Easy Bake Coconut Shrimp Recipe for Home

Coconut shrimp is a delicious, easy to make, main course or side dish at home. Not many ingredients are needed, and it looks and tastes like you spent some serious time in the kitchen. It is also a great dish to try for those who are finicky toward shellfish and seafood in general. The sweet, crunchy, toasted coconut and breadcrumb texture compliments the slightly sweet and salty and firmness of the shrimp. It’s a real treat for dinner.

Ingredients as a main course for 4:

• 1 to 1 ½ lbs. extra-large shrimp prawns (as colossal as you can get them)
• 1 cup flour or cornstarch
• 1 cup raw, shredded coconut (for sweeter coconut shrimp, use sweetened coconut or add 1 teaspoon coconut extract to egg mixture)
• 1 cup Japanese panko breadcrumbs (You may substitute with other extra course breads or cereals, like crushed corn flakes. Regular bread crumbs will not be crunchy
• 2 whole extra-large egg or three egg whites
• a pinch of salt
• a dash of paprika if desired for color

Heat and Serve

Apricot Mango
Wasabi Sauce

Preparation and Baking:

1. Preheat the oven to 425F, and lightly spray a large cookie sheet or baking pan with a cooking spray.
2. Peel shrimp (raw or thawed) leaving the tails on. Devein and butterfly* if desired.
3. You need 3 mixing bowls. Pour flour or cornstarch into one mixing bowl. In another mixing bowl, whisk the egg or egg whites. In a third mixing bowl, combine coconut, panko breadcrumbs and salt (paprika too if you are using it).
4. Dredge each shrimp one at a time first in the flour (or cornstarch), then the egg mixture, and then the coconut, breadcrumb mix.
5. As you finish coating each shrimp, place them on the cookie sheet or other baking tray.
6. Bake for about 6 minutes. Flip each shrimp over, and bake for another 6 minutes. The shrimp are done when they are pink and the coating is a toasted golden brown.

How to Devein and Butterfly Shrimp:

You can devein and butterfly shrimp in three easy steps. First, peel the shrimp, leaving the tail on. Next, with a knife, make a slit down the center back. Lastly, pull out black vein and spread open. Now, the shrimp is deveined and butterflied. That’s it! So easy!

image credits – “Making Coconut Shrimp” by Tracy Benjamin and “Coconut Shrimp” by AJ Gazmen