More Easy Cooking: How to Make Coconut Shrimp

Shrimp are a great go-to when cooking quickly is the goal. For example, one of my favorite—and easiest—shrimp dishes entails browning some sliced garlic in butter or olive oil, adding shrimp to the pan, turning off the heat when the shrimp are 70 percent cooked, and then adding chopped parsley, fresh lemon juice, unrefined sea salt and fresh ground pepper. This takes less than 10 minutes.

Another straightforward shrimp dish is coconut shrimp, which I made last night. It's also a dish that kids can help prepare.

First, combine some shredded coconut and bread crumbs (panko, Japanese bread crumbs, work well) in a shallow bowl. (The ratio depends on how much you like coconut!) Mix an egg in another bowl. Peel the shrimp. Dip the shrimp in the egg and then coat with the coconut-bread crumb mixture. Set on a plate big enough for all of your shrimp.

After coating is complete, heat olive oil and/or butter and/or coconut oil in a pan (enough to coat the pan). Add shrimp, be patient and let first side brown. Turn and let second side brown. Remove to paper towel-lined plate, sprinkle with unrefined sea salt and fresh lime juice. That's it.

For complementary flavor I made an orange dipping sauce using orange fruit spread that I thinned out with some water and lemon juice. (It would have been too thick for dipping without the added liquid.)

If possible, buy wild shrimp, which far exceed farmed shrimp in flavor and nutrition. In addition, the growing conditions on most fish farms are less than ideal.

Any questions? Leave a comment and I'll reply.