Recipe of the Month: Pancake-Battered Coconut Shrimp
~ My Family Loves SHRIMP ~
Shrimp and I definitely have history.
I can't remember the first time I tasted shrimp, but I can tell you just yesterday we had shrimp at home. I grew up in a traditional family, eating traditional Chinese food which includes lots of rice dishes, soups, and seafood. One of my all-time favourite is the shrimp omelette combined with endless variations such as bean sprouts, chives, onions, scallions, etc. plus some oyster sauce and voila - you've got a winner! In other cultural dishes, I've had some of the best curry laksa, gumbo, ceviche, shrimp and grits, and paella.
So going back to why I'm featuring this particular recipe. In Ayesha Curry's cookbook The Full Plate, she uses a lot of ingredients around the house to make dishes that engage with her children. This one features a pancake-battered coconut shrimp and its great because kids can get involved with the kitchen prep and who wouldn't want some pancake for dinner?! I might have to tweak the recipe next time because our batter turned out rather thick and it ate more like a corn dog. Nonetheless, it was very yummy!
Ayesha Curry's Pancake-Battered Coconut Shrimp
Ingredients
Canola oil, for frying
1 cup pancake mix, divided
½ cup dark ale beer (you can substitute with Ginger Ale)
1 large egg
½ tsp. kosher salt, plus more for sprinkling
2 cups sweetened shredded coconut, divided
1 lb. extra-large peeled, deveined raw shrimp, tail-on
Instructions
1. Pour oil to a depth of 1 inch in a medium, heavy-bottomed pot; heat over medium high until it registers 360° on a deep-frying thermometer. Line baking sheet with paper towels; set aside.
2. Add ¼ cup pancake mix to a large bowl. Stir together beer, egg, salt, ½ cup coconut and remaining ¾ cup pancake mix in a second large bowl until batter is combined. Place remaining 1½ cups coconut on a rimmed plate.
3. Pat shrimp dry with paper towels; place in bowl of dry pancake mix, and toss to coat. Holding by tail, dip 1 coated shrimp at a time into batter, letting any excess drip off, and then dredge in coconut, pressing and rolling gently to coat well. Place coconut-battered shrimp on a plate.
4. Working in batches, fry a few shrimp at a time in hot oil, turning once, until golden brown, about 2 minutes total. Using a slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to prepared baking sheet, and sprinkle right away with salt. Skim oil to remove any bits of batter, and repeat with remaining shrimp. Serve hot.
Serves: 4
Active time: 20 minutes
Total time: 20 minutes
I hope your family enjoy this as much as we did. Feel free to share photos of your dish with us!