Baked Coconut Shrimp with Spicy Asian Orange Sauce

Baked Coconut Shrimp with Spicy Orange Sauce

This is a really fast and healthy way to make coconut shrimp. Baking the shrimp instead of frying saves loads of calories without sacrificing taste or that little crunchy bite we all love about coconut shrimp. Using cornstarch helps the coating to adhere much better to the shrimp rather than using flour. Best of all, they can be made ahead of time and than popped into the oven when you are ready to bake.

This recipe works best with extra-large shrimp, 15-20 to the pound, because you want to give the shrimp enough time to brown in the oven without over cooking. The spicy Asian orange sauce has just enough heat to make the perfect dipping sauce for these scrumptious little guiltless shrimps. 

Appetizer of Baked Coconut Shrimp with a Spicy Orange Sauce

Baked Coconut Shrimp ready for the oven. 

Spicy orange sauce reduces down before pureed in the blender. 

Ingredients

• 1 lb extra large shrimp, peeled and deveined (Tails on or off)
• 1 cup sweetened coconut, flaked
• 1 cup panko
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 3 egg whites, slightly beaten

Spicy Mango Sauce

• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 2/3 cup onion, finely chopped
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 cup Asian duck sauce
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 Tbsp (or more!) Franks hot sauce or Spicy Chili Sauce
• 4 teaspoons lime juice
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Directions for the shrimp

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

1. Place coconut and Panko crumbs in a food processor and pulse a few times to blend. Don't over process, you don't want to break up the Panko too much. Place crumb mixture into a shallow dish or bowl.
2. In a 2nd bowl beat egg whites lightly.
3. In a 3rd bowl, add cornstarch.
4. One at a time, dredge shrimp in corn starch, shaking off excess, then in egg whites, then dredge in crumb mixture, pressing to adhere to shrimp. 
5. Place shrimp on a lightly greased baking sheet and pour any leftover egg white evenly over each shrimp.
6. Spray each shrimp lightly with canola oil and bake for 18-20 minutes. Don't over cook the shrimp or they will be tough. 

To Prepare Spicy Sauce

1. In a small sauce pan, heat 1 tablespoons oil, add onion, ginger and garlic and saute 4 minutes until tender. Add the remaining ingredients and reduce to 3/4 cup. 
2. Remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes.
3. Place mixture into a blender and process till smooth.
4. Let cool and serve with shrimp!

Delicious Baked Coconut Shrimp!