Crispy Coconut Shrimp with Sweet Red Chili Sauce
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These restaurant-style coconut shrimp are remarkably easy to make: you can do all of the prep ahead and the sauce comes straight out of a bottle.
I’ve had coconut shrimp at many restaurants, but this homemade version beats them all. It’s remarkably easy to make: you do all of the preparation in advance, so all that’s left to do at dinnertime is quickly fry the shrimp, and the sauce comes straight out of a bottle. Serve as an appetizer or light dinner with my Asian-style slaw.
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Crispy Coconut Shrimp with Sweet Red Chili Sauce
These restaurant-style coconut shrimp are remarkably easy to make: you can do all of the prep ahead and the sauce comes straight out of a bottle.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds raw extra large shrimp (16-20 per pound), peeled and deveined with tails left intact, thawed if frozen
- ½ cup cornstarch
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 3 large egg whites
- 2 cups unsweetened medium shredded coconut (available at Whole Foods or natural food markets - see note below)
- 2½ tablespoons sugar
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- Thai Sweet Red Chili Sauce (available in Asian section of most supermarkets)
Instructions
- Place the cornstarch, salt and cayenne pepper in a large zip-lock bag and mix well. Add the shrimp to the bag, seal shut and shake to coat evenly. Set aside.
- Using a fork, beat the egg whites in a small bowl until frothy. Place the coconut and sugar in a large shallow bowl or pie dish and mix well.
- Holding each shrimp by the tail, shake off excess cornstarch, dip into the egg whites (let the excess drip off), then dredge in the coconut mixture, turning to coat evenly (if the sugar drops to the bottom of the dish a bit, move the shrimp around so it gets coated with both the sugar and coconut.) Place the shrimp on foil-lined baking sheet in a single layer. Cover and refrigerate until ready to cook. This can be done several hours ahead of time.
- Pour enough oil into a large nonstick pan to reach a depth of ½-inch; heat over high heat until hot. To test if the oil is hot enough, use tongs to hold one shrimp by the tail and submerge it in oil; if it sizzles and crackles, it’s ready. Working in batches so as not to crowd the pan, add the shrimp to the hot oil and fry, turning once, until golden brown. It should take between 40-60 seconds per side; if the shrimp are browning too quickly, turn the heat down a bit. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the shrimp to a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Arrange the shrimp on a platter and serve with the Sweet Red Chili Sauce.
- Note: I like to use unsweetened shredded coconut and add sugar to it, as opposed to sweetened flaked coconut, because it's healthier, much easier to work with, and adds great texture to the dish.
- Note: Nutritional information was calculated assuming that approximately ¼ cup of the oil is absorbed into the shrimp when frying.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 447
- Fat: 29 g
- Saturated fat: 17 g
- Carbohydrates: 23 g
- Sugar: 8 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 24 g
- Sodium: 1140 mg
- Cholesterol: 191 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Comments
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This was so good! I didn’t have cayenne pepper so put hot sauce in egg yolk. Also didn’t have unsweetened coconut so omitted sugar. Use coconut oil.
I’ve loved every single recipe of yours that I’ve tried. Thank you so much for sharing them! Do you think these could be baked?
Thanks, Kim
Hi Kim, so glad you like the recipes! I haven’t baked them, but I think you could. I’d love to hear how they turn out!
Made these last night and they were a hit!! The slight kick from the cayenne pepper and the sweetness from the coconut was a wonderful combination. I used the sweet coconut mixed with panko and found the crunch to be superb. I will make these often.
Great Crispy Coconut Shrimp. It was amazing.
Suzanne
I love coconut shrimp and have tried many recipes but this one is by far the best. I just used Asian general taos sauce for dipping. Will make this again and again.
Everyone loved these!
Fantastic! I was preparing to do a skewer version and was distracted by this recipe…so glad I had all the ingredients lurking nearby. It was intoxicatingly delish.
Can these be made ahead and reheated?
Hi Alexa, While these are best right out of the pan, I think you could get away with it. I would suggest undercooking them a bit initially though, so they don’t get overcooked/tough when you reheat them.
I rarely cook shrimp for dinner. Well, that’s going to change now that I’ve tried this recipe. This will be part of my rotating meals. Peeling the shrimp was the most time consuming, but I’ve since found raw, frozen, deveined, peeled, tail-on, sweet shrimp at Costco. Yay!
I’m still figuring out how hot to get the oil in the pan before frying. My first batch came out to light, then the second was too dark and the third was perfect. Any additional frying tips would be helpful!
I made these tonight and they are delicious. My husband loved them. This recipe is definitely a keeper. Thank you.