Oven Baked Coconut Shrimp with Mango Sauce is an easy recipe to make with fresh Key West Pink Shrimp. I've added Mango Dipping Sauce that is seasoned with fresh lemon juice and basil leaves and makes a terrific, sweet dip to go with the shrimp.
This shrimp recipe comes from Bob's Red Mill. It is perfect for gluten-free, Paleo, and Kaufmann diets.
Baked coconut shrimp is one of my favorite seafood dishes. I love the sweet flavors, and the shrimp always seem to be cooked perfectly. Because I'm in Key Largo, I make this dish using fresh shrimp from Key West. Shrimp from the Keys is wild-caught and always incredibly fresh.
Table of contents
- What You Need To Make Coconut Shrimp
- How to Defrost Frozen Shrimp
- What are the Best Coconut Flakes to Use?
- How To Make Coconut Shrimp
- What's The Fastest Way To Cook Coconut Shrimp?
- For The Mango Dipping Sauce
- What Kind of Mangoes Should I Use?
- Ingredients for The Mango Dipping Sauce
- What Goes with Coconut Shrimp?
- Try These Shrimp Recipes Too!
What You Need To Make Coconut Shrimp
- Large or XL uncooked shrimp (15 to 20/pound), defrosted, peeled and deveined, leaving the tail intact.
- Unsweetened coconut or rice Flour
- Unsweetened coconut flakes (Bob's Red Mill Coconut Flakes are best)
- Eggs
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Paprika
- Salt
- Pepper
How to Defrost Frozen Shrimp
If you put a bag of frozen shrimp in the fridge in the morning, when you go to make dinner, it will be defrosted, or close to it. Of course, but life isn't always that easy and many dinners are really just tossed together when you're hungry.
To defrost shrimp for the last minute procrastinating cook, pull out a big mixing bowl. Pour the shrimp in and fill with cold water. Change the water every 10 minutes. It should take about 30 minutes for 2 pounds of shrimp. If you use warmer water, the little delicate shrimp are going to get a little cooked. You don't want that.
What are the Best Coconut Flakes to Use?
I've made this recipe many times. The first time I made it, I used rice flour instead of coconut flour and the difference was hardly detectable.
The coconut flakes are a different story. Bob's Red Mill's Unsweetened Coconut Flakes are really much better than the others! I tried this with two other brands and the results didn't come close. The flakes are big and it's always sweet. Bob's is a little more money but consistently yields significant results.
Large flakes are important to get extra crunch with this recipe and Bob's Red Mill's Coconut Flakes delivers every time!
For coconut, use what you have. Keep in mind many brands of coconut flakes, or shredded coconut, have preservatives in them as well as added sugar. This dish has a sweet mango sauce for dipping the shrimp and the added sugar in the coconut will go unmissed. Keep it healthy!
How To Make Coconut Shrimp
1) Using three bowls, mix the coconut or rice flour with the onion powder, garlic powder, and paprika in one bowl. Beat the eggs in a second bowl. Place the coconut flakes in the third bowl.
2) Holding the shrimp by the tail, dip each one in coconut flour mixture, completely coating it, then dip in eggs, and finally, press into the coconut so each shrimp is coated all over. Place each shrimp on a baking sheet fitted with a wire rack.
3) Place the pan in a preheated 400 degree F oven for 7-10 minutes. Cooking time will vary with the size of the shrimp you've used and your oven. Check at 7 minutes. When they look golden brown, remove from the oven, and let them cool for a minute.
What's The Fastest Way To Cook Coconut Shrimp?
In a rush to get dinner on the table? You can pan-fry the shrimp in minutes! Heat 3 tablespoons of neutral oil in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add shrimp and pan fry until golden brown, about two minutes total.
For The Mango Dipping Sauce
First, we have to dice a mango. Do you know how to dice a mango? I didn't either until I moved to Key Largo. My family used to eat them back in New York because my mom, who is originally from Havana, loves them! When I moved down to The Keys, I quickly learned that she was cutting them the wrong way. Sorry, mom!
It might take a few mangoes to get the hang of this, but it's easy.
The mango has a characteristic oblong shape. There is a large flat oblong pit in the center of each mango. Leaving the skin on, slice the flesh off the two sides of the pit with a sharp knife. Then, holding the mango "cheek" in your hand, gently score the flesh (without cutting through to the skin) vertically, then horizontally, creating a diced pattern.
