Coconut Shrimp makes a terrific appetizer any time of year. Although I'm more likely to be cooking something on the barbecue in the summer if it’s raining, I’m cooking indoors.
Coconut adds a tropical flare making these coconut shrimp a change from the ordinary. Coconut is readily available in the baking aisle at grocery stores but unsweetened coconut is sometimes harder to find.
For this recipe finely shredded coconut gives a neat, clean look like you see in the photo here. I often prefer the less formal look you get from using flakes or fancy coconut as it's sometimes called. However, I can only find an unsweetened version at the health food store. Today I used what I had on hand so go ahead and experiment to see what you like.
Gluten Free Breading
When you are breading any food, gluten or no gluten, the general guide to make a coating that sticks is DRY/WET/DRY and don't rush it. Start with your wet food item then:
- DRY - dredge it in some flour
- WET – dip it in an egg wash
- DRY – drop it into the outer coating and pat the coating on until it sticks
Don't rush. Once the food is coated letting it sit for a several minutes allows the coating to dry and adhere to the food. To minimize the stress of entertaining, do this prep before your company arrives rather than throwing it all together at the last minute.
This breading method can be applied to anything from chicken strips or pork chops. For more on breading check out this post for breaded pork chops with a cornflake breading. It's perfect for many things; schnitzel, chicken strips and more
Add this Coconut Shrimp to your list of quick appetizers to make any time of year! Let me know in the comments below if you like these or how you served them.
More Recipes with Breading
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Coconut Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 lb large shrimp, peeled, tails removed (16-20 count)
Bowl #1 – DRY
- ½ cup sweet rice flour
- salt & pepper
Bowl #2 – WET
- 1 egg
- 2 tablespoon milk
BOWL #3 – DRY
- 1 cup unsweetened, shredded coconut (or desiccated)
- olive oil for frying
SERVING
- sweet chile sauce
Instructions
- Prepare 3 bowls as follows:
- BOWL #1 – Combine flour with salt and pepper. Set aside.
- BOWL #2 – Whisk egg and milk together. Set aside.
- BOWL #3 – Place coconut in a shallow bowl. Set aside.
- Place a cooling rack on top of a baking tray. Set aside.
- Lay shrimp on paper towel and pat dry.
- Dip each shrimp into the bowls in order; flour, egg, coconut. Place on the wire rack to allow coating to adhere to shrimp. Can be done 1 hour in advance.
- Heat oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Cook shrimp for 2 minutes, turn and cook for another 1-2 minutes until coconut is brown and shrimp are cooked through.
- Serve with sweet Thai chili sauce.
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