Coconut Shrimp for me is synonymous with two things: the frozen section and happy hour at many patio restaurants. Although I love them, both scenarios often leave me feeling drenched in oil. I can only have a few before the fat content begs me to stop. And of course I never do-because it is coconut shrimp after all.
Now to add to the mix, my in-laws often travel to Kauai and one of their must stops is for coconut shrimp. And of course we get sent a picture of these delectable eats- only making me want them more. Unfortunately with the Covid Pandemic still in full force I sadly have to keep waiting to travel to try them myself.
That brings me back to my other two options, scour the frozen section to try and find a package with less than 10 ingredients and preservatives or brave going into a restaurant (BC is now in Phase 3 with most businesses opening up with required safety measures). Neither sound overly appealing, I am still enjoying staying in my little bubble for now. Please don’t suggest take out, fried food is not a friend of waiting 30 minutes to eat it.
That brings me to introducing my new favourite kitchen gadget: the Air Fryer. Growing up we had a real deep fryer. We were British, having chips was a basic necessity. But now I realize that I probably should be finding healthier ways to get my fried food fix. When the air fryer debuted I was intrigued, so much so I added it to my Christmas wish list. M treated me to this futuristic device (on sale for black Friday of course…also not sponsored). At first we really only used it to fry potatoes, I wasn’t really sure what it could do and was afraid to try anything.
All of this to say it created the perfect storm to try making coconut shrimp in my air fryer. Now if you don’t have an air fryer, feel free to try these in the oven. Or if you have an actual deep fryer go for that too.
I wanted these coconut shrimp to propel me to that tropical destination I’ve been itching to get to. Pretend for a second that I’m on a white sand beach and not in my kitchen for the 15340th day in a row. So I knew I had to keep the dip on the same theme. Because it seems almost illegal to have coconut shrimp without something to dunk them into. This mango dip is slightly sweet with a kick of cayenne. If you don’t have fresh mango, try using frozen or substitute for another tropical fruit like pineapple or passion fruit juice. Lastly, because the dip is on the sweeter side I opted for unsweetened coconut in my breading. But like all my recipes feel free to adjust based on what you may already have in your pantry! Enjoy the trip to Hawaii/ restaurant/frozen food aisle without the plane ticket, need to wear a mask, or extra grease 🙂
Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 dozen shrimp (.6lb) raw, tails on
- 1 tbsp panko
- 1/3 cup unsweetened fine shredded coconut
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1 tsp ginger powder
- 1 egg
- Mango Dip:
- 1 tbsp sour cream
- 1/2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1/4 tsp cayenne
- 2 tbsp mayo
- 1/3 cup diced fresh mango
- 1/4 tsp lime juice
Directions
- Step 1 Defrost shrimp and ensure shells are removed, but tails are on. Dry on paper towel to remove moisture.
- Step 2 Create your dredging station: 1st bowl with flour, ginger powder and S+P, 2nd small bowl with egg lightly whisked with a fork, 3rd bowl with panko and coconut.
- Step 3 Now one shrimp at a time place in each bowl in order-flour, egg, and then coconut.
- Step 4 Place on a parchment or silicon lined baking pan and spray with Pam until ready to fry.
- Step 5 Set your air fryer to 375F and fry for about 8min turning to get golden brown on all sides. Make sure to not over crowd your pan. You may need to fry your shrimp in batches.
- Step 6 While your shrimp is frying create the mango dip. In a food processor or blender add your mango and pulse. Add the remainder of the dip ingredients to the blender and pulse until combined. Adjust seasoning and spice as you like.
- Step 7 Serve dip with delicious coconut shrimp!
Could almost feel the Hawaiian sun eating these!