Coconut Shrimp Lollypops with Apricot-Ginger Dipping Sauce
- 1/2 cup apricot jam
- 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 jalepeno pepper, seeds discarded, minced
- 2 tablespoons seasoned rice wine vinegar or freshly squeezed lime juice
- 1 coconut, or 2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup beer
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 egg
- 12 shrimp (16 to 20 count) shelled and deveined
- 12 bamboo skewers, approximately 5 inches
- 3 to 5 cups peanut oil, or vegetable oil
- Place all apricot dipping sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor.
- Blend until smooth.
- Reserve.
- Pierce the soft eye of the coconut and drain the coconut water.
- Reserve.
- Crack coconut in 1/2 using the back of a cleaver.
- Separate the coconut meat from the shell.
- Use a pairing knife to remove the brown skin from the meat.
- Using the finest part of your grater, grate 2 cups of coconut .
- Pour coconut water in a measuring cup and if necessary top off with beer until you have 3/4 cup of liquid.
- Reserve.
- If you are using store-bought shredded coconut (and consequently do not have any coconut water) replace mixture with 3/4 cup of beer.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, coconut water/beer mixture, baking soda, salt, cayenne, and egg.
- Beat until it is smooth.
- Add a bit more flour or beer, if necessary, so that the batter has the consistency of thick pancake batter.
- Tightly wrap each shrimp like a pinwheel (with the tail end of the shrimp on the outside) and skewer 1 shrimp on the end of each skewer.
- Use a paper towel to pat the shrimp dry.
- Pour oil into a small, tall pot until it is 3 inches deep.
- Heat oil until it reaches 350 degrees F (see oil dissertation below).
- While oil is heating, dip each shrimp into the batter, then dredge into the coconut shreds so that the entire "lollypop" is covered in coconut shreds.
- When oil is ready, submerge 4 shrimp at a time into oil (with the skewers sticking out of the pot).
- Fry for approximately 1 minute, or until coconut is a golden brown, rotating the top of the skewer once or twice.
- Remove and place lollypops on paper towel to absorb excess oil.
- Skim any wayward coconut shreds from the oil.
- Adjust heat so that it is 350 degrees F again and continue with next batch.
- Serve with apricot dipping sauce.
- For a creative presentation, stick skewers into an upturned pineapple or melon 1/2 and/or serve the dip in a coconut 1/2 (the side without the hole!)
- *An important note on cooking with oil:
- Oil temperature is very important.
- If it is too high, food burns, too low and it turns out greasy.
- if you do not have a thermometer, stick a 1/2-inch cube of bread on a skewer and dip it in the oil.
- If the oil bubbles, but the bread doesn't brown, continue heating oil.
- If the bread browns instantly, the oil temperature is too high.
- If the bread turns into a golden crouton in 5 to 10 seconds, you are set to fry.
- Hot oil is very dangerous.
- Never leave it unattended on the stove and do not heat over a high flame for an extended period of time.
- The best way to put out an oil fire (God forbid) is to smother it with a tightly fitting lid.
apricot jam, ginger, mustard, jalepeno pepper, rice wine vinegar, coconut, flour, beer, baking soda, salt, cayenne pepper, egg, shrimp, bamboo skewers, peanut oil
Taken from www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/coconut-shrimp-lollypops-with-apricot-ginger-dipping-sauce-recipe.html (may not work)