Coconut Shrimp with Orange-Chili Dipping Sauce

With Benny gone for the evening, I wanted to make something simple and snacky. Enter, Coconut shrimp. It's fried, it's crunchy, it's sweet. It's dinner and dessert, all at once. I fully guarantee its deliciousness.

Here's how it's done:

(serves 4)
Start with 1 pound of large, raw shrimp. Peel and de-vein, give them a quick rinse, then drain on a paper towel.

In a shallow dish, mix together 1 1/2 c. panko bread crumbs, 1 1/2 c. coconut flakes, and 2 t. chili powder. In another shallow dish, mix 1 c. flour and 1 t. kosher salt.
In a medium sized bowl, whisk together 2 eggs and about 6 T. of coconut milk.

Using a paring knife, butterfly the shrimp. Do this by running the knife along the curve of the back cutting almost (but not completely) through the flesh. It takes a bit
of time to do this for all the shrimp, but here is why you should: surface area. When it comes to crunchy fried things, surface area is your friend! By butterflying your shrimp, you are increasing the surface area and thus increasing crunchy deliciousness. Science!!

Next, do yourself a favor by designating a wet hand and a dry hand. It makes dredging a lot less sticky. Dip the shrimp in the flour, then in the coconut-egg slurry, then the panko-coconut breading. When coating with the breading, I like to really press the crunchies in there. It's just a good idea to do so. Repeat this process with all of your lovely crustaceans.
Next, grab a large, heavy skillet and pour in about an inch of canola oil. Heat it to medium-high.

Meanwhile, prepare the Orange-Chili Dipping Sauce by stirring together 1/4 c. of mayonnaise, 2 T. orange marmalade, and 1/2 T. sweet chili sauce. Put it in the fridge.

When the oil is hot, fry the shrimp in several small batches. Make sure they're not crowded, you want them to be comfortable. If you are good to them, they will be very good to you. Fry them for about 1-2 minutes per side, or until golden. Drain on paper, and serve with dipping sauce.

You're welcome in advance.

Love,
Kirsten.