Crisp Fried Shrimp is always everyone’s favorite as an appetizer. Red Lobster’s coconut shrimp used to be my favorite pre-AIP! But haven’t been able to have anything close to it the past 4 years since I thought it would be impossible to replicate a version of that without bread crumbs, dairy or eggs! I wish I had attempted this recipe earlier! Little did I know that it would be this easy!
It took me only a couple of attempts to create this beauty of a dish! My son just loves it! And I also tried the recipe two different ways – by pan frying and by using the air fryer! It worked well both ways although I preferred the pan fried one as it had an additional crispness to it!
You guys, this coconut shrimp is the bomb! Crisp exterior coating and as you bite into it, you get the soft shrimp inside! Heaven! Make this for a special friend and be sure they will marry you or at least propose to you! 🙂
OK So what’s in it?
- Cassava Flour and Arrowroot flour – The combination of these two flours make the perfect batter for coating the shrimp. This replaces the egg traditionally used in such recipes. I recommend only Otto’s Cassava Flour and Anthony’s Goods Premium Cassava Flour. For arrowroot flour, I recommend either Anthony’s Goods or Bob’s Red Mill.
- Spices: Sea Salt, Garlic powder and Black pepper(omit for AIP) are the only seasoning I use.
- Shredded Coconut: Finely shredded coconut (unsweetened) is what I like to use. I like the ‘Let’s do Organic brand’ as it has the perfect texture.
How do you serve this?
- This is great as an appetizer dish. And you can have them with a dip like this creamy cilantro mayoNot that any dip is needed! Seriously these shrimp are terrific on their own!
- You can also pair it with a salad for a meal. I love to pair it with a tropical salad (lettuce, avocado and mango!)
Are you ready to make it yet? Let’s go!
Here’s my video on how to make it:
- ½ a lb shrimp, deshelled and deveined with tail intact (about 18-20 medium size shrimp)
- 2 tbsp cassava flour (Otto's or Anthony's Goods Premium)
- 1 tbsp arrowroot flour
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper (omit for AIP Elimination phase)
- ¼ cup plus 2 tbsp water
- About 1 cup finely shredded coconut dried and unsweetened (Let's do organic brand), in divided portions
- About ¼ cup Avocado Oil for pan frying
- Thaw the shrimp to room temperature and Blot dry using paper towels. Keep aside.
- In a medium size bowl, add all the batter ingredients and mix using a whisk to form a smooth batter without lumps. Keep aside.
- In a medium size plate, spread about ½ a cup of the shredded coconut.
- When ready to fry the shrimp, hold each shrimp by its tail and dip it throughly in the flour batter making sure to coat it completely with the mixture. Then gently roll the shrimp on the shredded coconut and place it on an empty plate. Repeat process for all the shrimp.
- Heat a stainless steel skillet and when hot turn heat to low and add half of the oil and wait for a couple mins till the oil gets hot.
- Place the shrimp one by one in the pan and cook on low medium for about 90 mins on one side. then carefully flip them using a fork and cook again on low medium for about 1 more minute until the shrimp is golden brown on both sides. Transfer to a serving plate.
- Finish frying all the shrimp this way!
- Brush the air fryer tray with some avocado oil.
- Place about half of the coated shrimp on the tray and air fry at 400 F (French Fries setting) for 5 minutes. Open the fryer and flip each shrimp once and again air fry for 1 more minute. Transfer shrimp to a serving plate. Repeat process until all shrimp are cooked.
Other Shrimp recipes you will like:
Shrimp Burrito Bowl (Paleo, AIP, Keto, Whole30)
Shrimp Scampi with Basil Pesto (Paleo, AIP)
Kale and Shrimp Salad with Coconut Basil dressing (Paleo, AIP, Keto, Whole30)
Shrimp Quesadillas (Paleo, AIP)
‘Nacho Cheese’ Dip with garlic shrimp (Paleo, AIP)
These were easy and delicious, nice and crispy. I did opt for the pan fry for the crispiness. The only thing I would say is that as written the batter is extremely watery. I had to add 2 more tablespoons of cassava flour to make it more of a pancake batter consistency for it to stick. 1 tablespoon wasn’t enough. I also didn’t bother to dip them one by one. I put about 4-5 at a time in the batter, then put them in a wide bowl containing some coconut and tossed more on top and around them. Much faster and easier. They were so good, I didn’t even bother with a sauce – and I’m big on sauce with everything!
This was such a treat! Thank you for a great recipe.
You are welcome!
Looking forests to trying it. In the pan frying method you say to cook on one side for 90 minutes. Common sense says that’s way too long and is maybe a typo?
Oh sorry yes it should be 90 seconds or 1 1/2 mins not 90 minutes! I will update it. thank you for bringing it to my attention.
this recipe made my day, I was recently looking for a shrimp-related recipe to try it out, this is going to be the perfect evening snack, crispy and tasty.
Glad to hear! Thank you!