Coconut Shrimp (Red Lobster Copycat)

Fresh fried shrimp are delicious! When you give them a coconut breading and serve them with a Piña Colada sauce..they become irresistible! This instructable is a Copycat for Red Lobster Parrot Isle Jumbo Coconut Shrimp, one of my favorite shrimp dishes! The sweet coconut and pineapple are a perfect combination for these little guys. If you love shrimp and Piña Coladas, you NEED to try this dish!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
• 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
• 1 pound large (21-25 count) fresh shrimp
• 1 cup flour
• 1 egg
• 2 Tbs milk
• oil for frying
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup crushed pineapple with juice
• 1/4 cup Piña Colada drink mixer

Spread the coconut flakes onto a sheet pan and bake 2-5 minutes at 350 degrees F until lightly toasted.

Put the toasted coconut into a food processor and pulse it a few times to make smaller pieces. You don't want to turn it to dust, just break up the strands a bit more.

Mix the processed coconut and panko breadcrumbs in a small bowl and set aside.

I highly recommend using fresh shrimp, but you can use pre-cooked shrimp if that's all you have. If you chose to use cooked shrimp, skip this entire step. Your shrimp will already be prepared for you and you won't be able to butterfly them. But don't worry! They will still be really tasty!

Peal the shell off of your shrimp leaving the tail intact. My shrimp already came deveined so I only had to peal the shell. If your shrimp are not already deveined, make a small slit along the back and scoop out the intestines using the tip of a pairing knife.

Butterfly the shrimp by cutting deeper into the deveining cut. You want to cut as deep as possible without cutting all the way through.

In a small bowl put the flour. In another small bowl mix the egg and milk together. Assemble the breading station by lining up your bowls: flour; egg; coconut/panko.

Take one shrimp and coat it with flour. Make sure it's opened up like a butterfly so the cut part gets floured too. Shake off the excess flour and coat it in the egg mixture. Finally move it to the coconut and press it in to get a good coating. Place the coated shrimp on a plate and continue to bread the remaining shrimp.

Heat a pot of oil to 350 degrees F. Slowly drop the shrimp into the oil in batches for 3-5 minutes until the shrimp are golden brown. Remove the shrimp from the oil and allow to drain on paper towels.

While your shrimp are cooking you can make the Pina Colada Sauce. All you have to do is mix the sour cream, pineapple/juice, Pina Colada mixer and sugar together in a bowl. Refrigerate until serving.

Serve the crunchy golden shrimp with a side of the Pina Colada sauce and ENJOY! They taste just like the real thing!! Sooo good!