Coconut Shrimp - week 23 of 52

Week one of "Surf"ing in June, I decided to make Tyler Florence's Coconut Shrimp. I've had a great coconut shrimp at St Lawrence Market at Buster's Sea Cover and wanted to try to make some at home. It just takes a couple of ingredients and is really quite easy to make.

Tyler Florence's coconut shrimp is great! I didn't make the peanut sauce and served instead with a sweet chili sauce instead, which I bought in at the grocery store. The sweet shrimp and coconut combination is amazing - make sure you don't deep fry for too long otherwise the shrimp gets a chewy texture. I used my candy thermometer (see week 4) to ensure I had the right oil temperature.

These coconut shrimp would be great apps for a party but requires prep before hand. You could probably deep fry ahead of time and pop into the oven before serving.

Bon appétit!




Coconut Shrimp with Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce

$$

Ingredients

Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce
1/4 cup toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 garlic clove, peeled and minced
1/2 cup peanut butter
2 tablespoons Sriracha hot sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/3 cup hot water

Coconut Shrimp
12 large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and butterflied
1 cup all-purpose flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
Vegetable oil, for deep-frying
1 head Bibb lettuce, separated
1 English cucumber, cut into sticks
2 limes, cut into wedges
1 bunch snow pea shoots

Directions

1. For the Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce, pour sesame oil in a small saucepan and heat over low heat. Add the ginger and garlic; cook for 2 minutes, until fragrant. Combine the remaining sauce ingredients in a blender; blend to combine. Add the warmed sesame oil mixture to blender. Blend until light and creamy, adding more hot water, if necessary, to achieve a smooth dipping consistency.

2. Lay the butterflied shrimp flat on a cutting board. Place the flat side of a chef's knife on the shrimp; gently pound to flatten. Thread one butterflied shrimp onto each bamboo skewer, so shrimp lays flat. Set aside.

3. Place flour on a large shallow plate; season with salt and pepper. Place beaten eggs in a shallow bowl. Place coconut on a large shallow plate; season with salt and pepper. Coat the shrimp in flour, shaking off the excess. Dip shrimp in egg, then coconut, coating both sides. Place on a baking tray and set aside in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to allow the coating to set before frying.

4. Pour about 4 inches oil into a large heavy pot and heat to 375 degrees F. Place the shrimp end of each skewer in hot oil and fry for 2 to 3 minutes, until golden and crispy. Remove with tongs.

5. To serve, arrange Bibb lettuce leaves, cucumber sticks, lime wedges, and snow pea shoots on a large plate. Serve with coconut shrimp and dipping sauce so wraps can be assembled as desired.