Nutty and sweet coconut shrimp is a delightful way to enjoy shellfish. It works equally well with store-bought frozen shrimp and ultra-fresh-caught specimens. But making it at home can be a challenge, especially if you’re craving coconut shrimp on a weeknight. To get the dish on the table in less than 30 minutes, you’ll want to take a few shortcuts. Is it cheating? Maybe. Is it delicious? Definitely.
Skip frying — sweet chili sauce makes easy coconut shrimp with less oil
It’s true that deep frying is a great method for producing evenly browned, ultra-crispy coconut shrimp, but it isn’t practical for a weeknight recipe. You need time to heat the oil, then properly cool and dispose of it. Deep frying is a special-occasion technique, not a Wednesday-night staple.
Instead, saute the shrimp in Thai sweet chili sauce. It’s a typical dipping sauce for coconut shrimp, and adding it to a warm skillet helps draw the flavor deeper into the shrimp itself. Plus, its sticky texture helps ensure the crispy coconut topping stays on the shrimp.
Turn the coconut breading mixture into a crunchy topping
The most challenging part of frying coconut shrimp is creating a coconut-based breading that properly sticks to the shrimp and browns without burning. Once you take deep frying out of the picture, you no longer have to worry about the crunchy topping adhering — simply cook it separately.
Cook equal amounts of panko and unsweetened shredded coconut until golden brown. Let the mixture cool, and it’ll form a perfectly crisp topping for the cooked shrimp. You’ll get all of the flavor and texture of traditional coconut shrimp with far less effort.
Add flavor by cooking in toasted sesame oil
Instead of cooking the shrimp and the crunchy topping in a neutral oil, swap in toasted sesame oil. This oil will bring another layer of flavor complexity to the shrimp, complementing the sweet heat of the chili sauce and bringing out the nuttiness of the coconut. Be sure to cook over a moderate medium heat to prevent the oil from smoking.
Cheater Coconut Shrimp
- 1 pound peeled and deveined large shrimp, thawed if frozen
- 1¼ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 3 tablespoons toasted sesame oil, divided
- ¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- ¼ cup panko
- ¼ cup Thai sweet chili sauce
- 1 lime
- Thoroughly dry the shrimp with paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. Transfer to a medium bowl and season with 1 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon sesame oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the coconut and panko. Cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown, 3-5 minutes. Stir in the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt, then transfer to a small bowl. Carefully wipe out the skillet with a clean towel.
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons sesame oil and return the skillet to medium heat. Add the shrimp and cook on one side until just starting to curl, 1-2 minutes. Add the chili sauce and continue to cook, stirring, until shrimp are cooked through, 1-2 minutes. Remove skillet from the heat.
- Zest the lime over the shrimp, then cut the lime in half and squeeze one half over the shrimp. Stir to combine. Slice the second half of the lime into wedges.
- Transfer the shrimp to a serving platter and top with the coconut-panko mixture. Serve immediately with the lime wedges on the side.
Serves 4.
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