Fried Coconut Shrimp (with 2 Dipping Sauces)
If you're a big fan of shrimp, you'll love this crispy and delicious Coconut Shrimp! It's fried until golden brown, crunchy, and tender...plus two different dipping sauces to serve with it. It's the perfect appetizer everyone will love!
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 572kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
Coconut Shrimp
- 1 pound large shrimp, defrosted (peeled, deveined, with tail-on)
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
- Vegetable oil for frying (enough to cover 1/4 inch of the pan)
Sweet chili orange sauce
- ⅓ cup orange marmalade
- 4 tablespoons Thai sweet chili sauce
Creamy sweet chili sauce
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 3 tablespoons Thai sweet chili sauce
- 1 teaspoon sriracha, or to taste
Instructions
- Pat dry the defrosted shrimp with paper towel. Note: pat-drying thoroughly ensures that the breading sticks and prevents oil splashes.
- Set up your breading station in this order: First, in a shallow bowl, whisk the flour, salt, ground black pepper, and garlic powder. In a second shallow bowl, beat the eggs. In a third shallow bowl, combine panko breadcrumbs with coconut flakes.
- Bread the shrimp in this order: First dredge with the flour mixture, then the beaten eggs, and lastly with the panko and coconut mixture, pressing it firmly onto the shrimp. Transfer the breaded shrimp to a large wire rack or sheet pan, and continue breading the remaining shrimp. Tip: Press the panko firmly onto the shrimp so that it sticks. If it’s not sticking, dip in egg again.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat, enough to cover ¼ inch of the pan. To test if the oil is hot enough for frying, drop a little bit of breadcrumb into the oil and if it sizzles immediately, it’s good to go. Cook the shrimp for about 2-3 minutes per side or until golden grown. Cook in batches to avoid overcrowding.
- As the shrimp cooks and is ready, transfer to a plate lined with paper towel to absorb any excess oil.
- Make the dipping sauces: To make the sweet orange chili sauce, combine the orange marmalade and sweet chili sauce. To make the creamy sweet chili sauce, combine the mayo, sweet chili sauce, and sriracha. You can adjust to taste.
- Serve the coconut shrimp with the dipping sauces. Enjoy!
Notes
- Use large shrimp since shrimp shrinks when it cooks. I use a 1-pound 21-25 count shrimp package. Make sure it's peeled, deveined, and with the tail on.
- To get golden brown color: Make sure the oil is hot enough by doing the sizzle test - drop a little bit of breadcrumb into the oil and if it sizzles immediately, it’s good to go. Cook in batches.
- Oven-baking option: Spray the shrimp with cooking spray arranged on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Bake at 400 degrees F for 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- Air fryer option: Coat the shrimp on both sides with cooking oil spray and cook in the air fryer for about 8 minutes.
- Freezing: Freeze cooked coconut shrimp in a resealable bag for up to 2 months in a single layer. To reheat, bake at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes, flipping halfway through.
- Make-ahead: I would not recommend pre-breading the shrimp in advance since it will get soggy. Once breaded, fry within 15 minutes or so. However, you can freeze the fried shrimp and reheat later (see above).
- Prep ahead: The sauces can be prepared in 3 days in advance and refrigerated.
- Unsweetened coconut flakes: Sweetened coconut flakes to make it sweet.
- Panko breadcrumbs: Pre-seasoned panko works too.
- Vegetable oil: Canola oil or peanut oil.
- Orange marmalade: Apricot or pineapple marmalade.
Nutrition
Calories: 572kcal | Carbohydrates: 41g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 40g | Saturated Fat: 25g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 155mg | Sodium: 1123mg | Potassium: 228mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 22g | Vitamin A: 236IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 81mg | Iron: 2mg