I have to admit, I’m a seafood snob. When I decide to cook any seafood, I go to the most reputable seafood market in town. I don’t cook it that often, but when I do I want it to be as fresh as possible. And it is usually about the same price as what you can find at the grocery store.

“I don’t mess around when it comes to purchasing seafood—a business that relies solely on it to survive is your best bet.”

For this impressive recipe, you will need the large size shrimp, 16 to 20 count per pound. The tails remain attached for easy dipping. It takes only a few minutes to devein and butterfly this larger size shrimp. If you can find this size deveined with tail in tact, all the better, but it really is quick for this amount.

“Don’t be afraid to fry.”

“I’d rather have 2 to 3 fried ones than 6 baked!”

I’ve never felt more like an accomplished, professional fryer until I made this recipe. It worked. I know frying can be intimidating to attempt when you have a house full of guests, or when trying it for the first time, but trust me, once the shrimp are breaded, it takes only about 5 minutes to fry the entire batch!

I can’t think of a more delicious appetizer or main course—that’s relatively inexpensive. The dipping sauce is two ingredients. Yes, I said two!

“I can’t do a cheese plate for under 50 bucks!”

Take this to your next gathering, or cook it whenever you are hosting. They will be gobbled up, I promise. So let’s get started!

“I love a recipe with the WOW factor.”

Super Crunch Coconut Shrimp

Makes 16 to 20 shrimp

1 pound large shrimp, 16 to 20 count, peeled and deveined, tails attached

½ cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

2 eggs

1 cup sweetened coconut

¾ cup Panko breadcrumbs

½ cup orange marmalade

¼ cup Thai chili sauce

3 to 4 cups vegetable oil

Lime wedges, optional

With a paring knife, butterfly the peeled shrimp. (Learn from Leslie: This is basically making a deeper cut, without going completely through the shrimp, during the deveining process. This flattens them out, or to be more technical, it’s called butterflying. This allows more surface for the breading to stick.)

Combine flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl. Combine well; set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk eggs with a fork or a whisk, beating well; set aside.

In a food processor, pulse the coconut several times to make the pieces smaller. (I use my mini-chopper for this.) Combine the pulsed coconut with the Panko in a third bowl. Now you are ready to start the breading process.

Dip prepared shrimp into flour mixture, then eggs, allowing any excess to drip off before dipping it into coconut mixture. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper. Repeat with remaining shrimp.

Combine marmalade and chili sauce in a small bowl for dipping.

“There is no need for ‘designer’ jelly. Any kind will do. I actually found the marmalade on special at the Piggly Wiggly for $1.95.”

Now here comes the fun! In a large cast-iron or heavy skillet, fill oil to about 1/2-inch depth. Heat to medium-high heat. (I test with a flake of coconut—if it “sizzles” with gusto (you are ready to start frying).

Fry 4 to 5 at a time, for about 1 minute, turning once. Remove shrimp and place on a paper towel to drain. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Repeat until all shrimp are cooked. Serve with dipping sauce. Garnish with lime wedges if desired.

Drum roll…

Now here’s the good news. After you have fried the shrimp you can refrigerate them for several hours or up to 12 hours, and then simply reheat on a baking sheet at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. No one will even notice that they are not hot out of the oil. (I tested it and was amazingly surprised!)

So the frying and cleanup can be done before your guests arrive if you prefer. Either way you will be the appetizer super hero!    

Leslie Byars Register

Yields 16-20 pieces of Shrimp

Super Crunch Coconut Shrimp

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Ingredients

• 1 pound large shrimp, 16 to 20 count, peeled and deveined, tails attached
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sweetened coconut
• ¾ cup Panko breadcrumbs
• ½ cup orange marmalade
• ¼ cup Thai chili sauce
• 3 to 4 cups vegetable oil
• Lime wedges, optional

Instructions

1. With a paring knife, butterfly the peeled shrimp. (Learn from Leslie: This is basically making a deeper cut, without going completely through the shrimp, during the deveining process. This flattens them out, or to be more technical, it's called butterflying. This allows more surface for the breading to stick.)
2. Combine flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow bowl. Combine well; set aside.
3. In a small bowl, whisk eggs with a fork or a whisk, beating well; set aside.
4. In a food processor, pulse the coconut several times to make the pieces smaller. (I use my mini-chopper for this.) Combine the pulsed coconut with the Panko in a third bowl. Now you are ready to start the breading process.
5. Dip prepared shrimp into flour mixture, then eggs, allowing any excess to drip off before dipping it into coconut mixture. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper. Repeat with remaining shrimp.
6. Combine marmalade and chili sauce in a small bowl for dipping.
7. Now here comes the fun! In a large cast-iron or heavy skillet, fill oil to about 1/2-inch depth. Heat to medium-high heat. (I test with a flake of coconut—if it "sizzles" with gusto (you are ready to start frying).
8. Fry 4 to 5 at a time, for about 1 minute, turning once. Remove shrimp and place on a paper towel to drain. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Repeat until all shrimp are cooked. Serve with dipping sauce. Garnish with lime wedges if desired.

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