place the shrimp on a large plate.
9. Repeat steps 6-8 with all of the shrimp so that all are coated.

Fry Shrimp

1. Add enough of your desired frying oil to a deep-sided pot so that the shrimp will be completely submerged, about 2-4 inches. Heat the oil to the frying temperature of 375°F.
2. Place a few shrimp in the oil at a time so the oil temperature doesn’t drop too low. Cook the shrimp for 2 minutes on the first side, then flip over and cook for an additional minute for a total of 3 minutes or until golden brown.
3. Using metal tongs or a spider strainer, remove the shrimp from the oil and place on a paper-towel lined plate, which will absorb excess oil, and immediately season with salt.
4. Maintain the oil temperature between batches and continue frying.
5. Enjoy with your favorite dipping sauce!