Rosie Makes Coconut Fried Shrimp.

 

 

 If you're looking for the best coconut fried shrimp, you've found it.

I always have shrimp available.  The Hawthornes stock up in the fall and freeze individual servings, so a shrimp meal is merely a thaw away.

Here are the step-by-steps to my go-to coconut fried shrimp.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

First, shell and de-tract shrimp.  That black line on the back of the shrimp is not a vein.  It's the digestive tract. So I say de-tract, not de-vein.  And I get rid of it. I'm saving the shells to use for shrimp stock.

My peeled shrimp is on the left.  Then I have a 3-part station the shrimp will be going through.

First is a fairly equal combination of flour and cornstarch, with Old Bay sprinkled in.  Mix it up.

Next is eggs.  Beat 'em.

Last is the coconut flakes with a little bit of panko bread crumbs mixed in.

Dredge the shrimp through the flour mixture, then the beaten eggs, and finally roll around in the coconut.  Place all the shrimp on a plate and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.  This gives me time to clean up my mess, make the dipping sauce, and heat up the oil.  It's always nice when you're sitting down to eat to not have to look at a colossal mess in the kitchen that you're dreading to clean up and which will ultimately diminish and distract from your enjoyment of your repast.

Now for the dipping sauce.  I'll give you the basic proportions as a starting point, then you can taste-test and adjust for however you like.

 

Pineapple Dipping Sauce

1 small can pineapple with juice (I used chunks which is all I had and I minced them up.  You could use crushed.  Same thing.)

1/4 cup orange marmalade

1 TB soy sauce

1 TB horseradish

1 TB Dijon mustard

1 TB sriracha

Mix all ingredients together in a small pan and heat through.  Remember to taste test and adjust for yourself.  You could, for example, substitute apricot for the orange marmalade.  Or an Asian sweet chili sauce for the sriracha.  A stone ground mustard for the Dijon. Have fun with it.

My pan is heavy-duty fry pot. 4 inches deep, 6-inch diameter at bottom, 8-inch diameter at top.  I poured in about 1/2 inches oil.  Heated it up hot. Usually I fry at 375°, but I start out hot because the temperature is going to drop as soon as you put cold shrimp into it.  If you are going to fry, it's best to have an instant read laser thermometer.  Fairly inexpensive and worth every penny.  If your oil is not hot enough, your food will be greasy and soggy because it doesn't develop a crisp crust as intended and will absorb excess oil.  Too hot and you'll burn the outside and the inside will be undercooked.  Get a thermometer.  It takes the guess work out of frying.  

Place shrimp in hot oil, one at a time, so as not to drastically lower the temperature of the oil.  I fry 6 at a time for about 1 minute 15 - 30 seconds, depending on size of shrimp.

Remove from oil and drain on a rack.

Serve with dipping sauce and I like some chopped cilantro over top.

Enjoy.

Rosie Make Coconut Fried Shrimp With Pineapple Dipping Sauce.

 

  I love coconut fried shrimp and I've made it many times.  Sometimes with a wet batter - beer, club soda, or buttermilk.  Sometimes not.  But this three-stage station is the easiest way to make it. 

 

Only three containers to contend with and wash up, and it's the simplest way to do it.

Use jumbo shrimp for this recipe.

Step 1:  Dredge shrimp in mixture of flour and corn starch.  Half and half.  I save Chinese takeout containers for this.  Add a few shrimp at a time and shake shake shake.

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 2:  Run the floured shrimp through beaten eggs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Step 3:  Shake shake shake in a container of 3 parts coconut, 1 part panko bread crumbs, and 1 part crushed Ritz crackers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Have a large, heavy, deep pot with a couple inches peanut oil heated to 375°.  Carefully put in 5-6 shrimp, one at a time.  Do not crowd the pan.  Keep shrimp separated.  Fry about 60-75 seconds until golden brown.

 

 

Remove from oil and drain on rack.  Let oil come back up to temp before starting the next batch.  

Oil temperature is key.  Get an instant-read laser thermometer.  It makes life easy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For the dipping sauce:

3 slices pineapple, finely chopped (I usually use a can of crushed, but I was out.)

2 TB pineapple juice from the canned slices

1/3 cup orange marmalade

1 TB soy sauce

1 TB Dijon mustard

1 TB horseradish

Mix all together in a small saucepan and heat over low until simmer.  Taste test and add more of anything you want.  This is just a starting point.  Adjust as you like.  Serve warm on the side for dipping.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Enjoy.

Rosie Makes One Of Her Favorites - Coconut Fried Shrimp.

 

One of my go-to dishes is coconut fried shrimp.

I make a basic batter then dredge the shrimp

through a coconut/panko mixture

and fry at 350° - 375° for 60-75 seconds,

depending on the size of the shrimp.

And for this, you want large to jumbo shrimp.

