Is there any dinner more summery than Gluten Free Coconut Shrimp with Peach Lime Sauce?
If you can think of one, do tell me so I can make it.
Coconut shrimp is one of those meals that seems hard and expensive to make, but it isn’t. For the amount that it makes, I found this to be a very cost-effective meal for being on the fancier side. Especially since I waited to make it until fresh shrimp went on sale at my local grocery store.
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How to Make Coconut Shrimp:
We will be making our coconut shrimp gluten-free, but you can just as easily make it glutinous by using regular flour.
If you can find already peeled or EZ peeled and deveined shrimp, you will have a whole lot less work to do. However, to keep costs down I stuck with classic in-the-shell fresh uncooked shrimp and peeled/deveined them myself.
Next, I set up a battering station with three bowls. The first bowl has 1/2 cup gluten-Free all-purpose flour, the second bowl contains a thick batter we’ll be making, and the third bowl has shredded coconut.
If you can, enlist the help of someone in your household to assist you with the breading. It will make everything go A LOT faster. Plus, they will have the batter fingers – not you. 😉
Whenever we have a fry night, I always ask my fiancée Damon to help out with battering so I can focus on frying the finished batches.
To make this recipe healthier, I used organic shredded coconut with no sweeteners and organic coconut milk (make sure your can contains the thick coconut cream top). If you wanted to go the extra mile in making this coconutty, you could even fry the shrimp in coconut oil. I opted to fry in my trusted friend; vegetable oil. I find it does the best at high temperatures, meaning it hardly pops and doesn’t smoke or make me feel unnerved. Woo!
How to make Peach Lime Sauce:
Please make this sauce. I’ll say it again. Please make this sauce. It is SO good. And it makes a lovely pair with the coconut shrimp.
It’s literally three ingredients, made in a flash, and so addicting.
Peach preserves. Lime juice. Red Pepper Flakes.
This is a sweet, tangy sauce, but some of the sweetness is cut and balanced by the addition of freshly squeezed lime juice and a very slight touch of heat from the red pepper flakes. Oh boy, I love me some lime.
Notes on Gluten Free Coconut Shrimp with Peach Lime Sauce:
- Don’t buy too much shrimp. Stick with a little over 1 lb. to 1.5 lbs. Even if the amount looks a little small when the seafood counter guy hands it over to you. Once you add all of the breading and shredded coconut, each shrimp bulks up nearly twice its size.
- Thoroughly coat your shrimp in flour, batter, and coconut. Nobody likes to see a bare patch on their golden deliciousness.
- Prepare the sauce a few hours ahead. Just to allow the flavors to combine and strengthen.
- Serve with a small side salad and a simple vinaigrette. Or go full-fried and pair it with potato wedges or something. It’s totally up to you man.
Looking for More Summer Recipes?
Greek Chicken Souvlaki Lunch Bowls with (easy!) Tzatziki Sauce
Teriyaki Salmon – Gluten Free – The BEST Homemade Teriyaki Sauce!
Salmon with Mango Salsa and Sticky Rice – Easy Summer Dinner
Burger Bowls with Mushrooms & Caramelized Onions + Easy Burger Sauce
Italian Sub Salad with Cold Cuts (cheap, easy meal prep lunch)
Gluten Free Coconut Shrimp with Peach Lime Sauce
Ingredients
- For the Coconut Shrimp:
- 1 -1 ½ lbs. fresh uncooked shrimp - peeled & deveined
- 8-10 oz. unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 ½ cup gluten-free all purpose flour - (or more as needed) I used Bob's Red Mill GF 1:1 (the blue bag)
- 14 oz. can coconut milk - with thick cream on top
- 2 large eggs
- neutral oil for frying - I used canola oil
- For the Peach Lime Sauce:
- ½ cup peach preserves
- 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
- ⅛ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
For the Peach Lime Sauce:
- Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir. Refrigerate for 2 hours.
For the Coconut Shrimp:
- Prep: Set out three medium-large bowls in a row. In the first; add ½ cup of flour. In the second; combine eggs, milk, and the remaining 1 cup of flour. In the third; add half of your shredded coconut. (Don't add all of the coconut at once as it may clump. Add more as needed.)
- Peel and devein shrimp.
- Coat shrimp in batches in this order; flour (first bowl), batter (second bowl), and coconut (third bowl). Once fully coated, set off to the side on a plate.
- Heat about one inch of oil in a frying pan. To test if hot enough, wait a few minutes and then flick some flour into the frying pan. If it sizzles, it's ready and you may start adding in your shrimp. Do not overcrowd the pan. Fry shrimp for several minutes on each side until golden brown. Drain on a plate lined with paper towels.
- Serve with Peach Lime Sauce. Pairs well with a side salad, potato wedges, etc.
Notes
- To prevent a lumpy batter mixture: break up any large clumps of flour before adding it to the second bowl. You may try and flatten out lumps by pressing them against the bowl using the back of a spoon. Even if it’s a little lumpy, it shouldn’t affect the final product.
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