Coconut Shrimp with Creamy Mango Dipping Sauce

So, remember last post when I bought a pound of shredded coconut? Well, I wasn't sure how long coconut lasts before it goes bad, so I just decided to try and use as much of it as possible as soon as possible. Thus, coconut shrimp!

When I'm dining out, I always order this as an appetizer if it's on the menu (and if it's relatively affordable). I have not, however, attempted to make this delightful food until this past weekend. It turned out truly superb, but I do have a word of advice. DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT purchase shrimp that hasn't been shelled and/or deveined!!! I thought I would save myself $5 and buy the cheaper uncooked bag of shrimp, not realizing that it wasn't cheaper because it was uncooked, but because it would take about 2 and a half hours to shell and devein 2 pounds of shrimp by myself. 

Normally prep time doesn't bother me, nor do fish guts (I used to gut and prep the squid at my parent's Greek deli as one of my many childhood past times), but something about pulling a tube of feces out of a tiny grey creature that, when its tiny claw-arms are attached, bears strong resemblance to a blossoming human fetus really puts a lid on my appetite. So please, unless you've done the whole shrimp-cleaning thing before and it doesn't bother you, save yourself the displeasure and buy it shelled and deveined.



That being said, the tangy mango dipping sauce is a fantastic pairing for the sweet crunchy coconut! It's really easy to make too, as long as you have some sort of blending appliance on hand. And I hope that my previous paragraph doesn't dissuade you from trying this out, it's really quite easy to make once the shrimp is in prime cooking condition. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Creamy Mango Dipping Sauce

2 Large Ripe Mangoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes

2/3 Cup Whipping Cream

1/4 Cup Fresh Mint, minced

2 Heaping Tablespoons Honey

2 Tablespoons Vinegar

Juice from 2 Limes 

1 Teaspoon Chili Powder

Coconut Shrimp

2 lbs Medium-Sized Shrimp, shelled, deveined, washed and patted dry, but with tails attached

1 and 3/4 Cups Flour

1 and 1/4 Cups Seltzer Water, plus more as necessary

1 Cup Honey

2 Tablespoons Soy Sauce

3 Tablespoons Hot Chili Paste, also known as Sambal

2 Teaspoons Salt

1 Teaspoon Pepper

5 Cups Flaked Coconut

3 Quarts Vegetable Oil, for frying

For the mango dipping sauce, place the mangoes, whipping cream, mint, honey, lime juice, and chili powder into a blender or food processor. Turn on and blend at medium-high power until the mixture reaches a smooth consistency. Turn off the blender and add the vinegar. Turn on the blender again and let it run for one minute, or until the dipping sauce is completely smooth and there are no chunks of mango left. Pour the mixture into a serving bowl, cover and refrigerate.

For the coconut shrimp, mix the flour, salt and pepper to together in a large bowl. Add the seltzer water, honey, soy sauce, hot chili paste and mix until it becomes a smooth batter, adding more seltzer water if needed to reach ideal coating consistency.

Begin heating the vegetable oil until it reaches about 350 degrees Fahrenheit on a deep-fate thermometer.  In the meantime, set up your frying assembly line. Place a large platter to the side of the fryer. Place the coconut flakes in a large bowl to the side of the large empty platter. Place the batter on the side of the coconut flakes, and place the raw shrimp on the side of the batter. Then, set a large platter on the opposite side of the fryer and place a few paper towel sheets on top of the platter to help absorb excess oil dripping off of the shrimp. Now you are almost ready to fry.

Take a shrimp by it's tail and dip it into the batter, then shake it gently for a few seconds, allowing excess batter to drip off. Take the battered shrimp and roll it gently in the flaked coconut until it is generously covered. Place it on the large empty platter. Continue this process until all of the shrimps are battered and covered in coconut. Once that is accomplished, place about 5-8 shrimp in the fryer at a time, (depending on the size of your fryer), and cook for about 4 minutes. Then, use a slatted spoon to remove the shrimp, one at a time, and place them on the large platter with the paper towel on it.

Once all of the shrimp have been fried, move them onto a large clean platter. Serve them hot with the creamy mango dipping sauce on the side.