There’s no denying the appeal of coconut shrimp — crunchy, sweet, and easy to eat, like a meaty popcorn kernel. But they can be a mess to fry up, which makes them a perfect candidate for the air fryer. These shrimp are marinated in coconut milk, then coated in breadcrumbs and more coconut before getting cooked up to crispy perfection and served with a cooling-yet-spicy coconut yogurt. That’s three hits of coconut and none of the excess grease; I can’t think of a better sales pitch than that.

½ pound peeled and deveined medium shrimp (tails intact)

1 cup canned coconut milk

Finely grated zest of 1 lime

Kosher salt

½ cup panko breadcrumbs

½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut

Freshly ground black pepper

Cooking spray

1 small or ½ medium cucumber, halved and seeded

1 cup coconut yogurt (or dairy yogurt)

1 serrano chile, seeded and minced

1. In a bowl, combine the shrimp, coconut milk, lime zest, and ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Let the shrimp stand for 10 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs and shredded coconut and season with salt and pepper.

3. A few at a time, add the shrimp to the breadcrumb mixture and toss to coat completely. Transfer the shrimp to a wire rack set over a baking sheet. Spray the shrimp all over with cooking spray.

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4. Transfer the shrimp to the air fryer and cook at 400°F until golden brown and cooked through, about 4 minutes. Move the shrimp to a serving platter and season with more salt.

5. Grate the cucumber into a small bowl. Stir in the coconut yogurt and chile and season with salt and pepper. Serve alongside the shrimp while they’re warm.

Go Basic:

To make plain fried shrimp, omit the coconut milk, lime zest, and shredded coconut. Set up a breading station with 1 cup all-purpose flour, 4 large eggs, lightly beaten, and 1 cup panko breadcrumbs in separate shallow bowls, and season each with salt and pepper. Working one at a time, coat each shrimp in the flour, dip in the egg, and dredge in the breadcrumbs. Transfer the shrimp to a wire rack set over a baking sheet and continue with the recipe.

More recipe ideas

Recipes and photographs reprinted from Air Fry Every Day: 75 Recipes to Fry, Roast, and Bake Using Your Air Fryer. Copyright © 2018 by Ben Mims. Photographs by Denny Culbert. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.