I love coconut crusted shrimp and the ones from Outback Steakhouse near the top of the list for me. The dip is an amazing mix of slightly sweet, slightly tangy and slightly spicy and it just hits! There is a reason that the Outback Steakhouse chain ranks as America’s favorite steakhouse, year over year.
Americans began a love affair with all things Australian in the 1980’s. Paul Hogan, Crocodile Dundee, “shrimp on the barbie” and Outback Steakhouse’s. Maybe because Australia is on the other side of the world from us and seems like such an exotic place to those that have never been. But, something tells me that those examples don’t represent the “real” Australia.
Every March, my family would travel to Sarasota, Florida from Chicago to escape the below-zero temperatures and enjoy the sun and surf. My father discovered the Outback Steakhouse and we would eat there every time we traveled. This was in the late 80’s and Outback hadn’t made it north to Chicago yet. He loved it…the huge steak knives, the fact that the servers would “scoot” you over and take your order sitting in the booth (yes, they used to do that) and, of course, the Bloomin’ Onion. Now there are 1,000 Outback Steakhouse’s worldwide and is owned by Bloomin’ Brands, who also owns Carrabba’s, Fleming’s Steakhouse and Bonefish Grill.
This shrimp appetizer is a great one to serve for a cocktail get-together. Serve them with The Cheesecake Factory’s Stuffed Mushrooms and Seasons 52’s Lobster Flatbreads and you have yourself a heckin’ party!
Ingredients
- 24 Wild Caught shrimp, peeled, deveined and tails left on
- 2 cups shredded coconut, unsweetened
- 1 cup flour
- 1 cup corn starch
- 1 tsp. cayenne pepper
- 2 tsp. Kosher salt
- 1 cup ice water
- Canola oil for frying + 4 tsp.
- Creole Marmalade:
- 1/2 cup Orange Marmalade
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/2 tsp. cayenne
- 3-4 dashes Tabasco
Instructions
Combine all Creole Marmalade ingredients, stir well and refrigerate until ready to serve.
For the shrimp batter: combine flour, corn starch, cayenne, salt, and 4 tsp. canola oil and mix well. Very slowly, add the ice water and mix the batter while adding the water. Remove any lumps. The batter should be a cake-like batter consistency and thickness.
In a separate bowl, sprinkle the shredded coconut.
Using a two-step process and working in batches, dip the shrimp in the batter and then roll in the coconut flakes. Set aside on parchment until all shrimp is battered, coconut crusted and ready for deep frying.
In a wok or large pot for deep frying, add 2” of canola oil and bring the oil to 350 degrees. Add the coconut to the fry oil, a few at a time. Work in batches and don’t overcrowd the wok to prevent the coconut crust from getting knocked off. Fry each batch for 3 minutes. Remove the shrimp from the fry oil and set aside on a paper plate to drain. Serve with the Creole Marmalade dip and Enjoy!
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