Coconut shrimp is one of those dishes that always reminds me of being on vacation somewhere tropical. Since it’s not very often that I’m on vacation somewhere tropical, I love to make the food that brings back those memories so I can at least pretend I’m on vacation! Does anyone else do this or am I the only weird one here? I know Courtney does the same thing so at least there are two of us weirdos out there!
Coconut shrimp is traditionally served deep fried, so of course we lightened it up a bit and skipped the deep fryer. We also used a Steviva Brand product called Nectevia, its a blend of stevia extract and blue agave nectar and it’s oh so good! We used unsweetened coconut flakes so we added a tablespoon of Nectevia to the egg wash to sweeten the coconut shrimp up a bit and it worked perfectly! If you aren’t familiar with Steviva products check them out here:
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This recipe is SO easy, create an assembly line like this with a small bowl mixed with unsweetened coconut flakes, flour and panko. Another low bowl with an egg and Nectevia and of course your shrimp seasoned with S&P. Coat the shrimp in the egg/Nectevia wash and then move the shrimp to the dry bowl to coat it with the coconut topping.
When we initially created this recipe we baked the shrimp, but it just wasn’t working for us. We couldn’t achieve that golden crust on the outside of the shrimp in the oven, which was a major deal breaker!! We changed it up the next time we made it and used a non-stick skillet and cooked the shrimp in a small amount of coconut oil. Oh what a difference that made… golden brown crust success!!
We paired these perfectly crispy coconut shrimp with the easiest and most delicious dipping sauce. Use peach preserves, or orange marmalade works great too. Mix the peach preserves with dijon mustard and tada…your dipping sauce is complete! Time to enjoy your coconut shrimp while pretending you’re on a tropical vacation somewhere. That is until the kids start screaming and pulling each others hair out, you will quickly realize you are NOT on vacation. Oh well, at least you still have your coconut shrimp and hopefully a glass of wine!!
- 1½ lbs large wild shrimp, shelled and deviened, keeping tails intact.
- ½ C panko bread crumbs
- ½ C unsweetened coconut flakes
- ¼ C flour
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 Tbsp Nectevia
- ¼ C coconut oil
- kosher salt and cracked pepper
- ½ C peach preserves (can also use orange marmalade)
- 1 Tbsp dijon mustard
- Line shrimp on a large sheet pan with parchment paper and sprinkle both sides with S & P.
- Add egg and Nectevia to a low bowl and mix. In a separate bowl add panko, coconut flakes and flour and thoroughly combine.
- Working in batches dredge shrimp in egg and move to the panko bowl covering all sides of shrimp throughly. Place shrimp back on sheet pan.
- Heat coconut oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add shrimp, cook each side for 2-3 minutes until golden brown and cooked through but not overcooked.
- While shrimp is cooking add peach preserves (or orange marmalade) and dijon to a small bowl and mix until combined.
- Serve coconut shrimp immediately with the peach/dijon dipping sauce.
