NJPerkins

Coconut Shrimp

This was the first battered shrimp recipe that really worked well for me.  I believe one of the keys is chilling the shrimp before they go into the hot oil.  Whatever the reason, this dish has turned out wonderfully for me several times.

• 2 eggs
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 can beer
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups flaked coconut
• 2 lb shrimp (16-20 count per pound)
• oil for frying (3 cups or whatever you typically use)
  

Coconut Shrimp Ready for Consumption!

Instructions

This recipe calls for laying out the batter dipped shrimp on wax or parchment paper and chilling in the fridge or freezer (I prefer the latter) for 30 or more minutes, so you may wish to plan that part out before starting.  A space where you can set a cookie sheet to chill is needed.  I use a chest freezer when I can.  For the shrimp, any variety would work (frozen, fresh, smaller, larger) but the size and quantity above works fine.  They just need to end up peeled (tail on ok) and deveined as per typical shrimp cooking.

• In a medium bowl combine the eggs, larger quantity of flour, beer and the baking powder. Place the smaller quantity of flour and the coconut in two separate bowls, so you have a three-bowl setup for coating the shrimp.
  
  
• Holding the shrimp by the tail, dredge it in the flour and shake off the excess.  Then dip it into the egg mixture, again allowing the excess to flow off the shrimp by gently banging it against the side of the dish.  Finally, roll the shrimp in the coconut to coat it well and then lay the shrimp out on a cookie sheet lined with wax or parchment paper, or whatever rig you want to use to pre-chill the shrimp.  You should be able to snugly fit all the shrimp onto one good sized cookie sheet which should then be placed in the fridge or freezer for at least 30 minutes.
  
  
• Meanwhile, preheat the oil to 350-360 degrees in whatever you will be using for the deep frying.  Fry them in batches small enough to keep them from sticking together too much.  Using my Roto-Fryer, I would place 5-6 in the bottom of the basket, then 5-6 more dropped in one at a time after the basket was lowered.  Currently, I fry for 5 minutes per batch.  The size and quantity of shrimp will determine the best cooking time.  They just need to be cooked without being tough or dry.
  
  
• Carefully remove the shrimp to drain on paper towels. Consume as quickly as possible with whatever dipping sauce you might like to use. Enjoy!  By the way, the last time I did this recipe, I had lots of leftover batter.  It just so happened I was also roasting poultry (duck) within a day, so I took all the leftover batter and mixed it into the stuffing for the bird!  It was a fantastic, sweet, coconut stuffing.

Additional Notes, Links, Photos

 About Dipping Sauces

With dipping sauces, just about ANYTHING goes!  I usually just see what I have on hand and try to imagine how the taste would work.  Straight cocktail sauce is fine.  Last time, I mixed sour cream, Catalina salad dressing, Pickapeppa sauce (similar to A-1 sauce), wasabi sauce and a sprinkle of Marvin's together and it worked fine.  Pretty much any condiment (mustard is nice) added to a base of sour cream or mayonnaise will work.  Just try anything, but you might want to keep track of what you do in case you REALLY like it!

 About Deep Frying

There are many ways to do deep fat frying, from liquefying fat in a pan and frying on the stove, to countless numbers of deep fat fryers.  I have settled on two factors that seem to work best for me.  The first is that I always fry in peanut oil.  It can be reused several times, is less susceptible to smoking, and the taste result is favorable (at least it does not detract at all).  The second key to my deep frying happiness comes from the apparatus I use: The Delonghi RotoFryer.  It has a large basket (holds 2lbs of wedgie fries comfortably) with a mechanism that rotates the basket throughout the cooking cycle once it is lowered into place.  A wide selection of temperatures, built in timer, and relative ease of cleaning has made it my fryer of choice for several years.