This is another kid-friendly favorite I came up with as an alternative to the very unhealthy coconut shrimp recipes served in most restaurants. Because of the coconut and almond meal, coconut shrimp tends to be on the heavy side, so a little goes a long way.
SERVES 6
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound peeled, deveined extra-jumbo shrimp
1 cup macadamia nuts
1 cup shredded coconut, unsweetened (I like the coarse, long shredded coconut)
¼ cup coconut or almond flour
½ teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon garlic powder
2 eggs
3 to 4 tablespoons ghee or coconut oil for frying
OPTIONAL INGREDIENT:
½ teaspoon salt
pepper
PREPARATION:
1. Rinse shrimp and pat dry with paper towels.
2. Prepare two baking sheets. Line one baking sheet with parchment paper. Prepare second sheet with layers of paper towels to place shrimp on after cooking. The paper towels will absorb excess oil.
3. Place macadamia nuts in a food processor bowl. Grind until nuts are chopped, but not to the consistency of flour or meal; mixture should remain coarse. (If you overmix, the natural oils will emerge and the mixture will begin to clump.) Once nuts are finely chopped, place them in a wide, shallow bowl and mix in coconut. Blend well.
4. In a second wide, shallow bowl, mix coconut flour, onion powder, and garlic powder.
5. In third bowl, whisk eggs thoroughly.
6. Line bowls up: coconut flour mixture first, egg, then the macadamia mixture. One at a time, place each shrimp in coconut flour, lightly coating on all sides. Next, dip shrimp in egg, lightly covering all sides. Add additional egg if necessary. Finally, roll in ground macadamia mixture and place on baking sheet with parchment paper. Do this until all the shrimp are rolled in macadamia nuts and lined up on the parchment paper.
7. In large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil or ghee over medium heat. When oil is hot, place shrimp in skillet and cook for approximately 1 minute on each side. Change oil as necessary if solids collect in pan. Turn, making sure to cook evenly on both sides. Turn again. Shrimp should cook for approximately 1½ to 2 minutes per side or until golden brown. The smaller the shrimp, the faster they will cook.
8. Remove shrimp and place on paper towel–lined baking sheet to absorb excess oil. Salt and pepper as desired. Allow to cool for a couple of minutes before serving to children, as the oil gets very hot.
9. Serve this dish with Zesty Aioli Dip.
NOTE: For a baked variation of this recipe, preheat oven to 350 degrees F and bake for about two to three minutes on each side. Sometimes I will turn the oven to low broil for just a minute to give it a crispy texture.
NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION PER SERVING: 394.0 calories, 11.0g protein, 14.1g carbohydrates, 3.8g fiber, 1.7g sugar, 35.0g fat, 10.7g saturated fat, 110.4mg cholesterol, 190.3mg sodium