Coconut Shrimp

This recipe combines three of my favourite tastes: shrimp, coconut, and beer. It's also deep fried! Doesn't everything taste better out of a deep frier? Of all the apps I served at the Super Bowl, this one got the most popular feedback. It's a bit time-consuming but totally worth it! I found that there is way more batter than it takes to make 24 shrimp - thankfully I had extra shrimp and coconut on hand - I was able to make about 45 shrimp with the same batter amounts.

Ingredients:

1 egg
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup beer
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups flaked coconut (sweetened or unsweetened depending on your taste)
24 cooked shrimp
3 cups oil for frying

Directions:
 
In medium bowl, combine egg, 1/2 cup flour, beer and baking powder. Place 1/4 cup flour in a bowl, and coconut on a plate. 
 
Hold shrimp by tail, and dredge in flour, shaking off excess flour. Dip in egg/beer batter; give it a little shake to get the excess batter off or you'll ruin some of your coconut. Roll shrimp in coconut until it's fully coated, and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

Meanwhile, heat oil to 350 degrees F in a deep-fryer or a cast iron frying pan.

Fry shrimp in batches (as many as will fit neatly in the pan).  Cook, turning once, for 3-4 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove shrimp to paper towels to drain and remove excess oil. 

These taste the absolute best when they're still hot out of the frier - typical of fried food. However the flavour is so good, they still taste great after sitting for a while! I made a batch last month and drive them for over an hour out to a baby shower in another city, and they were still a big hit :) I served them with a trio of sauces; classic seafood sauce, spicy plum sauce, and.....


Orange Honey-Mustard Dipping Sauce

I am not a big mustard fan but I make an exception for honey mustard. This one has orange flavour in it as well which cuts through the sharp mustard taste. As always - feel free to adjust the amount of pepper according to taste!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup orange marmalade
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp hot pepper sauce

Directions:

Mix together and serve! There is no trick to this sauce. The recipe makes way more than you need for the amount of shrimp above, but it keeps great refrigerated!