The batter varies time to time, 

depending on what I have on hand.

Sometimes for the liquid,

 I use buttermilk,

sometimes beer,

sometimes milk,

sometimes club soda,

and sometimes I add an egg.

And sometimes I use a combination.

Depends on my mood and what's in stock.

Also I like a pineapple dipping sauce for my shrimp,

which, like the batter, 

varies each time I make it.

Here's one version of the dipping sauce:

In a small sauce pan, combine:

1 - 8 oz. can pineapple, minced, with juice

juice of one lime

1 TB orange marmalade

1 TB brown sugar

2 tsp horseradish

1 TB Thai chili sauce

1 TB rice vinegar

2 tsp soy sauce 

Heat, stirring, over low until simmering and sugar is dissolved.

Remove from heat.

Stir in chopped parsley and/or cilantro, to taste.

 

Here's the shrimp batter:

1 cup flour

1/2 cup cornstarch

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp Old Bay seasoning

1 tsp togarashi seasoning (Togarashi is a combination of red chile, black and white sesame seeds, nori [seaweed], poppy seed, and orange and lemon zest.  It's a nice little seasoning to have on hand, but if you don't, not to worry. It's not essential here.)

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 egg

1/2 cup cream

1 TB vinegar

(Normally I would have used buttermilk here, but I was out, so I used the last of my cream plus the vinegar.)

I mixed everything together and my batter was still on the thick side, so I added in:

1/2 -3/4 cup club soda

 

You want your batter a pancake batter-like consistency, so stir in the club soda until the batter "looks right" as Mama would say.  Club soda offers several advantages here - it aerates the batter, making it lighter.  Also it inhibits the development of gluten, so weaker gluten means a lighter, less bready crust.

For the coconut/panko mixture:

3 parts coconut

1 part panko breadcrumbs

 

To prepare:

Peel and de-tract shrimp.  I say "de-tract" not de-vein because that black line running down the back of the shrimp is the digestive tract, not a vein.  For ease of handling and eating, I leave the tail on.  That way, I can hold the shrimp, dip it into the batter, letting any excess drip off, then dredge it through the coconut/panko mixture.

For the oil:

For frying, I use peanut oil.  It has a high smoke point and a neutral flavor. The smoke point of oil refers to the temperature at which the oil starts to smoke and to break down.  When the oil breaks down, quality and flavor are sacrificed.

In a heavy frying pot, heat about 2 1/2 inches of the oil to 375°. (My pot is 4 1/2 inches deep and 7 1/2 inches wide at the top and 5 inches at the bottom.)  I always use an instant read laser thermometer to take the guesswork out of frying.  Relatively inexpensive and worth every penny.

Drop the shrimp in one at a time, no more than 6 shrimp frying at one time.  And keep the shrimp separate.  You do not want them touching each other and you do not want to crowd the pan.  Dumping a bunch of shrimp in at one time lowers the temperature of the oil.  The breathing room in the pan allows heat and air to circulate, allowing your food to develop color, which means flavor, and locking in the moisture.   If you crowd the food while frying, you'll end up with soggy and greasy and your food won't brown.  Always fry in small batches so you get a proper, crisp sear and a golden brown crust.

 

When coconut crust is golden brown, remove shrimp. Let drain.

Step-by-steps:

Shrimp are battered and dredged and ready to fry.

Drop in one at a time.

One minute should do.

 Let drain.

The side salad was simply sliced cucumbers, sliced red onions, pineapple chunks, parsley, and a sprinkling of sugar along with some cider vinegar.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Sweet, succulent shrimp.

Like I said, coconut fried shrimp is my go-to dish.

I never follow a recipe.  I just do it.

And I write it down.  For you.

Here's another version.

 

For the dipping sauce: 

1/2 cup crushed pineapple

2 TB orange marmalade

1 TB soy sauce

1 TB horseradish

1 TB Inglehoffer stone ground mustard

For the batter:

1 cup flour

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp baking powder 

1 tsp Gochugaru (Korean red chili pepper flakes)

1 egg

1 cup buttermilk (Enough to make a pancake batter consistency.)

For the dredge:

3 parts coconut

1 part panko breadcrumbs

Fry technique is same as above.

Enjoy.

Coconut Fried Shrimp

 
Coconut fried shrimp.
It's just about my favorite thing.  Ever.
And it's one of those "recipes" that I don't even think about when I'm making.
You know how it is.  You do it until it "looks right."

But for you, I actually kinda sorta measured for the batter.
I use a beer batter, dip the shrimp in the batter, then dredge the shrimp through a mixture of coconut and panko breadcrumbs.
I use peanut oil and deep fry the shrimp in a large pot.  The pot is 8 inches in diameter and 4 inches deep and I use 2 - 2 1/2 inches of oil.  Heat to 350° - 375° and fry 4 shrimp at a time so as not to crowd the pan and lower the temperature of the oil.  Fry for one minute (golden brown) then remove the shrimp and drain on a rack.

