Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp with Homemade Seafood Sauce

Yum

Looking for a healthy alternative to satisfy a craving for your favourite pub appetizer (coconut shrimp, duh!), but not quite ready to venture out to a restaurant yet? Well, you’ve come to the right place! This recipe puts a healthy twist on one of our favourite greasy dishes and is SO EASY. It truly is restaurant quality.

A few months ago, Kara was gifted an Air Fryer. She’s been playing around with it more recently and has been LOVING it! It has yet to disappoint, and truly mocks deep frying. We love it! As a result… we bring you these AMAZING air fryer coconut shrimp with an added bonus of homemade seafood sauce!

Made with no oil (only a smidgen to stop the shrimp from sticking), these fried, crispy coconut shrimp will leave you satisfied without the negative effects greasy food brings. Since shrimp is so delicate and can overcook very easily, we knew we had to get these perfect and even our toughest critics of overcooked seafood thought these were perfectly done. Crispy on the outside, but tender on the inside.

STEPS TO FOLLOW

You’ll need 3 bowls – one for the flour, one for the eggs and one for the coconut/panko/spice mixture.

• Coat each shrimp in the flour mixture.
• Next, dip the shrimp in the beaten eggs. Ensure the shrimp is fully coated but allow excess to drip off if needed.
• In the final bowl mix the panko, shredded coconut (make sure it’s unsweetened!), garlic powder, paprika, chilli powder, salt and cayenne pepper. Coat shrimp evenly in crumbs.

Once shrimp are coated, place in the air fryer! Quick and easy.

AIR FRYER COCONUT SHRIMP TIPS

1. Make sure to get the shrimp really dry after washing it to ensure it crisps up.
2. Use UNSWEETENED COCONUT which can be found in the baking aisle. There have been way too many times, I’ve come home from the store with sweetened coconut by accident but that just won’t work in this recipe.
3. You MUST dredge it with flour, egg and then the coconut panko mix, do not skip any of those three steps as they are important to cook the shrimp correctly. You can sub the flour with your preferred gluten free mixture!
4. Make sure to spray the basket of the air fryer with a spray oil. We use avocado oil but any will do the trick to ensure the shrimp don’t stick.
5. Our AirFryer – the ActiFry Original that was purchased at Canadian Tire in Canada, doesn’t have a temperature control. Based on other research, I would set your air fryer at 375ºC for this recipe and adjust the time since all air fryers seem to be a little different. Start with 4 minutes per side and if it’s not crispy enough move to 5 per side.
6. Do not crowd the shrimp in the air fryer. If they do not all fit in one layer in the basket, cook the shrimp in batches. We cooked 400 g of shrimp in 2 batches.

We’ve served these as a main with a side of cauliflower fried rice, on tacos and most recently as an appetizer at a family gathering. We love pairing our air fryer coconut shrimp with our yummy homemade seafood sauce, but if seafood sauce isn’t your thing, these would be delicious with our garlic aioli too.

Indulge away (without the guilt)!

Skål,

Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp with Homemade Seafood Sauce

This Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp recipe with homemade seafood sauce is a healthy alternative to your restaurant favourite. The same great (if not better) taste, without all the oil!

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Dips, Main Course, Side Dish

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

Coconut Shrimp

• 400 g raw shrimp, large size
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup panko
• 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 2 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp salt

Homemade Seafood Sauce

• 1/2 cup ketchup
• 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp horseradish
• Pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• Defrost the shrimp ahead of time in the fridge or rinse under cold water.
• Mix together all of the seafood sauce ingredients in a small bowl and place in fridge while cooking the shrimp.
• Once the shrimp is defrosted, peel the shrimp and rinse again with cold water – dry thoroughly.
• Mix together the panko, shredded coconut (make sure it’s unsweetened!), garlic powder, paprika, chili powder, salt and cayenne pepper.
• Put the flour, egg and coconut mixture in 3 separate bowls. Coat each shrimp individually in the flour, then dip in the egg (allow any excess to drip off) and end with the coconut mixture. Put on a plate and continue so all the shrimp are “breaded.”
• Spray the air fryer basket with oil and place half of the shrimp into the air fryer and cook for 5 minutes, flip the shrimp and cook for another 5 minutes before transferring to a clean plate. Repeat with the remaining shrimp. *
• Serve immediately with the seafood sauce, a few slices of lemon and enjoy!

Notes

*Our AirFryer – the ActiFry Original that was purchased at Canadian Tire in Canada, doesn’t have a temperature control. Based on other research, I would set your air fryer at 375 degrees celcius for this recipe and adjust the time since all air fryers seem to be a little different. Start with 4 minutes per side and if it’s not crispy enough move to 5 per side.