Fried shrimp has been one of my favorite things to eat since I was a little kid. And of all the ways to prepare coconut shrimp, fried is still my favorite. For the sake of variety, I’ve also included a couple of baked recipes. One of the baked versions is a diet recipe. Hit the print button and compare them. See which one you’ll have this week and which you might have next week.

FRIED COCONUT SHRIMP

Ingredients

• 1 pound unpeeled, medium-size fresh shrimp
• 3/4 cup biscuit mix
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3/4 cup beer
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups flaked coconut
• Vegetable oil

Making It…

1. Peel shrimp, leaving the tails intact; devein, if desired, and set shrimp aside.
2. Combine biscuit mix, sugar, and beer, stirring until smooth. Set mixture aside.
3. Coat shrimp with flour; dip into beer mixture, allowing excess to drain. Gently roll coated shrimp in flaked coconut.
4. Put about 3 inches of veg oil in a large saucepan; heat to 350°. Cook shrimp, a few at a time, 1 to 2 minutes or until golden; drain on paper towels, and serve immediately.

BAKED COCONUT SHRIMP AND SALSA

A friend sent this recipe for BAKED coconut shrimp. Seems like there might be some health benefits to baking instead of frying, but the ease of preparation was her deal. Instead of standing at the stove forever and frying small batches of coconut shrimp, she prefers putting it all together on a sheet pan and throwing it in the oven to cook while she does other stuff. Or nothing. (I like where she’s coming from!)

She made a big deal out of toasting the coconut first. Said it makes a big difference in the taste of the final product.

The salsa combines a lot of great flavors from The Islands all the way to Mexico. Excellent sidecar!

This serves four people.

SHRIMP

• 3 cups shredded sweetened coconut
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste
• Add Kosher salt, to taste
• 4 large egg whites
• 1 pound of large shrimp, peeled and deveined, with tails left on.
• Nonstick cooking spray

SALSA

• 1 cup finely diced fresh pineapple
• 1/3 cup finely minced red onion
• 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
• 1/4 cup pineapple preserves
• 1/2 to 1 miced jalapeno pepper with the seeds removed.
• Freshly squeezed juice of 1 lime
• Kosher salt
• • Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

Panko bread crumbs are stocked in just about any major grocery stores these days or in any Asian market.

Making It…

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
   Spread the coconut evenly on an ungreased sheet pan and toast in the oven, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and delicious — about 8 to 10 minutes.
2. Pump up the oven to 400 degrees.
3. To prepare the shrimp, line a sheet pan with parchment paper. In a shallow dish, whisk together the flour, bread crumbs, cayenne pepper, and salt. Put the toasted coconut in another dish. Put the egg whites in a medium bowl and whisk until they are frothy. Pat the shrimp dry and dip first in the egg whites, then the flour, back in the egg whites, then roll in the toasted coconut.
4. Put the shrimp on the sheet pan and spray lightly with cooking spray. Bake it all 12 to 15 minutes, until cooked through and golden brown.

To make the salsa,  in a small bowl combine the pineapple, red onion, cilantro, pineapple preserves, jalapeno, and lime juice. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with the coconut shrimp.

BAKED COCONUT SHRIMP ON A DIET

Serves Six

Give this version a try if you are trying to cut a few calories here and there.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs. extra large shrimp, defrosted, shelled and deveined, rinsed and patted dry
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp. ground red pepper
• Dash of salt
• 1 Tbs. honey
• 1 Tbs. freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1/3 cup egg whites
• 3/4 cup coconut
• Cooking spray

MAKING IT…

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees
2. Lightly spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray
3. In a small bowl combine cornstarch, pepper and salt
4. In a small microwave safe dish heat up honey for about 30-45 seconds
5. Add lime juice to honey and stir
6. Slowly add in egg whites and continue to stir
7. Place coconut in a thin layer on a pie plate or flat dish
8. Take each shrimp and first dip into cornstarch mixture, then in egg white mixture and finally roll in the coconut
9. Place on the baking sheet and lightly spray with cooking spray
10. Bake 10-15 minutes or until shrimp is pink and the coconut is lightly toasted

There you go! Give all three a try. It’s research.

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