Next, gently fold the whole thing backward and run your knife between the skin and the mango flesh. Now you have a diced mango!
What Kind of Mangoes Should I Use?
Use the freshest mango you can find! A ripe mango gives a bit when you squeeze it. They should have smooth skin without blemishes. Organic is always preferable.
We have two types of mangoes in the markets in Key Largo. The more popular mango is a Tommy Atkins Mango. "Tommy" Mangoes are available in all of our grocery stores and have a red-yellow, sometimes greenish exterior.
They usually come from Mexico, but they are also grown in Florida in the early summer. The other, Honey Mangoes, also known as Ataulfo Mangoes, are bright yellow and come from Mexico. They are small and have no fibers, making the flesh creamy and sweet.
If you have access to Honey Mangos, you will need two. One large red mango should yield a cup of mango cubes for this recipe. They are both good, but I prefer the Honey Mangoes.
Ingredients for The Mango Dipping Sauce
- 1 cup diced mango (from 1 to 2 mangoes)
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh basil leaves (about 10 leaves)
- ¼ teaspoon salt (or more to taste)
- 1 tablespoon pure monk fruit sweetener, honey, or cane sugar.
The sweetener is completely optional. I added some monk fruit, which is a natural sweetener. You can add some honey or a teaspoon or two of sugar would work as well.
Blend all ingredients together using an immersion blender or food processor. Chill until ready to use.
What Goes with Coconut Shrimp?
For an appetizer, serve Coconut Shrimp on a platter with the mango sauce, lemon wedges, and a few scattered basil leaves.
For a main course, Coconut Shrimp can be served with steamed rice tossed with butter and torn basil leaves, Tostones with Pink Sauce, or Roasted Cauliflower.
Try These Shrimp Recipes Too!
- Blackened Shrimp with Butter Sauce
- Florida Keys Shrimp Cocktail
- Key West Pink Shrimp Salad
- Peel and Eat Shrimp Recipe
Check out our Recipe Index for a full listing of all of our quick and easy meal ideas. Our recipes are made fresh with unprocessed ingredients with your good health in mind.
Baked Coconut Shrimp with Mango Sauce
Ingredients
FOR THE MANGO DIPPING SAUCE
- 1 cup diced mangoes from 1 or 2 mangoes
- juice of 1 lemon
- 10 fresh basil leaves chopped
- 1 tablespoon pure monk fruit sweetener you can substitute honey or the sweetener of your choice
- ¼ teaspoon salt (try Redmond's Real Salt)
FOR THE COCONUT SHRIMP
- 1 pound large or extra-large raw shrimp peeled, with tails left on, and deveined
- cooking oil spray
- ¼ cup coconut flour or rice flour
- 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes I like Bob's Red Mill
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¾ teaspoon salt (try Redmond's Real Salt)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 lemons sliced into wedges for serving
Instructions
FOR THE MANGO DIPPING SAUCE
- Combine the sauce ingredients in a food processor or immersion blender and pulse until smooth. Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Chill until ready to servel
FOR THE COCONUT SHRIMP
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Place a wire cooking rack on a parchment lined baking sheet; lightly spray rack with cooking oil.
- Devein the shrimp by making a shallow incision down the back of each one with a paring knife. Grab the vein with a tip of a knife and remove.
- Rinse shrimp and pat dry with a paper towel. Set shrimp aside.1 pound large or extra-large raw shrimp
- Using three separate shallow bowls, place coconut or rice flour in one bowl, shredded coconut in another, and beaten eggs in the third.¼ cup coconut flour, 1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, 2 large eggs
- Season the coconut flour with garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, and pepper. Stir well.½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ¼ teaspoon paprika, ¾ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- Holding the tail, dredge each shrimp in the seasoned flour, then dip in egg, and press into shredded coconut. Gently shake off excess coconut and place on wire rack. Repeat with all the shrimp.1 pound large or extra-large raw shrimp
- Bake for 7 to 10 minutes (depending on the size of the shrimp) until crispy and golden brown.
TO SERVE
- Arrange shrimp on a platter with the bowl of dipping sauce and lemon wedges.2 lemons
