Description

Crispy baked coconut shrimp is a delicious appetizer that is easy to make in 30 minutes. They are more flavourful, tastier and healthier than takeout.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon coconut oil
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 lb. large shrimp or prawns (16 pieces), peeled and deveined
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs, beaten

Spicy Mayo Dipping Sauce:

2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 tablespoon hot sauce (or to taste)

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 F.
In a shallow saucepan, heat oil, breadcrumbs, and shredded coconut over medium heat. Stir constantly and toast until golden brown, about 3-4 minutes.
Stir in seasoning garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Mix until well combined and remove from heat. Transfer bread mixture to a shallow plate and allow it to cool down to room temperature.
To prepare the shrimp, cut through the shell along the back with kitchen scissors. Remove the veins and the shells (keep the tails on). Rinse to remove the veins and pat dry each shrimp completely with a paper towel.
Prepare another shallow plate with flour, and another with the beaten eggs. Dip each shrimp into flour to evenly coat, then dip it into the eggs, and then coat it completely with the coconut breadcrumb mixture. You can gently press the crumbs into shrimp to adhere as much as possible. (The flour sticks to the shrimp, the egg sticks to the flour, and the breadcrumbs stick to the egg).
Transfer the breaded shrimp onto a large half sheet baking pan lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15 minutes until fully cooked through and coating is golden brown. Flip the shrimp once halfway through baking if you want both sides to be crispy.
Serve immediately with spicy mayo sauce. To make the spicy mayo sauce, combine mayonnaise and hot sauce in a small bowl and stir well to combine.

Notes

Toast the breadcrumbs. Do not skip this step. Toasting the breadcrumb mixture first is what makes the coating super crispy when baked and mimics the texture of deep frying without actually deep frying. It is the same method that I use in my baked crispy chicken strips.

Double up the recipe. This recipe that makes about 16 coconut popcorn shrimps. You can easily double or triple the recipe to feed a crowd (or if you just want to make sure you have leftovers for lunch the next day). If scaling the recipe, make sure to not overcrowd the baking sheet (you will have to bake in multiple batches). Overcrowding your pan will cause the shrimp to steam instead of get crispy.

How to store. Store coconut shrimp in an airtight container for up to 4 days in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer.

How to reheat. Reheat in a 300F preheated oven or air fryer for 5-10 minutes until warmed through.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Category: Seafood
Method: Bake
Cuisine: American