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Baked Coconut Shrimp

Baked Coconut Shrimp is the best tasting way to make coconut shrimp, and it’s served with the most delicious sweet dipping sauce.

coconut shrimp in a bowl with sauce

May 10th is National Shrimp Day! Celebrating this day by making your favorite shrimp dish. Shrimp scampi, shrimp cocktail and fried shrimp are common favorites. We think that baked coconut shrimp is the best thing ever, so consider making this recipe! Share your shrimp on social media today by using the hashtag #nationalshrimpday, #shrimpday and #recipesforholidays. Be sure to check out our May calendar to read about the other May Food Holidays that will be celebrated this month!

“Anyway, like I was sayin’, shrimp is the fruit of the sea. You can barbecue it, boil it, broil it, bake it, saute it. Dey’s uh, shrimp-kabobs, shrimp creole, shrimp gumbo. Pan fried, deep fried, stir-fried. There’s pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew, shrimp salad, shrimp and potatoes, shrimp burger, shrimp sandwich. That- that’s about it.”

-Bubba Blue

The History of Shrimp:

Archaeological evidence suggests that humans have been eating shrimp since humans began emerging on the planet.

We know that the Greeks and Romans enjoyed shrimp. Writings have been found from the 4th and 5th century AD that explain their methods of cooking shrimp.

According to Fanny Farmer’s The Boston Cooking-School Cook Book, shrimp was primarily found in the Southern part of the U.S. In 1917, harvesting of shrimp began, and consumption of shrimp expanded to other regions. It was around this time that the “shrimp cocktail” (cold shrimp served with cocktail sauce) was invented.

ingredients displayed for coconut shrimp

Ingredients needed:

  • all purpose flour
  • egg
  • coconut milk
  • shredded, sweetened coconut
  • panko breadscrumbs
  • salt
  • medium shrimp
  • cooking spray
dipping shrimp in flour, egg batter and coconut

How to make Baked Coconut Shrimp:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. That high heat will help the shrimp have a crisp texture. Line a baking sheet with parchment and spray it with nonstick spray.

Place flour in one bowl. Combine egg and coconut milk in a 2nd bowl. And combine shredded coconut and panko in a 3rd bowl. Sprinkle shrimp with salt. Hold the shrimp by the tail and dip in the flour mixture; shake off the excess. Then dip in the egg/coconut milk and shake again. Then roll the shrimp in the coconut/panko mixture.

coconut shrimp on a baking sheet ready for oven

Place all of the dipped shrimp on the prepared baking sheet. Spray the top of the shrimp lightly with cooking spray. Bake 10 minutes.

baked coconut shrimp on baking sheet just out of the oven

Then remove the shrimp from the oven and turn them all over. Bake for another 6 to 8 minutes- until golden brown and cooked through.

baked coconut shrimp with bowl of sauce

How to make coconut shrimp dipping sauce:

Combine 1/2 cup orange marmalade with 2 tablespoons of Dijon mustard and 1 teaspoon of prepared horseradish. Whisk all of that together, place in a bowl, and use as a dipping sauce for the baked coconut shrimp.

dipping coconut shrimp into sauce

Make some baked coconut shrimp today or for your next small gathering of friends. Sometimes I even make it to eat as a main dish for dinner. Since the shrimp is dipped in coconut milk AND shredded coconut, it has double the awesome coconut flavor. The sauce is so good too. Enjoy!

Fun facts about Shrimp:

  • Americans eat 1 billion pounds of shrimp every year.
  • Shrimp is (by far) America’s favorite seafood. The average American eats 4 pounds of shrimp per year.
  • The coastal Gulf states (Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and west Florida) produce about 244 million pounds of shrimp per year.
  • In the southeastern U.S., shrimp trawling kills as many as 50,000 turtles every year. Poor turtles!
  • One medium shrimp has about 7 calories, and has 1 gram of protein.
  • Shrimp are full of selenium, which is believed to prevent tumor growth and lower the risks of many cancers. 
  • Traditional shrimp scampi is made with shrimp that are cooked in a garlic butter sauce and served over pasta noodles such as linguine or angel hair.
coconut shrimp in a bowl with sauce

Baked Coconut Shrimp

Yield: 6 servings
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 16 minutes
Total Time: 41 minutes

Totally delicious way to make coconut shrimp with a yummy dipping sauce!

Ingredients

SHRIMP:

  • 1/3 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 large egg
  • 2/3 cup coconut milk
  • 3/4 cup shredded, sweetened coconut
  • 3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • salt
  • 24 medium shrimp
  • cooking spray

DIPPING SAUCE:

  • 1/2 cup orange marmalade
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish

Instructions

PREPARE THE SHRIMP:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or spray it with cooking spray.

Place the flour in a bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the egg and coconut milk. In a 3rd bowl, combine the coconut and panko.

Sprinkle the shrimp with salt. Hold the shrimp by the tail, dredge in flour and shake off the excess. Dip in the egg/coconut milk, shake to let the excess drip off, and then roll the shrimp in the coconut/panko mixture. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining shrimp. Spray the top of the coconut shrimp lightly with cooking spray.

Bake for 10 minutes, then remove the baking sheet from the oven. Turn all of the shrimp over, and then continue to bake for 6 to 8 minutes, until golden brown and cooked through.

PREPARE THE SAUCE:

While the shrimp is baking, prepare the sauce. Combine sauce ingredients in a small bowl. Serve baked coconut shrimp with the sauce for dipping.

Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 282Total Fat: 10gSaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 73mgSodium: 584mgCarbohydrates: 40gFiber: 2gSugar: 21gProtein: 9g

Nutritional information is figured using a nutrition calculator. It's not likely to be 100% accurate.

Mary Kelly

Thursday 30th of March 2023

The nutritional information is very confusing. The recipe calls for 24 shrimp but the nutritional information says Yield 6, Serving Size 1. I assume you mean 1 serving = 6 shrimp. Does that include the dipping sauce too?

Lori Lange

Thursday 20th of April 2023

There are 6 servings. Since there are 24 shrimp, one serving is 4 shrimp plus sauce.

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