The temptation of seeing coconut shrimp on any menu gets me every.single.time. The combination and creativity of complimentary dipping sauces chefs put together leave me with no option other than to try them all. I am obsessed with coconut shrimp, therefore, I don’t think I could have used my last half-pound of shrimp any better way.
If you’ve noticed, a good two or three of my most recent recipes all have shrimp in them. Whenever I see a decent price for shrimp I am first in line. Always always always get shrimp with shells on. It may be a little work and your hands will probably get messy, but those shrimp shells will make a beautiful stock, and ultimately a stunning soup. My bag is filling up so catch up with me! Soon enough I’ll have my shellfish stock recipe posted and my favorite thing to do with it (stay tuned).
Anyways, about these shrimps. They’re rather simple. I used the not-so-standard breading technique (which is typically breadcrumbs, flour, and egg) adapted from Tyler Florence. I combined egg whites and cornstarch for my “wet” and used the coconut flakes for my dry. I had no problem with them falling off so my worry with the topping soon diminished. I found a quick pan-fry to be the best cooking method. If you really really REALLY want to – go ahead and deep fry, secret is safe with me. I thought I’d bake a few just to see how they’d turn out.
*drum roll please*
annnnd they didn’t. What a surprise. I mean I know I can’t bake, but can I really not bake anything? Apparently. I had the shrimp in there for nearly 20 minutes and my coconut was taking way longer than the shrimp. You don’t want your shrimp to cook too long or else they’ll get rubbery and tough. Maybe there’s some magic to it that I can’t seem to master, but the baking option is out the window (in my case).
Plus who would want to miss out on this crispiness? The pan fry takes less than 10 minutes, about 3 minutes on each side of the shrimp. It’s quick and texturally (not a word) much more pleasing. As for the dipping sauce, OH I AM EXCITED.
Remember my Light Thai Red Curry Soup? It’s made with shrimp and red curry paste – both ingredients which you’ll need here, so hey, you have two recipes for these ingredients! I really wanted to use the red curry paste as a dipping sauce with the coconut shrimp, but I wanted to leave out the coconut milk. Although I used light coconut milk, it’s still rankin’ high in calories. That’s when Greek yogurt came to mind AND BETTER YET…
COCONUT GREEK YOGURT. hsajkfhdsjkfd. As soon as I thought that I was in and out of the grocery store filled with excitement. How could I forget about the coconut yogurt I pass every time I’m in the grocery store but never get? Choboni sells them in individual 5 oz. cups which is all you need! I found that not every store carries them, so you can totally get away with plain Greek yogurt. At first I heated up the curry paste to cook it out a little, then added the yogurt. It separated and curdled and became all yuck – not necessary. Just mix the yogurt and curry paste and thin out with a little lime juice, no need to cook it out.
The coconut, the shrimp, the lime, the curry, dhfksfsfjdhkajhf. Everything is so flavorful. This dish screams attention and I am giving it all the attention it needs.
- 1 lb. shrimp (about 20-25) peeled & deveined
- 2 egg whites
- 1/4 c. cornstarch
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 c. unsweetened coconut flakes (plus more as needed)
- oil as needed
- mint leaves for garnish
- 1 T. red curry paste
- 3/4 c. non-fat greek yogurt
- 1/2 lime
- Coat a skillet with oil. Heat to medium-high heat.
- While heating, mix together the cornstarch, egg whites, and salt and pepper until foamy.
- Lay out the coconut flakes onto a plate.
- Dip the shrimp in the egg wash then the coconut, then transfer to hot pan and cook 2-3 minutes on each side until a nice crispy color.
- Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain.
- Serve garnished with mint leaves and the dipping sauce (below)
- Mix together the yogurt and curry paste until smooth. Thin out with juice of lime. Add pinch of salt until desired taste achieved.
- Tips: Chobani sells individual Coconut Greek yogurt in select grocery stores, if your store has them DEFINITELY use one! About one yogurt is 5 oz, which is plenty! If you'd like more heat to your sauce, add in sriarcha.
