Coconut Shrimp: Secret Recipe Club

It's time for another Secret Recipe Club post!  This month I was super excited when I started browsing through the blog I was assigned.  I got Savor the Senses, a blog written by Jenny who is a chef at a Morimoto restaurant in Hawaii!  How cool is that!  There were so many great recipes that piqued my interest.  Mahi Mahi in Green Chili Coconut Broth, Mojo Pork and Shrimp Baked Onions are all on my list of recipe ideas for upcoming menus.  And, with cinnamon being one of my favorite spices, Snickerdoodle Cupcakes will certainly show up in my future baking projects -- how cute are they?!?


After narrowing it down to 6 or so options, I left the final choice up to Zach.  He chose the Coconut Shrimp with Curry Dipping Sauce, and boy am I glad he did!  This was a fantastic, easy dinner that was also delicious.  I can't wait to make it again.  The coconut crisped up beautifully and gave a great crunchiness to the shrimp, without having to be fried.  The curry sauce was super, it is definitely spicy, depending on your curry powder and preferences, I would start with half the amount and taste as you go, adding more to meet your personal taste level.  Ours turned out spicy, but I thought it was just right -- a hit of spice complemented the sweetness of the coconut and shrimp and balanced out nicely.  We already want this dish back on the menu, and next time we will probably defrost the shrimp overnight, then peel in the morning and let them sit in the coconut milk all day.  The 30 minute marinating time was a tight fit for a weeknight meal for us, especially since the rest of the dish is fairly labor intensive -- triple coating of the breading layers, so we thought it would be nice to save some time and make it that much easier to get on the table before we are starving.  We served it alongside red pepper couscous and steamed broccoli to turn it into a main course dish instead of an appetizer.

Coconut Shrimp with Curry Dipping Sauce
from Savor the Senses
serves 6 as an appetizer, 4 as a main course


Ingredients:


1 lb shrimp (peeled & deveined)
1 can light coconut milk
1 cup flour, divided
3 eggs
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 cup flaked coconut, unsweetened
6 tablespoons light mayonnaise
2 tablespoons light sour cream
1 tablespoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper


Directions:

• Add the peeled and deveined shrimp and the coconut milk in a bowl.  Stir to coat all shrimp with coconut milk and then refrigerate for 30 minutes.  
• Drain the milk from the shrimp and pat the shrimp dry with paper towels.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  
• Set up three bowls for breading the shrimp -- one with 1/2 cup flour, one with the 3 eggs, beaten and the last bowl with the panko, remaining 1/2 cup flour and coconut mixed together.  Working one at a time, dip the shrimp in the plain flour, then egg wash and finally the coconut and breadcrumb mixture.  Once breaded, arrange the shrimp in a single layer on a sheet pan.  
• Bake shrimp until crispy and the coconut flakes start to turn golden brown, 15-20 minutes.  
• While the shrimp are baking combine the mayo, sour cream, curry powder and cayenne pepper to make the dipping sauce.