Post #630970 by jokeiii on Mon, Apr 2, 2012 1:15 PM

And here...my take on coconut shrimp. I love dipping them in the Sweet Chile Dipping sauce but "normal people" tend to opt of the sweet 'n' sour (as posted previously).

1 c AP flour
½ t paprika
½ t white pepper, ground pretty fine (black will also work, but won't be as pretty)
½ t cayenne pepper
¼ t fine sea salt (table salt will work also; if you use coarse salt, grind it fine first then measure)
¼ t sugar
2 lg eggs
1 c plain (unsweetened, untoasted, etc.) shredded coconut
1 c panko breadcrumbs (OR you can make your own version by grating dry bread
1 lb shrimp/prawns (21-25 count) peeled and deveined, (save shells for making stock, that stuff's gold and NO I don't like leaving the tails, use toothpicks or cocktail forks to serve, you lose a lot of tailmeat that way and the tail shell is also crucial for the stock)
3 c peanut oil (or whatever you prefer)

Set up a dredging station with three shallow bowls. One with the flour and and all the seasonings, one with the eggs (beaten with a teeny dribble of water) and one with the coconut shreds and panko mixed together. Put your oil in a heavy saucepan and heat to 325F-350F degrees.

Coat shrimp w. seasoned flour, shake off excess.
"Wash" coated shrimp with egg, let excess egg drip off
Dredge shrimp in coconut/panko

Put in the fridge and allow the breading to dry and firm a bit (15-30 min). In 2-3 batches fry the shrimp until golden brown, figure 2½ min. (You can stash them in an oven set as low as it will go.) If you're not sure about your thermometer -- or don't have one -- drop ONE shrimp and fry for 2½ minutes...if it's over/underdone adjust the temperature accordingly, never lower than 325F and never more than 350F.