Coconut Shrimp
The Best Crispy Shrimp
These juicy and delicious coconut shrimp are fried to perfection, resulting in a crispy exterior and a succulent interior. They are super crunchy with the bread crumb and coconut coating, and so good dipped into the spicy mayo sauce. They make the perfect savory appetizer or finger foods for a crowd, and will be gone within minutes!
This recipe is so good because not only does it make a nice snack, but it is such a great Ramadan recipe during iftar. Just like samosas, little crispy snacks like these are always perfect to break your fast with.
Crispy coconut shrimp is perfect for a snack, appetizer, or even as part of your main course. You can serve these delightful shrimp alongside vegetables, pasta, or rice. And the best part, they are super simple to make!
Ingredients Needed for Coconut Shrimp
Shrimp: main part of the dish. The bigger the shrimp the better the result. You will get crispy shrimp that have a delicious succulent center.
Spices: gives the shrimp the perfect flavour that goes well with the coconut coating.
All-purpose flour: helps absorb excess moisture and helps create the batter.
Baking soda: creates a more airy and crispy coating after frying.
Cold water: helps prevent the crust from absorbing too much oil while frying.
Panko bread crumbs: creates more crunch than regular bread crumbs. If you don't have panko bread crumbs, you can use whatever you have on hand.
Shredded coconut: can use sweetened or unsweetened.
Oil for frying: can use any neutral-tasting oil.
How to Make Crispy Fried Coconut Shrimp
This recipe is super easy to make and can take you under 30 minutes. Follow these simple instructions.
Prep the Shrimp
Start by washing and cleaning the shrimp by removing the head (leave the tail intact), deveining the shrimp, and butterflying the shrimp no deeper than halfway through. Pat the shrimp dry with a paper towel. Season the shrimp with salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Mix well and set aside.
Coat the Shrimp
Prepare your three bowls. Add flour to the first bowl. To second bowl, mix together flour, salt, black pepper, paprika, and baking soda. Then stir in the cold water to create a smooth batter. In the third bowl, mix together the panko bread crumbs and coconut.
Coat one shrimp completely in flour and dust off excess. Next, coat the floured shrimp in the batter and allow excess to drain off. Last, coat the shrimp in the bread crumb/coconut mixture, pressing the mixture in. Place on a plate and repeat this process for the remaining shrimp.
Cook the Shrimp
Heat oil over medium-high heat. Add shrimp to oil and fry for about 2 minutes on each side, until golden. Remove and drain on paper towels. Serve with spicy mayo, if desired. To make the spicy mayo, mix together the mayonnaise and sweet chili sauce until smooth. Add desired amount of sriracha sauce, mix, and that's it!
Tips for Making this Recipe
- the larger the shrimp, the better. Larger shrimp will result in a juicier inside. It also gives you more surface area to be coated with the bread crumb/coconut mixture, resulting in crispier shrimp! If you use smaller shrimp, you will run this risk of your shrimp becoming tough, chewy, and rubbery.
- make sure the oil is up to temperature before adding the shrimp in. This will ensure the shrimp are actually frying and becoming crispy, rather than boiling and becoming soft.
- you can use sweetened or unsweetened shredded coconut, depending on your preference.
- squeeze lime juice over the finished shrimp for a fresh twist!
- Serving immediately is the best bet, as the shrimp are the crispiest and juiciest at this time!
- You don't have to use the dip that is suggested in this recipe. You can use any sauce that you prefer, or even a store-bought one.
How to Store Coconut Shrimp
Store cooked shrimp in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven at 400F until heated through. You can even turn the broiler on near the end to add a bit of crisp back into the coating. If possible, use a rack over a baking tray to reheat the shrimp.
Alternatively, you can freeze the cooked shrimp after allowing them to cool completely. Freeze on a tray with shrimp not touching each other. Once frozen, transfer to an airtight container or freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months. When ready to use, reheat at 400F until heated through, about 12-15 minutes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, absolutely. After you coat the shrimp, place them in the fridge for up to 3 hours. Then fry when ready. You can also freeze the shrimp for up to three months after coating them. After coating the shrimp, you will want to lay them flat on a lined baking tray, ensuring the shrimp do not touch each other. Freeze until hard, then transfer to an airtight container or freezer bag and store in the freezer. When ready to use, fry for an extra couple minutes on each side.
If you must, you can. However, I highly recommend using raw shrimp. Using cooked shrimp can result in shrimp that tastes like it's been overcooked and may have an unpleasant chewy texture.
This sounds more complicated than it actually is. You simply just use your fingers to peel off the shell while leaving the tail intact. Then from the top of the shrimp to the tail, you will use a knife to create a slit. Pull the vein out and you're done! You can slightly deepen the slit in order to butterfly the shrimp. Here is a helpful + detailed guide on how to butterfly, peel, and devein your shrimp!
Other recipes that you will love for Ramadan: Shrimp Accra, Crispy Potato Samosa, Spicy Beef Samosa, Lamb Arayes, Chicken Tikka Sliders
Succulent shrimp with a crispy coconut coating that comes together in less than 30 minutes.
- 1 lb large shrimp, raw (peeled and deveined)
- 1 tsp salt, divided
- 1/2 tsp black pepper, divided
- 3/4 tsp paprika, divided
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, divided
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 3/4 cup cold water
- 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
- sriracha hot sauce
Wash and clean the shrimp by removing the head and peeling the skin off, but leaving the tail intact. Also devein the shrimp by cutting a slit along the back and removing the vein. I like to make the slit a bit deeper as if butterflying the shrimp, but not too deep. If you need help, here is a helpful + detailed guide on how to peel, devein, and butterfly shrimp.
Pat the shrimp as dry as possible with a paper towel. Season the shrimp with 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, and 1/2 tsp paprika. Mix well and set aside.
You're going to need 3 shallow bowls or rimmed plates for this step. To the first bowl, add 1/3 cup all purpose flour; set this aside.
To the second bowl, add 2/3 cup all purpose flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/4 tsp paprika, and 1/2 tsp baking soda and mix well. To this flour mixture, add the cold water while stirring continuously until everything is combined and not lumpy; set aside.
To the third bowl, add the panko bread crumbs and shredded coconut and mix to combine, while also breaking up some of the bigger coconut pieces.
Set up the dipping station with the plain flour first, the wet flour mixture second, and the bread crumb/coconut mixture last.
First, hold one shrimp by the tail and coat it in the plain flour mixture, dusting off any extra.
Second, dip the floured shrimp into the wet flour mixture, and allow any excess to drain off.
Last, coat the wet shrimp in the bread crumb/coconut mixture, lightly pressing it into the shrimp. Set on a plate and continue this same process with the remaining shrimp.
Heat a pan over medium high heat with about 1 inch of vegetable oil in it. Once hot, add the shrimp and fry until golden, about 2-3 minutes on each side. Fry in batches to avoid overcrowding the pan.
Remove shrimp from pan and allow to drain on a paper towel lined plate. Serve with the sauce provided in this recipe or any sauce that you prefer.
- Spicy Mayo Sauce
Mix the mayonnaise and sweet chili sauce together and stir until creamy. Add as much sriracha hot sauce as you'd like and stir until combined.