Use JUMBO shrimp!  You want the shrimp to be able to stand up to the batter so you need large shrimp.  The bigger the better.

And I always have multiple dipping sauces on hand.   Which vary every time I fry.  Just depends on my mood(s).

Prepare the shrimp:
Peel the shrimp, leaving the tails on which makes for easy handling and dipping and dredging.
De-tract the shrimp.  I don't say de-vein.  That black thing going down the back of the shrimp is the digestive tract, not a vein.  Remove it.

Coconut/Panko mixture:
2 parts sweetened coconut flakes
1 part panko breadcrumbs
Mix well.

Beer Batter
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup corn starch
1 tsp kosher salt
a few shakes of Lawry's pepper
1 tsp baking powder
1 egg, beaten
beer - about 3/4 cup

Whisk together dry ingredients, then whisk in beaten egg and enough beer until it looks right.  The batter should be like a pancake batter.

Dip shrimp into batter, letting any excess drip off, then dredge through coconut/panko mixture.
I usually put the coconut mixture in a container, add the shrimp, and shakeshakeshake.

For the oil, I use peanut oil.  It has a high smoke point and a neutral taste.
Again, heat the oil to about 375°.  Go ahead an invest in a inexpensive instant-read laser thermometer to take the guesswork out of frying.  Frying at high temperatures cooks the outside of the food quickly and the moisture from the shrimp repels oil, preventing grease from penetrating the food.  Frying at lower temperatures allows the oil to seep into the shrimp, resulting in a greasy mess.

For the step-by-steps:

Peeled shrimp at the top, ready to dip into the beer batter, then dredge through the coconut mixture.

Be sure your oil is the proper temperature.
I gently drop each shrimp in one at a time not crowding the pan.  Too many shrimp at one time lower the temperature of the oil and you'll get greasy shrimp, not crisp shrimp.

One minute is all it takes.
Please don't overcook your shrimp.

Drain on a rack.  Or on paper towels, but not for too long.  Paper towels will absorb some of the oil, but don't leave fried food on the towels.  Paper towels will trap steam, causing the food to get soggy.
A rack allows the oil to drip off and the steam to escape.

Leaving the tails on gives you a handy little handle for picking and dipping the shrimp.

I have two dipping sauces for my shrimp today.

Dipping Sauce #1
1 inch knob of fresh ginger
1 garlic clove
2 TB Tamari
1 TB sriracha sauce
1 TB rice vinegar
1 TB mirin

Cut the woody surface off the ginger, slice it into smaller pieces, and run it through a garlic press, using all the juice.  Scrape off the first pressings of the pulp and use that.  I discard the drier pulp.
Run the garlic clove through the press as well.
Then mix everything together.

Now, if you want to give this sauce some more "oomph,"  add in a teaspoon of sesame oil, sprinkle in some toasted sesame seeds, and throw in some sliced scallions and you're good to go.

 There're just so many variations on this theme, I'll leave it up to you to put your own spin on this.

Are you wondering what the difference between Tamari and soy is?  Well, I'll tell you.  Both are byproducts of fermented soybeans and soy sauce contains wheat while Tamari sauce doesn't or has very little wheat. Soy sauce, a Chinese product, is pressed from a mixture of soybeans, wheat, and other grains.  Tamari, a Japanese product is extracted from fermented miso paste (miso paste being a product of fermented soy beans).  Tamari is generally richer, thicker, and darker than regular soy sauce and tastes less salty but bolder and more umami-er.

Dipping Sauce #2
3 TB cider vinegar
2 TB brown sugar
1 TB honey
2 tsp orange marmalade
2 TB finely chopped cucumber
1 TB toasted peanuts, chopped
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

Combine vinegar and brown sugar, stirring to dissolve sugar.  Sometimes I nuke this mixture to speed up the dissolving.
Mix in remaining ingredients.

And both these sauces would be excellent for shrimp spring rolls too.

A simple side of cole slaw is all you need for the fried shrimp.
I make a cole slaw dressing with mayo, cider vinegar, sugar, and a splash of buttermilk for a little extra tang.  Salt and pepper.  Sometimes a sprinkling of celery seeds.  My slaw mixture is shredded cabbage, julienned carrot, and minced red pepper.

I have two more dips here:

The orange is a combination of ...  oh... say 1/4 cup orange marmalade, a teaspoon each horseradish, Sriracha, and Gray Poupon Dijon mustard, and a tablespoon of chopped red onion.  Or thereabouts. 
I've given you the basics here.  Go ahead and play around with the flavors.

The creamy sauce is:
2 TB sour cream
2 TB mayonnaise
1 TB coarse grained mustard
1 TB lemon juice
2 TB chopped fresh dill

Enjoy!