Coconut Shrimp

The one thing that my husband makes that may, in fact, match the awesomeness of the Best Buffalo Wings Ever, is coconut shrimp. He made these for the second time last weekend and I think my mom put it best when she said, "why would you go to a restaurant?" The first time he used an actual coconut and opened it with a hammer and carefully shredded all the meat from inside. But we found that the packaged coconut is way easier and is sweetened, so it gives the shrimp an extra little sweetness.



He used Alton Brown's recipe, here:

24 large (15 to 20 count) shrimp, peeled, deviened, and butterflied
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground white pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 egg whites
2 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut, or 2 1/2 cups shredded fresh coconut
Canola or peanut oil, for frying
Pat the shrimp dry with a paper towel. In a small bowl combine cornstarch, salt, pepper, and cayenne. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until foamy. In another bowl, place the coconut. Coat the shrimp with the cornstarch and shake off any excess. Dip into the egg white and then press into the coconut to get full coverage. Try to keep 1 hand dry, this will keep things a little cleaner.
In a large pan, heat the oil to 350 degrees F and gently submerge the shrimp, 6 at a time. Fry for about 3 minutes or until golden brown. Remove them to a rack to drain.


The recipe also lists a peanut sauce for dipping. I am sure that it would be a wonderful and delicious accoutrement to the shrimp, but it has far too many ingredients fro me to feel like trying it. I scanned down the list and came to fish sauce. And while I'm not opposed to cooking with fish sauce, I really don't want to buy fish sauce. Let's say it costs $3. I'm not paying $3 for a jar of something that smells like fish, out of which we will scoop one teaspoon, and that will presumably sit in my fridge for a year until I decide to throw it out. So, we served the shrimp with a jar of hot mango chutney.