This delicious, crispy, and easy coconut shrimp recipe is always a hit! Paired with your favorite dipping sauce, it makes the perfect party appetizer or weeknight dinner.
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We love a recipe that's both versatile and delicious and this coconut shrimp recipe is both. While it makes a great appetizer for parties, it also doubles as an easy weeknight dinner that your family will love!
Golden, fried to perfection, and pairable with any dipping sauce, what's not to love about this amazing finger food. While it's always a favorite at restaurants, now you don't even have to leave the house to enjoy it! This homemade coconut shrimp is guaranteed to be more delicious and much more budget-friendly!
This fried coconut shrimp recipe can be served with a variety of side dishes like French fries, skillet fried potatoes, or Asian green beans. We'll leave the choice of shrimp dipping sauce to you since it works well with just about any kind...Thai sweet chili sauce, spicy sauce, you name it!
Here is why this recipe is amazing:
- Easy - If you're not too familiar with cooking with shrimp, don't worry! It's easier than you'd think to make this recipe at home. It's just a matter of making the breading, dipping the shrimp, freezing them for a bit, and then deep frying them until they're golden brown. The result? A delicious appetizer or dinner that looks as good as it tastes.
- Offers a combination of textures: Each bite is crispy on the outside thanks to the breading and coconut bits, and soft and tender on the inside, due to the plump shrimp.
- Versatile - You can add your favorite seasonings to the batter to make it more flavorful, use chicken or tofu instead of shrimp, or even change it up with different dipping sauces.
Ingredients needed:
- Shrimp
- Panko Breadcrumbs
- Sweetened, shredded coconut
- All-purpose flour
- Frying oil (like vegetable oil)
- Salt
- Baking Powder
- Pepper
- Paprika
- Egg
- Milk
Substitutions
- We like to use peeled and deveined fresh shrimp, but you can also use thawed frozen shrimp if you have them on hand.
- If you don't have Panko-style breadcrumbs, you can use regular breadcrumbs instead. However, note that using Panko will keep your shrimp crispier for longer.
How to make coconut shrimp
Step 1: In a bowl, combine half a cup of flour, egg, baking powder, milk, salt, and spices. Beat the mixture until smooth.
Tip: For best results, the batter should drip slowly from the back of the spoon. Feel free to add flour or milk to get the texture you're looking for.
Step 2: Pour the remaining flour into a separate bowl and roll the shrimp until completely covered. It's up to you if you want to leave the tail on for this step or remove it completely.
Step 3: Coat the shrimp with the batter until completely covered. Work with a few shrimp at a time to ensure that they're completely covered. Shake off any excess batter by tapping the shrimp against the side of the bowl. Repeat with remaining shrimp.
Step 4: Mix panko-style breadcrumbs and coconut in another bowl. Dredge the shrimp in the coconut mixture until they're completely covered.
Step 5: Place the shrimp on a cutting board or baking sheet lined with plastic wrap. Freeze for about an hour.
Step 6: Next, pour oil into a saucepan (about 3 inches high) and heat to 350 degrees. Fry shrimp in batches of about 8-10 pieces for 6-7 minutes until they turn golden brown.
Step 7: Line a bowl with paper towels. Then, using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked shrimp to the bowl, letting the paper towels absorb any excess oil.
Step 8: Serve the shrimp hot or warm with your favorite dipping sauce, and enjoy!
Storage Tips
If you're lucky enough to have leftovers, place them in an airtight container and refrigerate. If stored properly, they can last for up to 3 days.
Reheating Instructions
To reheat leftovers, bake the shrimp in the oven for about 8-10 minutes. You could also air-fry them for 3-4 minutes until they're crispy again.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Most raw shrimp can last in the fridge for about 1-2 days. If stored in the freezer, they should be good for up to 3 months.
If you're not sure the shrimp is still good, the best way to check is by feeling and/or smelling them. If they feel slimy or emit a sour or ammonia-like smell, then it's probably a good idea to toss them.
Jumbo shrimp or extra large shrimp with the tail left on works best for this recipe. The tail helps to act as the handle for holding and dipping the shrimp in sauce.
Avoid using smaller shrimp if possible. The shrimp will shrink as they are fried, so larger shrimp just naturally work better.
Tips
- Aside from using paper towels, a good way to prevent the shrimp from absorbing too much oil is to ensure the frying oil is hot enough before adding your shrimp.
- While you can use thawed frozen cooked shrimp, note that you might end up with shrimp that tastes overcooked and tough to eat. Use fresh raw shrimp as much as possible.
- As an added touch, you can serve coconut shrimp with lime juice squeezed over them or with some lime wedges on the side. The juice will make this shrimp appetizer even tastier.
- Not a fan of pan-frying shrimp? You can air fry them instead! Simply set the air fryer to 400 degrees, make the shrimp as directed, then cook them in batches for about 8 minutes. Flip the shrimp halfway through to ensure a more thorough and even cooking.
- Want baked coconut shrimp instead? Preheat the oven to 425 degrees, then line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place the coated shrimp in a single layer, drizzle with a little olive oil, then bake for about 10-13 minutes, making sure to flip halfway through.
More Delicious Recipes
- Spaghetti Muffins
- Instant Pot Chicken Drumsticks
- Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps
- BBQ Chicken Flatbread
- Pepperoni Pizza Grilled Cheese
Easy Coconut Shrimp Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup All-Purpose Flour divided
- 1 Egg
- ⅓ teaspoon Baking Powder
- ⅓ cup Milk
- ⅓ teaspoon Salt
- ⅓ teaspoon Black Pepper
- ⅓ teaspoon Paprika
- ½ lb shrimp
- ½ cup panko
- ½ cup coconut sweetened
- frying oil
Instructions
- In a bowl, mix half a cup of flour, egg, baking powder, milk, salt, and spices to make a batter.1 cup All-Purpose Flour, 1 Egg, ⅓ teaspoon Baking Powder, ⅓ cup Milk, ⅓ teaspoon Salt, ⅓ teaspoon Black Pepper, ⅓ teaspoon Paprika
- Beat the mixture until smooth. For best results, the batter should drip slowly from the back of the spoon. Feel free to add some flour or milk to get this texture.
- Pour the remaining amount of all-purpose flour into a separate bowl and roll the shrimp in it. They can be with the rest of the shell on the tail or completely cleaned.1 cup All-Purpose Flour, ½ lb shrimp
- Afterward, coat the shrimp with the batter until completely covered. Alternatively, you can leave the tip of the tail clean and free of the coating. Work with one shrimp at a time to ensure that they're all covered well. Shake off any excess batter by tapping the shrimp against the side of the bowl. Repeat with remaining shrimp.
- Mix panko-style breadcrumbs and coconut in another bowl. Dredge the shrimp in the coconut crumb mixture until they are completely covered.½ cup panko, ½ cup coconut
- Put the shrimp on a cutting board lined with cling film. Freeze for about an hour.
- Then, set the frying oil to heat up. Pour into a saucepan about 3 inches and heat to 350 degrees. Fry the shrimp in batches of about 8-10 pieces for 6-7 minutes until they turn golden brown, stirring with a slotted spoon.frying oil
- Cover a deep bowl with napkins or paper towels. Then, transfer the cooked shrimp to it so that any excess oil is promptly absorbed.
- Serve the shrimp hot or warm with your favorite dipping sauce, and enjoy! This crispy coconut shrimp recipe serves 4.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional facts are estimates and are provided as a courtesy to the reader. Please utilize your own brand nutritional values to double check against our estimates. Nutritional values are calculated via a third party. Changing ingredients, amounts or cooking technique will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
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this recipe was created by:
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