Ron's Famous Coconut Shrimp

I should tell him to get his own blog.  Or make him "guest post" when people want his recipes :) 

1 pound raw, fresh shrimp (we get ours from Shrimptastic )

1/3 c. flour

1/2 t. each salt and pepper

2 beaten eggs

3/4 c. Panko

1 c. sweetened shredded coconut

vegetable oil for frying 

• Peel and devein the shrimp, but leave the tails attached.  In one bowl, mix the flour, salt and pepper.  In a different bowl, beat the eggs.  In a third bowl, combine the Panko and the coconut. 
• Dip each shrimp in the flour, coating lightly.  Then dip in the egg, and finally, roll it in the coconut/Panko mix.  Press lightly to make it stick well to the shrimp.  You want to make sure it is well covered and coated in coconut for best flavor!  Set aside and continue coating each piece of shrimp.
• Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Fry them, a few at a time, for just a couple of minutes.  Flip them, and fry for another couple of minutes.  They should be a lovely golden brown when you are finished.  (For this....he always fries in oil.  We hate to mess with a REALLY GOOD THING, and haven't braved trying to tweak it for the Air Fryer.)
• When they are finished cooking, place on a paper towel lined plate, and continue frying the remainder of the shrimp. 

Ron bases his recipe on one from Sally's Baking Addiction, and kind of makes his own tweaks.  But he mostly follows this basic recipe. 

We prefer this shrimp with Pina Colada dipping sauce. Ron uses the Red Lobster copycat recipe Make this first, so it has time to chill before serving. 

1 cup piña colada mix 

5 tablespoons water2 tablespoons crushed pineapple drained4 teaspoons sweetened flaked coconut3 tablespoons powdered sugar plus 1 teaspoon1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon of water (but we had to use more slurry 
to make it set up well)

• Mix together pina colada mix, water, crushed pineapple, coconut, and powdered sugar in a saucepan.
• Heat on medium-low temperature until sauce begins to simmer, stirring frequently. Let mixture simmer slowly 10-12 minutes.
• Mix cornstarch and cold water together; add to sauce and blend well. Let mixture simmer for 3-5 minutes longer while stirring during and after adding cornstarch. Remove from heat and bring to room temperature.**remember...we had to add more cornstarch/water to make ours thicken.

An optional Thai sauce would be made by mixing 1 part Thai chili sauce and 2 parts orange marmalade.  We haven't tried this, because we just like the pina colada sauce so well.