Did you know that the FDA classifies coconut as a tree-nut; therefore, every time we use coconut we need to check on the manufacturing facility? Thankfully, Hy-Vee has a wonderful service department always willing to answer my allergy questions, as soon as possible. This time, they called me back in 4 minutes. Outstanding. The news they gave me about the Hy-Vee brand coconut made my week. The coconut distributor that they work with to put the Hy-Vee brand name on, is only made in a facility with other coconut products, no tree-nuts. The Hy-Vee brand was THE ONLY brand at the store that was NOT MADE IN A FACILITY WITH OTHER TREE-NUTS. Thank you, Hy-Vee.
This was the first time I’ve made coconut shrimp. My husband does not like the texture, so I made sure to make plenty of lightly panko breaded shrimp for him + the kiddos.
I would consider this recipe a weekend recipe, unless you are able to make the salsa and sauce ahead of time. It took me 15 minutes to prep the shrimp, 15 minutes to prep salsa + 15 minutes to make avocado sauce. An additional 15 minutes of baking time, this recipe took me a full hour to make. This did not include the 30 minutes of clean up. With kids.
This recipe is adapted from Cara Clark Nutrition.
Coconut Shrimp Tacos + Mango Salsa and Avocado Cilantro Sauce
Shrimp:

  • 1 pound medium wild shrimp, peeled, deveined and tails removed (to quickly thaw frozen shrimp, remove the total amount from your freezer bag, put into colander, put colander full of shrimp under cool tap water in your sink. Should take about 5-10 minutes. While you’re prepping the assembly line, the shrimp will continue to thaw.)
  • 1 egg + 1 tbsp. water, lightly beaten in small bowl
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
  • salt and pepper

Salsa:

  • 1 cup diced mango or pineapple
  • 1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
  • I also added 1/2 cup diced yellow bell pepper
  • 1/4 cup diced red onion
  • zest and juice of one lime
  • 2 tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro (if you don’t like cilantro, try fresh parsley)

Sauce:

  • 1 medium avocado
  • 1 cup loosely packed chopped cilantro
  • 1 /3 cup water
  • 1 clove garlic
  • juice of 1 medium lime
  • 1/4 tsp cumin
  • pinch cayenne (or any pepper for that matter)
  • sea salt + pepper to taste

For serving: small gluten free corn tortillas or lettuce cups (bib lettuce) and sliced avocado + purple cabbage.
Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400. Place a wire baking rack on top of a large baking sheet, coat with nonstick spray.
  2. In a medium bowl, mix together the coconut, paprika, salt and pepper.
  3. In a small bowl, whisk the egg.
  4. Make an assembly line with the shrimp lined up next to the egg wash, next to the coconut mix, next to the baking sheet with baking rack. Dip the shrimp in egg wash, then dredge in coconut, lightly shake off excess.
  5. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes.
  6. While the shrimp are cooking, make your salsa + sauce (you can also probably find these two items to buy in your local produce section of big store made fresh, in case you need a short cut).
  7. In a medium bowl, add all the ingredients for the salsa, chopping everything around the same size and set aside + refrigerate.
  8. add the ingredients for the sauce to a bowl. Either use a food processor or immersion blender to puree. save sauce in bowl with air tight cover. Refrigerate.
  9. Remove the shrimp from the oven. To assemble tacos, place 4 shrimp on your tortilla with cabbage, salsa, avocado and drizzle sauce over the top.