Last updated June 9, 2019
Love coconut shrimp, but not the extra calories that come with it? Grilled coconut shrimp are sweet, crunchy and around 300 calories per serving.
I just downed a dozen coconut shrimp, and I don’t have one bit of guilt because they were grilled with this sweet, salty Orange Coconut Salt. The only regret I do have is that I didn’t grill more.
I love coconut shrimp, but I can do without the extra calories that come from all the breading and the deep fryer. Really, it’s the flavor and texture that I crave.
I’ve tried to coat shrimp in coconut and grill or bake them before, but I’ve always been less than impressed. The coconut either burns or becomes soggy, but not with this salt. The secret is in the toasted ground-up coconut that you prepare yourself.
All you have to do is toast some coconut and combine it in a food processor with some orange peel and salt. You can either use fresh zest from an orange or the jarred dried peel that you can find in the spice aisle.
To finish this dish off, serve it alongside my copycat Outback dipping sauce made with orange marmalade, horseradish and Dijon mustard.
Grilled Coconut Shrimp
The secret to making crunchy grilled coconut shrimp is using this sweet, salty Orange Coconut Salt.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb shrimp
Orange Coconut Salt
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- zest of 1 orange
Dipping Sauce
- 1/4 cup orange marmalade
- 2 tbsp prepared horseradish
- 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Rub olive oil on the shrimp. Sprinkle liberally with orange coconut salt.
- Grill on high for about 3 minutes per side.
- Serve hot or cold with dipping sauce.
Orange Coconut Salt
Spread the coconut and orange zest on a pan, and bake in a 425-degree oven for 5 minutes, until light brown.
- Stir and bake for one more minute.
- Pulse the coconut in a food processor or mini chopper, until fine.
Stir in the salt.
Dipping Sauce
- Combine ingredients.
Tips
You can use 1 teaspoon dried orange peel in place of the fresh orange peel.
This is kinda confusing: you say “orange zest” in some places, “orange peel” in others, and say to brown the coconut with the zest, but then to combine that with the salt and orange peel. Which is it?
Sorry about that. I’ve fixed the recipe.