Baked Coconut Shrimp
One of my children’s favorite meals in the summertime was Baked Coconut Shrimp. We would go to the beach (where Arizonans love to escape to in the summer) and one particular restaurant used to serve the most amazing coconut shrimp. They were these huge shrimp covered in a chewy but crispy coconut coating and drizzled with a sweet honey sauce. My eyes glaze over just thinking about it!
It never occurred to me to make them as I’m not into deep-frying. And then I found this recipe. This recipe has all those components but instead of using the messy, fattening deep-fryer, you bake these bad boys. They come out crispy, with the perfect amount of chew (thank you, panko and coconut). The sauce, made of butter, honey and Dijon mustard has the sweetness that you’d expect from this Hawaiian-style dish along with the bite of mustard to spice it up.
The key to the coating is to toast the coconut along with panko in the oven. Place them on a baking sheet, mix together and toast for 10-15 minutes until they are nice and golden (keep an eye on it as it can quickly burn).
You’ll then have 3 separate bowls: one for the flour, paprika and salt; one for the beaten eggs; one for the toasted coconut/panko.
Coat each shrimp in the flour mixture and set aside. Once they are all coated, dip each one into egg and then press the shrimp into the coconut/panko mixture until it sticks to the shrimp. Place the shrimp on a baking sheet and drizzle with some olive oil. Now, bake the shrimp for 10 minutes.
The sauce takes just a minute to make. Whisk the melted butter with honey and Dijon mustard.
When the shrimp are done, drizzle the sauce over the shrimp and serve with Spring Jasmine Rice with Peas.
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Baked Coconut Shrimp
Makes: 3-4 servings
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Bake Time: 18 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
Coconut Shrimp:
- 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 3/4 cup sweetened coconut flakes
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 pound jumbo shrimp, thawed if frozen, tails removed (see Chef’s Note)
- Olive oil, for drizzling
Honey Butter Sauce:
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
- 3 tbsp honey
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place panko and coconut on a baking sheet; toast for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until nice and golden brown.
Make three bowls: one for the flour, paprika, and salt; one for the egg, and one for the toasted coconut. Coat individual shrimp in flour/spice mix, then egg, then press into the coconut/panko mixture until the mixture sticks to the shrimp. (I usually do all the shrimp in the flour/spice mix first, and then do the egg/panko dip so it’s a bit cleaner). Place coated shrimp back on the baking sheet. Spritz or drizzle with oil.
Bake shrimp at 425°F for 10 minutes.
Whisk the melted butter with the honey and Dijon mustard. Serve shrimp with a pile of Spring Jasmine Rice and generously drizzle with the sauce.
Chef’s Note:
I prefer to make these with the tails removed because I like to pile them on a plate and eat them with the rice, and honestly, pulling the tails off with every bite is kind of annoying. But if you want it to look a little fancier or if you want this to be more of a finger-food situation, then you can also leave the tails on.
Recipe adapted from Pinch of Yum
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