Baked Coconut Shrimp

Why This Recipe Works

Great as an app or an entree — I love, love, love appetizers. I could (and have) make a whole meal of them. There’s nothing wrong with a little nibble here, a little nibble there, until, before you know it, you’ve eaten the same amount of appetizers as you would have an entire entree (okay maybe more). The best thing about this coconut shrimp recipe is that you can serve it for either an app or an entree or heck, why not both?

Crowd-pleaser — I mentioned this works as an app or an entree but either way, it’s a real hit no matter when you make it or how you serve it. I’ve not met one single person who hasn’t gone ga ga over this healthy baked shrimp dish. Also? You will not have a single shrimp left once you put these out so be sure to grab some for yourself or you’ll be out of luck! 

Easy to make —  Total time for preparing and baking? 25 minutes! Yep, that’s it! You can have this shrimp a half hour from now (I added 5 minutes for you to walk to the fridge and get everything ready). Make it once and you’ll wonder what took you so long!

Ingredients

• Large shrimp — I like to use large shrimp because they hold up well in the oven and also have more area space for all that delicious sauce and coconut. 
• Eggs — Eggs help to hold the coconut on to the shrimp. They also make for a nice glazing effect after baking. 
• Water — Mix water with the egg so that it doesn’t get too clumpy when adding coconut/baking. 
• Flour — Flour sticks to the shrimp in the initial dredge along with the spices. This gives the crispy baked shrimp a “base” on which to add the egg and coconut. 
• Chili powder and garlic powder — Two yummy spices that go together well, chili powder and garlic powder are key ingredients in this coconut shrimp recipe. Use any brand that you have. Nothing special to worry about here. 
• Salt and black pepper — Salt and freshly ground black pepper are my preferences, but regular, ground black pepper works too. 
• Shredded coconut flakes  — Of course you need shredded coconut flakes to make this oven baked coconut shrimp. I prefer the thinner, flakier shredded coconut over the thicker bits. 

Here’s How You Make It

1. First, turn your oven up to 425 degrees to preheat. (not pictured)
2. Next, get out a baking pan or casserole dish and grease it. (not pictured)
3. In a bowl, whisk together eggs and water. Then, in another bowl, whisk together the flour and all the spices. In a third bowl, add the coconut. (photo 1)
4. Take the shrimp, and dip them one in a time, first into the flour, then into the egg wash, then finally into the coconut flakes, making sure to coat as much of the shrimp with coconut as possible. (photo 2)
5. Arrange the shrimp on your greased dish or pan one at a time, till they’re all done. (photo 3)
6. Finally, pop the shrimp into the oven to bake for 10-15 minutes or until the coconut begins to brown. (photo 4)
7. Garnish the shrimp with cilantro if you like and serve with the sweet and sour for dipping.

Expert Tips & Tricks

• The shrimp should be peeled and deveined but tails left on. You can either use uncooked shrimp (gray) or cooked shrimp (pink). If you use uncooked shrimp, they should turn pink by the time they are done cooking. 
• This baked shrimp recipe serves about 3 as a main dish or 6 as an appetizer, but it’s simple to double or even triple if you are feeding a crowd.
• If (big if) you have any leftover coconut shrimp, you can refrigerate them for up to 3 days. They’re just not going to be as tasty or crispy as the first day you made them after you reheat them but they will still taste good. 
• Be sure not to overcook the shrimp. They don’t take more than 15 minutes to cook at maximum — and that’s if you’re using large shrimp. If your shrimp are on the smaller side, check them at the 10-minute mark.