Nicole Hunn, aka Gluten Free on a Shoestring, has launched another book that is perfect for the holidays. Gluten-Free Small Bites is all about gluten-free handheld treats (think appetizers and snacks).
One of my favorite recipes from the book is for Coconut Shrimp. She’s even letting me share this recipe with you guys for free! Believe me, after reading this recipe, you’re going to want to go out and 1) buy lots of shrimp and 2) buy this book (Amazon Affiliate Link)!
GLUTEN FREE COCONUT SHRIMP
MAKES 24 SHRIMP
- 1 cup (60 g) unsweetened coconut chips, plus more as necessary
- ¾ cup (90 g) panko-style gluten-free breadcrumbs, plus more as necessary
- ½ cup (70 g) Basic Gum-Free Gluten-Free Flour (see below), plus more as necessary
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Egg wash (2 eggs beaten with 1 tablespoon milk)
- 1 pound raw large easy peel shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails still attached
- Neutral oil, for frying
DIRECTIONS
Preheat your oven to 300°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with unbleached parchment paper and place the coconut chips on it in a single, even layer. Place the baking sheet in the center of the preheated oven and bake for 5 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, and use a spoon to redistribute the chips. Bake until the chips are very lightly golden brown on the edges, about 5 more minutes, then set aside to cool.
Line a large rimmed baking sheet with waxed paper and set it aside.
Crush the cooled coconut chips into small pieces, place with the breadcrumbs in a medium-size shallow bowl, and stir to combine. Set up a dipping station of three shallow bowls: one with the ½ cup flour mixed with the salt and pepper, one with the egg wash, and one with the breadcrumb and coconut mixture. Dip each shrimp in the flour mixture on all sides, then in the egg wash on all sides (shaking off any excess), and finally in the breadcrumbs and coconut on all sides, pressing gently to adhere. Place on the lined baking sheet and allow to sit for 10 minutes.
Place paper towels on a plate, and set it aside. Place about ½ inch of oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan and heat until rippling. Fry the shrimp in small batches, taking care not to crowd the pan, until lightly golden brown all over, about 3 minutes on each side. Remove from the oil using tongs and place on the paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Serve warm.
RECIPE NOTES
All the homemade flour blend recipes that follow can be multiplied by as many factors as you like. I typically make at least 10 cups at a time by just multiplying every ingredient by 10, placing the ingredients in a large, airtight, lidded container, and whisking very well. For an online calculator that does the math for you, please see the page “Flour Blends” on my website Gluten-Free on a Shoestring.
- 1 cup (140 g) Basic Gum-Free Gluten-Free Flour
- 93 grams (about 9⅓ tablespoons) superfine white rice flour (66%)
- 32 grams (about 3½ tablespoons) potato starch (23%)
- 15 grams (about 5 teaspoons) tapioca starch/flour (11%)
Frozen vs. Fresh: Frozen shrimp tend to be less expensive than fresh—and, unless you are buying them nearly right off the boat, frozen ones are just as fresh as those you’ll find at the fish counter. If you’re comfortable removing the “vein” on your own, then you don’t need to buy them deveined. You can only go wrong when buying shrimp in one of two ways: by buying shrimp from the fish counter that actually smells fishy (which means it’s old), or by buying already cooked shrimp, which is impossible to heat at all without overcooking. Easy peel shrimp are always deveined, and the shell comes off easily, in one large piece. This recipe is a great way to make shrimp that pleases nearly everyone, and it really lets the shrimp shine. I like to serve these slightly sweet, almost crunchy shrimp over thin Asian rice noodles with some blanched sugar snap peas for a simple meal, and of course they’re perfect as appetizers.
Make-Ahead Option: The only part of this simple recipe that can be made ahead is toasting the coconut chips. Toast them in the oven as instructed and store in a sealed glass container at room temperature; they should stay crisp for about 5 days. Once fully prepared, the shrimp are best eaten right away.
No-Fry Option: To bake instead of frying these, preheat your oven to 375°F. Place the prepared raw shrimp on a wire rack positioned above a rimmed baking sheet lined with unbleached parchment paper. Spray the tops of the shrimp with cooking oil spray, and bake for about 15 minutes or until crisp and lightly golden brown. Serve warm.
Excerpted from Gluten-Free Small Bites: Sweet and Savory Hand-Held Treats for On-the-Go Lifestyles and Entertaining by Nicole Hunn. Copyright © 2016. Available from Da Capo Lifelong Books, an imprint of Perseus Books, LLC, a subsidiary of Hachette Book Group, Inc.
**DISCLAIMER: I was given a complimentary digital copy of the book to review.**