Breaded coconut shrimp is undeniably one of the best seafood dishes to serve up for the party. It's simple, fast, and can go with a number of dipping sauces; some with recipes that are just as convenient. One fine example is Lebanese garlic sauce which goes especially well with this dish. Today's recipe will provide the standards for bringing these two foods together without much hassle. Just follow along and you'll be minutes away from having a superb shrimp dish. Or you could try out shrimp fettuccine instead!

The recipe

Sauce ingredients

  • 3 garlic heads
  • 4 cups canola oil
  • 1 lemon for juice
  • 1 tsp salt

Shrimp ingredients

  • 1 1/2 lb jumbo shrimp (with tails), peeled, de-veined
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp white pepper
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup breadcrumbs
  • 2 cups shredded coconut, unsweetened
  • Vegetable oil for deep-frying shrimp

The directions

Sauce directions

  1. Combine the garlic and salt in a food processor. Stop and scrape down the minced garlic. Turn on and mince again. Repeat this process until garlic becomes mushy.
  2. Turn the food processor back on and while the garlic minces, gradually add 1/2 of the canola oil.
  3. When the garlic begins to turn into a paste, add 1/2 teaspoon of the lemon juice to the food processor. Once the lemon juice is fully incorporated, add another 1/2 oil to the paste. Repeat this process until everything is incorporated. If the emulsion breaks (forming a liquid), add some ice water.
  4. Transfer the Lebanese garlic sauce to a medium sauce bowl and set aside for shrimp.

Shrimp directions

  1. Fill a deep fryer to 2 cm with the vegetable oil and preheat to 176ºC.
  2. Butterfly each shrimp by using a sharp knife to cut them more than halfway through starting just below the tail. Do not cut in two. Carefully open up the shrimp.
  3. Combine the flour, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Beat the eggs in another bowl. Combine the bread crumbs and shredded coconut in another bowl.
  4. Dredge the shrimp in the flour and shake off the excess. Then dip the shrimp completely in the beaten eggs. Follow up by dipping the shrimp into the breadcrumbs/coconut mix, turning them around to fully coat them. You could also try out the coconut and rum creme brulee recipe.
  5. Deep fry the shrimp in the boiling vegetable oil for 2 minutes or until they turn golden brown and crispy. If the vegetable oil is too hot, add cold oil or turn off the heat to reduce the temperature.
  6. Using a large spoon to transfer the breaded coconut shrimp to a basket or baking sheet lined with paper towels to dry.
  7. Serve hot with the dipping sauce.

Serves: 6
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