Crispy Baked Coconut Shrimp (with Piña Colada Dipping Sauce)
An easy baked version of your favorite restaurant app.
Anytime you see Coconut Shrimp on the menu, it’s a must order. I mean, the slightly sweet crispy bite of fried coconut and succulent shrimp? Heaven. But what if you could make those same shrimp at home? And what if you didn’t have to fry a thing? You’d be making them all the time, right? Well, go ahead and do just that because we’ve got an easy baked version for you that turns out crispy delicious shrimp every time. (And it happens to come with a pineapple-coconut piña colada sauce that makes for excellent dipping.)
There are plenty of indulgent fried foods we all love and it always feels like a major win when you can recreate one in a healthier baked version that lets you enjoy it more often. (And that’s exactly what I plan to do with this shrimp – enjoy it very often!)
The key is a three-step dredging process that really helps the coating stick to the shrimp. First, you’re dredging the shrimp in seasoned flour, then dipping them in beaten egg, then finally in a mixture of shrimp and breadcrumbs.
You lay the shrimp out on a baking sheet and spray them lightly with cooking oil to encourage browning. The combination of breadcrumbs and coconut helps them get nice and crispy.
And while they bake, you whisk up the dipping sauce which is just a combination of cream of coconut, sour cream, pineapple juice, and a touch of lime juice. It’s the perfect sweet and creamy tropical combination for dipping to your heart’s delight.
This takes about twenty minutes from start to finish, and there’s no oil to heat up (or clean up, for that matter) which means it’s a totally accessible and reasonably healthy option. It’s a great appetizer, for sure, but it’s definitely delicious enough to act as the star of your meal!
Crispy Baked Coconut Shrimp
For the shrimp:
- 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails on or off
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon milk
- 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1/2 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the dipping sauce:
- 3 tablespoons cream of coconut
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/3 cup crushed pineapple, drained, but reserve juice
- 1-2 tablespoons reserved pineapple juice
- Juice from one lime
- Kosher salt, to taste
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 425°F and liberally grease a baking sheet with oil. Set aside.
- In a shallow bowl, beat eggs. Set aside.
- In a separate shallow bowl, combine breadcrumbs and coconut. Set aside.
- In a third shallow bowl, combine flour, paprika, and salt and pepper. Set aside.
- Dip shrimp in flour, then egg, letting excess drip off, then in coconut mixture, pressing it in to help it stick.
- Place shrimp on baking sheet in a single layer, not touching. Spray lightly with nonstick cooking spray or drizzle with oil. Bake until golden brown and cooked through, about 10 minutes.
- While shrimp bake, make the sauce:
- In a medium bowl, stir together cream of coconut, sour cream, crushed pineapple, lime juice, and 1 tablespoon of pineapple juice. Season with salt, and add more pineapple juice as needed. Chill until ready to use.
- Serve, and enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Gimme Delicious.