Wednesday, May 17, 2023

Rosie Loves Her Coconut Fried Shrimp.

 
 
I'm making one of my favorites today -  coconut fried shrimp.  
When I make it, it's a little different each time.  I never go by an exact recipe, but I did write everything down this time for you.
I use a wet batter for my shrimp, then I dredge them through a mixture of coconut and panko.
For the wet batter, I used club soda this time, but I have made it with excellent results using beer or buttermilk for the liquid.  For the coconut dredging mixture, I ran out of panko today, so I used crushed Ritz crackers which worked quite nicely.  
Just remember, if you don't have all the exact ingredients, you can substitute with what you do have.  Saltine crackers would have worked here too, instead of the panko or the Ritz.
 
The important thing here is in the frying.  I use peanut oil since it has a high smoke point. That means I can crank up the heat and the oil won't burn.  My fry temperature is around 375°.  I recommend an instant read laser thermometer for frying, so there's no guess work here.  Also, never crowd the pan by putting a bunch of shrimp in there at one time.  This lowers the temperature and you'll get soggy and greasy, not crisp.  I used a deep pot (5") with about about 2" of oil.  Let it come up to temperature, then fry in batches.  Place the shrimp in, one at a time, no more than 6 shrimp in a batch.  These are large shrimp, about the size of my thumb.  I fried for about 75 seconds, then took the shrimp out and drained them on a rack.
 
 
Rosie's Coconut Fried Shrimp 
 
For the batter:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup club soda
Mix the dry ingredients, whisk in the egg and club soda until smooth. 
 
Coating mixture: 
 1 1/2 cups sweetened coconut flakes
 1 cup combination of panko and crushed Ritz crackers  (You can use all panko if you like but I only had about 3 TB left so I used the crushed Ritz in addition.)

Dip the shrimp in the batter and let the excess drip off.
Dredge batter-coated shrimp through the coconut mixture and set on a plate.  Have all the shrimp coated and ready for the fry pot.  I usually put the plate of shrimp in the fridge while I'm waiting for the oil to come up to temperature and while I'm preparing the dipping sauce.

Dipping sauce for coconut fried shrimp:
1 small can(8 oz.) crushed pineapple
1 tB horseradish
1 TB Gray Poupon Dijon mustard
1 TB soy sauce
2 TB orange marmalade
Combine all ingredients in a small sauce pan and heat, stirring, to a simmer.  Remove from heat.
This is your basic starting point for the ingredients.  Taste test and adjust ingredients as you like.  You might like a bit more horseradish, for example.  Or more of the other ingredients.  Experiment.
 
Rosie Note:  When I say Gray Poupon Dijon mustard, I mean the real thing.  Do NOT substitute with the Food Lion brand.  For most items, I will substitute the generic brand, but not for this.  (Also not for chocolate chips.  Use Nestles or Ghirardelli.)  

Fry 60 - 75 seconds and remove from oil.
Drain on a rack.
 
 Now for the step-by-steps:

 

Coat shrimp in batter, letting the excess drain off.
 
 

 
Dredge through coconut mixture.
 

Have all the shrimp coated, chilled, and ready to fry.



And FRY!



 
 
Until golden.


Drain.

Serve with the pineapple/orange dipping sauce.


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The cilantro in my garden is blooming and setting seeds (coriander) now. 
I love the raw, green seeds.  They have an intense cilantro flavor with a citrusy element that really complements the shrimp.
 



 
 
 
 
 
 
Serve with your favorite coleslaw.









Sweet, succulent shrimp.


Enjoy.


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