Sweet, crispy and delightful, my coconut shrimp are baked, not fried to give you that texture you want in a healthier format. {Gluten-Free}
Shrimp are one of my favorite things to eat. In just about every seafood restaurant I’ve ever seen, there are coconut shrimp dishes on the menu. So I thought, why not make my own? You can do it too!
I’m sure you’re probably giving me the side-eye, and I know why. I’ve been there before too, where I’ve tried to get that crispy fried texture by baking only to have messy blobs of coating fall off my food. Or worse, burnt coating and raw meat. Yuck! But thanks to experimenting, I have secrets for ensuring your success with this coconut shrimp recipe that I’m going to share with you. It’s fail-proof!
Cooking notes
Here are two secrets to create the most crispy baked coconut shrimp.
1. Use panko breadcrumbs
I like to use Japanese panko breadcrumbs. What’s the difference between them and regular breadcrumbs? Panko is made from bread without crust. It also lends a crispier texture to anything you make which is why I prefer it, however if you have regular breadcrumbs, you can use them instead.
2. Bake the breadcrumbs first
What does baking the breadcrumbs do for you? It gets them a nice golden color and gives them that crispy texture so you won’t burn them while trying to cook your coconut shrimp. It’s a purely brilliant plan if I do say so myself. This gives it that fried-like texture without frying.
3. Easy workflow
You’ll want to set up a station to make your workflow easier. Once the breadcrumbs have been browned, you’ll want to mix them with your coconut shreds, ensuring an even distribution. You’ll also want to put the batter in another bowl. You’ll have 3 bowls in total that you should arrange around your parchment paper-lined baking sheet.
But before you start dipping and dunking, I have another tip for you on how to avoid creating a horrible mess in your kitchen. Typically, this sort of thing leads to caked up fingers. That’s always the time your mom calls too, at least mine does, so keeping your fingers free of coating is always a bonus in my book. The secret to my success here is to mix the shrimp into the batter, then pick it up with your left hand and put into the breadcrumbs. Then, use your right hand to coat it with the coconut-breadcrumb mixture and place onto your baking tray.
By doing this, you get extra crispy coating with juicy shrimp in my coconut shrimp recipe. It’s fast and easy and once you get into a rhythm, and you’ll see it’s perfect for any night of the week.
More Asian appetizer recipes
- Cheesy Shrimp Baked Spring Rolls
- Thai Fish Cakes (Tod Mun Pla)
- Baked Crispy Tofu Nugget
- Honey Soy Oven Baked Chicken Wings
- Salt and Pepper Squid
If you give this recipe a try, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it (once you’ve tried it), and take a picture and tag it @omnivorescookbook on Instagram! I’d love to see what you come up with.
Crispy Baked Coconut Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 lb (450 g) shrimp, peeled and deveined
Coating 1
- 2 eggs , beaten
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
Coating 2
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
Serve
- Homemade Thai sweet chili sauce (or store-bought sweet chili sauce)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F (200C).
- Spread panko on a baking tray into an even layer. Carefully spray with oil by holding the spray vertically. Bake for 2 minutes. Shake the tray and bake for another 1 to 2 minutes, until panko is light golden. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Prepare two bowls. Add all the “coating 1” ingredients into the first bowl and mix well.
- Add the “coating 2” ingredients into the second bowl and mix well.
- Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
- Hold the shrimp by the tail and dip it in the “coating 1” mixture, then place the battered shrimp into the “coating 2” bowl. Use your other hand to sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture on top to coat well. Carefully place it onto the lined baking tray. Finish up all the shrimp in the same way and place them at least 1 finger’s width apart.
- Spray a thin layer of oil on top.
- Bake until the coconut turns golden and the shrimp are cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes depending on the size of the shrimp.
- Serve hot with Thai sweet chili sauce.
Such great tips on making this Maggie! I do love baked dishes just because they are easier than frying, but do tend to make a huge mess. I’ve got to try your method!
Delish! I will be making these soon!
Maggie, baking the panko (breadcrumbs) first is brilliant. I’ve been a fan of your work for years. Hope you take time for an occasional, Austin (Franklin’s & other’s) BBQ crawl. Thank you kindly for listing “SWEETENED” coconut in your recipe. I can imagine how GBD the sweetened, oil-rich coconut flakes become after baking. 謝謝
What a great recipe. Have tried various oven baked coconut shrimp with no success. These are great. I have to admit I only had unsweetened coconut and added some sugar to the coconut mixture. Still worked and less sweet. I’ll try the sweetened coconut flakes next time.
Thank you!
Oh one more comment. I am always afraid or running out of the egg mixture before I run out of shrimp so I just dumped all the shrimp in and mixed them up til all coated. Then pulled them out one at a time to coat. Worked pretty well.
What size shrimp would be best for this recipe?
Medium to medium large shrimps are the best. Just avoid the very small ones which dry out too fast.