Coconut Shrimp

According to Andy, this was one of the first memorable meals I made for him. I don't remember this. Either way, I decided to make them recently on Valentine's night for dinner because they are quick and tasty, and apparently memorable! I found jumbo shrimp (my favorite oxymoron) on sale and they worked really well because it was a perfect balance of shrimp to coconutty batter.

I made a dipping sauce with orange marmalade, a little sriracha, mustard, and a touch of agave nectar. Feel free to make a dipping sauce to suit your taste. Enjoy!

Coconut Shrimp!

Coconut Shrimp 

Yield: 3-4 appetizer portions, or 2 main course portions

Ingredients
1 egg
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup beer
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

hot sauce or sriracha to taste (less than a tsp.)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2-3 cups shredded coconut
12 jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup oil for frying

In a mixing bowl, mix together the egg and beer. Add the baking powder, 1/2 cup of flour and the hot sauce. Mixture should resemble the consistency of pancake batter.  Put the remaining 1/4 cup flour in another small bowl. Lastly, place the coconut in a separate bowl.

Pat the shrimp dry and dredge in the flour shaking off any excess. Dip into the batter, then coat well with the coconut. Place coated shrimp on a baking sheet lined with wax paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

In a medium skillet, heat the oil. Once hot, add the shrimp in batches and fry for 2-3 minutes per side or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and season with a little salt. Fried shrimp can be kept warm on a baking sheet in the oven at 200 degrees. Serve warm on their own or with a dipping sauce. Yum!