Coconut Shrimp with Red Curry Sauce

Coconut Shrimp with Red Curry Sauce

Recipe courtesy Tyler Florence
Difficulty: Easy
Yield: About 20 shrimp

Peanut or vegetable oil, for frying
1/4 cup cornstarch
3 large egg whites
[1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper]
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups flaked coconut
1 1/2 pounds jumbo shrimp, peeled with tails on
Red Curry Sauce, recipe follows
1 green onion, white and green part, chopped
1 handful fresh mint, hand-torn

Heat 3 inches of oil in a large deep skillet or heavy pot to 325 degrees F.

In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch, egg whites, [cayenne pepper, ]salt, and pepper until foamy. Spread the coconut out in a pie dish. Dredge the shrimp with the cornstarch/egg white mixture and shake off any excess. Press the shrimp into the coconut flakes; turn shrimp over and press into coconut again to coat both sides.

Deep-fry the shrimp in batches until the coconut is golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, remove the shrimp to paper towels to drain. [I put them on a metal cooling rack on top of a baking sheet.] Arrange the shrimp on a platter, serve immediately with red curry sauce and garnish with green onion and mint.

Sizzling Pepper and Salt Shrimp

Lee Wan Ching's Sizzling Pepper and Salt Shrimp

From Saveur Number 78 (October 2004)
Serves 4

This recipe was inspired by a dish that Grace Young had at the Yee Hen Restaurant on Lantau Island in Hong Kong, where Lee Wan Ching is the chef. A moderately hot chile, such as an anaheim, is what Lee prefers to use.

1 lb. large shrimp
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. chile powder
3 tbsp. canola oil
1 tbsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. thinly sliced fresh chile
2 scallions, chopped

1. Remove the shrimp legs, leaving the shells and tails on. Rinse the shrimp under cold water and set on several sheets of paper towels. With more paper towels, pat the shrimp dry. In a small bowl, combine the salt, sugar, and chile powder.

2. Heat a 14" flat-bottomed wok over high heat until a bead of water vaporizes within 1-2 seconds of contact. Swirl in 1 tbsp. of the oil, add the garlic and sliced chile, and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the shrimp and 1 tbsp. of the oil and stir-fry for 1 minute or until the shrimp just begin to turn pink. Swirl in the remaining 1 tbsp. oil, add the salt mixture, and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes until the shrimp are just cooked. Stir in the scallions.

Personal Note: Man I love scallions. This is really easy to make (it suits me; I like some prep work, a little here and there sort of business, and then rapid cooking that makes use of the efficiency of having that prep work in place) and pretty tasty.