Yesterday in Chicago the weather was sunny and 65… in the middle of February!  It was spectacular.  I was inspired by the warm weather to create something that reminded me of summer or my favorite warm weather place, the Caribbean. 

The first time I ever tried coconut shrimp was at a restaurant I worked at in college.  They fried them up and served with a sweet plum sauce.  I absolutely loved them and ordered them almost every shift I worked.  My version requires no frying and it so easy and quick to make.  I also borrowed a great broiling technique from Ellie Krieger from the Foodnetwork, which works every time.

Some people say they are not fans of the texture of coconut, which I can kind of understand.  A great tip for flaky coconut is to throw it in the blender or food processor before using, this helps the coconut blend in well with the breading. I did not do this as me and Husband love coconut in any form.

Prep Time : About 15 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients

1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp (this just makes life easier)
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup shredded coconut, I used sweetened and used a heaping 1/2 cup
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3 egg whites
3/4 panko crumbs (japanes style breadcrumbs, found in almost every grocery store in the Asian section)
1 teaspoon ancho chili powder (which is a milder chili powder)
2 tablespoons canola oil
Nonstick cooking spray

Directions

Preheat broiler

Place flour, chili powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a shallow bowl and stir with a fork to incorporate. Place egg whites in another shallow bowl and beat lightly. Place panko crumbs, shredded coconut,  1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper in a third bowl and stir with a fork to incorporate. Toss the shrimp, a few at a time, in flour until well coated. Shake off excess flour, then dip in egg whites. Transfer to panko and coconut mixture and toss to cover all sides. Reserve coated shrimp on a baking sheet or piece of parchment paper and repeat with remaining shrimp.

Coat a large cookie sheet with the oil (a marinade brush works best) and heat the oiled sheet under broiler for 3 minutes.  This gives the bottom of the shrimp a little crunch.  Remove from oven and quickly arrange shrimp in a single layer on the cookie sheet. Spray with cooking spray. Place shrimp under broiler and broil until crisp and browned, about 5 minutes.

Serve shrimp with dipping sauce or serve on it’s own with a fruity salad. I used an orange marmalade that I cut with a little balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper for dipping, it was delicious!

Enjoy!