My wife and I stopped by Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen outside of Cincinnati, Ohio, the other day. The food there is always absolutely amazing. We had their Coconut Shrimp with Cajun slaw and a dipping sauce, and it was beyond fantastic. Ever since then I have been jonesin’ for coconut shrimp. Now, this recipe for coconut fried shrimp with dipping sauce is not meant to be a copycat of the version from Pappadeaux. But, it’s still mighty tasty and comes with a great dipping sauce (don’t be afraid to double the recipe for the dipping sauce).
Be careful to not overcook the shrimp when you’re making these coconut fried shrimp with dipping sauce. They don’t take long to cook at all, just until they are just starting to turn golden brown. You will be rewarded for your efforts.
If I’m cooking for a crowd, I’ll break out my big deep fryer. But, if it’s just the two of us, I’ll fire up my Fry Daddy fryer. It’s the perfect size for both of us. It fries everything perfectly. And as an added bonus, it doesn’t use a lot of oil, which saves me money.
Also try my copycat of Applebee’s Sriracha shrimp, Bayou fried shrimp, southern fried shrimp, Bubba Gump’s Dumb Luck coconut shrimp and my copycat of Bonefish Grill’s Bang Bang shrimp. Did I mention how much I love fried shrimp?
Just recently made some Parrot Bay coconut shrimp and it was fantastic!
Coconut Fried Shrimp with Dipping Sauce
Ingredients
For the dipping sauce
- ½ cup orange marmalade
- 4 teaspoons seasoned rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon dried red pepper flake
For the shrimp
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ⅔ cup water
- 2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
- ½ cup bread crumbs
- 1 pound shrimp medium or large. I used 18-22 count, peeled and deveined
- vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
For the dipping sauce
- Combine all ingredients in a small pot over low heat. Stir occasionally while you make the shrimp.
For the shrimp
- Combine flour, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl.
- Whisk in the water and let set for 20 minutes.
- In a shallow bowl or pie plate combine the coconut and bread crumbs.
- Heat 2″ of oil in a Dutch oven or deep fryer to 325 F.
- Add shrimp to the batter mixture and coat well.
- Working in batches, shake off excess batter then add shrimp to the coconut mixture, Press lightly on the coating to get it to adhere, covering all sides of the shrimp.
- Lower shrimp into the oil and cook 2-3 minutes until golden brown. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Serve with warmed dipping sauce on the side.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are approximate.
