

I know what you’re thinking. Who am I and what have I done with Sally? Shrimp on a baking blog. Have I lost my mind? The answer is yes. I’ve been all over the place this week! Popsicles, cheesecake, quiche, and shrimp. You can attribute my randomness to what my life is like at the moment. Packing, moving, wedding planning, friends visiting, bridal shower, cookbook signings, and 100 mile goals. Someone pass me a glass of wine. Or perhaps a coffee IV?

The only thing keeping me same at the moment is leftover chocolate chip zucchini bread.

While quite the random recipe, I must say that this coconut shrimp recipe is heaven sent. Yes yes, it really is. Golden, sweet, crispy, coconut encrusted shrimp.

I played around in the kitchen last week to test recipes for a 4th of July shindig. And after one taste of this homemade take-out favorite, I am sold. It is, by far, the best coconut shrimp I’ve ever had. And I’ve had my fair share!

My coconut shrimp recipe is unlike any others that I’ve tried before. The shrimp are sweet and juicy, while the coconut crust is crispy – without being greasy. Serve this coconut shrimp to guests this summer and I guarantee they will be the first thing to go.

For those of you who have never had it before, coconut shrimp is basically shrimp rolled in coconut and fried to a delicious crisp. You will be shocked at how easy it is to make! My homemade version trumps take-out and restaurant, trust me.

It’s a quick 3 step process: the shrimp take a dunk into flour, then a dunk in beaten egg, and a heavy heavy heavy dunk into coconut/Panko. I like to use a little more coconut and a little less Panko for the coating – the more sweet coconut crust, the better.

Flour allows the egg to stick, egg allows the coconut and Panko to stick, coconut gives the shrimp their flavor, and Panko ensures a crunchy texture.

Here is why Panko is better than regular breadcrumbs in my coconut shrimp recipe: Panko is made from crustless bread and is coarsely ground into airy, large flakes. Panko stays crispier longer than regular breadcrumbs because they do not absorb as much grease and liquid in the frying process.

I’ve never had a hankering for shrimp in the morning, but looking at the photo above makes me want to reach through the screen and eat one with my breakfast.

Weird? Yes.

Anyway. I like to serve coconut shrimp with a variety of sauces. They’re incredible with spicy orange sauce, which is 1 part Thai sweet chili sauce to 2 parts orange marmalade. If awesomesauce was a real word, it would describe my spicy orange dipping sauce.

Pictured with my coconut shrimp is just a simple spicy peach chili sauce I found at the store. Truly anything sweet ‘n spicy will compliment the shrimp wonderfully. For those wondering, I bought the Thai sweet chili sauce in the international food section of my regular grocery store. I’ve tried this dipping sauce and it’s very tasty as well.

Coconut shrimp makes a fabulous finger food for a party, but can be prepared as a quick dinner too. We had it with a simple green salad topped with sesame ginger dressing, a few crushed peanuts, and edamame. And wine. Always wine. ENJOY! 🙂