A crispy, crunchy crust blanketing tender, juicy shrimp with a delicate balance between sweet and savory... Coconut shrimp doesn't get much better than this
Line a large baking sheet with paper towel. Place wire rack over the paper towel.
In a medium bowl, mix together bread crumbs, Panko bread crumbs, coconut, salt and pepper.
In a small bowl, whisk the eggs with about 2 tablespoons of water.
Place flour in another small bowl.
Using gloved hands, dredge a shrimp in flour.
Dip flour shrimp in egg to coat both sides.
Finally, dip shrimp in bread crumb mixture. Pat gently to adhere the crumb mixture well.
Place shrimp on a wire rack. Repeat process for all shrimp.
Add enough vegetable oil to a deep skillet so that it comes about an inch up the sides. Heat over medium-high heat until shimmering.
Add shrimp to the hot oil, being careful not to crowd. You will have to work in batches.
Cook for 2-3 minutes and turn over, cooking an additional 2-3 minutes on the other side. Coating will be golden brown.
Remove shrimp to paper towel lined wire rack to drain and cool slightly. Repeat for remaining shrimp.
Notes
We have tested both sweetened and unsweetened coconut. We have found that sweetened coconut adds more coconut flavor to the finished shrimp. However, if you are concerned about sugar content, you can use unsweetened coconut flakes instead.
We use grilling shrimp because of its nice size. We find it in the meat department butcher case. You can also use extra large bagged shrimp that is already peeled and deveined.
Keeping the tails on the shrimp is great for presentation and also provides a handle for picking up the shrimp. This is optional.