Coconut Shrimp

When Jeremy and I were engaged we went on the obligatory trip to Target to use the super scanner guns and create a wedding registry. It's always an interesting learning experience, I'm sure. It really should be a required activity for pre-marriage counseling, as it forces you to come to some important realizations about one another.

Just for example, when Jeremy and I were registering for bath towels, we were trying to decide what an appropriate number would be. At some point Jeremy said something like, "Well, we'll all share them all anyway." And I stopped in my tracks and said, "Um, no. . . we won't." To which Jeremy chuckled and said, "What?" To which I calmly (with maybe a teeny bit of a death-glare) explained that when I step out of the shower I want a nice clean towel to dry off my clean skin or at least a towel that only has "my germs" on it. Then he understood (or at least recognized that he never wanted to mess with "my" clean towel.) See-- issue resolved, before we were even married to be able to have a married couple fight about it!

I've heard, and seen evidence of, hilarious wedding registries where the future wife gives a little too much free-reign with the scanner gun to the future husband and so they end up with things on their registry like a box of cereal and a gallon of milk, or an entire page of Action/Adventure DVD's. So when we were in the kitchen appliances aisle and Jeremy said, "How about one of these?" and pointed our gun at a Fry Daddy, I scoffed and asked, "What in the WORLD would we use one of those for!?" "I don't know," Jeremy said, "Fried shrimp and stuff?"

As the woman and future homekeeper of the relationship, I nixed the idea. The only thing my mom had ever fried for us growing up was tostada shells, and you definitely didn't need a Fry-Daddy for that.

Now, as a married woman of nearly 6 years, I am mature enough to admit that I may have been a bit short-sighted on the Fry-Daddy issue. It turns out Jeremy grew up with a Fry-Daddy. In his family they would fry up homemade french fries and onion rings, scones, and batter-dipped shrimp. His mom makes shrimp regularly for the special occasions we visit home for.

It also turns out that Jeremy and I have done quite a bit of our own frying as well throughout our cullinary adventures. We've made homemade churros, funnel cakes, doughnuts, eggrolls, and this week a new one: coconut shrimp!

In fact we've done so much frying that when I go to the store and look at the Fry-Daddys I think: "Pshhh! We need a fryer WAY bigger than that one!" So as it stands, we still don't own a fryer, and apparently until we can afford our own industrial-sized "donut fryer" we probably will just have to keep making due with what we've got.

But what we've got still makes some really good. . .

Coconut Shrimp with Peanut Dipping Sauce
Recipe: Alton Brown, Food Network

Ingredients

* 24 large (15 to 20 count) shrimp, peeled, deviened, and butterflied (We actually used a 1 lb 40-50 count bag)
* 1/2 cup cornstarch
* 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
* 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground white pepper
* 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 4 egg whites
* 2 1/2 cups sweetened shredded coconut, or 2 1/2 cups shredded fresh coconut
* Canola or peanut oil, for frying

Directions

Pat the shrimp dry with a paper towel. In a small bowl combine cornstarch, salt, pepper, and cayenne. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until foamy. In another bowl, place the coconut. Coat the shrimp with the cornstarch and shake off any excess. Dip into the egg white and then press into the coconut to get full coverage. Try to keep 1 hand dry, this will keep things a little cleaner.

In a large pan, heat the oil to 350 degrees F and gently submerge the shrimp, 6 at a time. Fry for about 3 minutes or until golden brown. Remove them to a rack to drain.

They were delicious! Owen Loved them. Jonas picked off all the coconut and ate it, and then ate the shrimp separately. I don't know what that's all about.

We served them with the peanut dipping sauce (follow A.B.'s link) and brown rice.