Baked Coconut Shrimp

Name: Baked Coconut Shrimp
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 1/2 cup apricot jam; 2 teaspoons dijon mustard (heaping); 1 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce; 1 teaspoon horseradish (prepared, heaping); 1 cup coconut (shredded); 1/2 cup flour; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/2 cup Panko bread crumbs; 1/16 teaspoon chipotle powder (a pinch); 1 egg; 1 pound shrimp (frozen or fresh, thawed, peeled and deveined); olive oil (misted on the shrimp to help brown them (or some other mister like PAM)

Last updated on August 14, 2020. Originally posted on May 7, 2018 By Elaine 38 Comments

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This baked coconut shrimp with apricot dipping sauce recipe is so delicious that you are going to swoon when you taste it. It’s also healthier than fried coconut shrimp, which makes it the perfect appetizer!

A hand holding a crispy shrimp dipped in the apricot dipping sauce, there is also a plate of pink plate in the background

Are you an appetizer person? Can you make a meal of appetizers like I can? Not that I don’t enjoy eating a full meal but sometimes I crave to eat just appetizers. I blame it on pupu platters.

If only the pupu platter included this baked coconut shrimp, then it really would be perfect. The perfect pupu that no one could pooh pooh!

I crave and eat this baked coconut shrimp at least once a month. Why? Because it’s not only delicious but it’s easy and fun. I love biting into a crispy shrimp after I’ve dipped it into this sweet and spicy apricot sauce. Absolutely glorious!

But don’t take my word for it, you need to make it for yourself to see just how right I am!

Helpful tips

Make the apricot sauce first and leave it on the counter so it stays at room temperature.
You can use large fresh shrimp or frozen, for some reason I prefer frozen.
If you use frozen shrimp, you can run cold water over it to hasten the thawing process.
Make sure to remove the shells as well as the tails and devein the shrimp.

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How to make baked coconut shrimp

Step one

Place a colander in the sink and dump the frozen shrimp in it. Run cold water over the shrimp to hasten the thawing process. It takes about 10 minutes to fully thaw the shrimp. While I’m waiting, I make the apricot sauce.

Step two

Gather the ingredients for the dipping sauce – apricot jam, horseradish, mustard and soy sauce.

Apricot jam, horseradish, mustard and soy sauce for the apricot dipping sauce

Step three

Grab a medium shallow metal mixing bowl and add the apricot jam, dijon mustard, soy sauce and horseradish. Whisk until combined.

Transfer apricot sauce to a small glass bowl.

Apricot dipping sauce made, panko bread crumbs, spelt flour, an egg and shrimp on a blue table

Step four

By now the shrimp has thawed so remove the shells and tails and make sure it’s deveined.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and line a jelly roll pan with parchment paper.

Step five

Gather the breading ingredients for the shrimp – shredded coconut, flour, Panko bread crumbs, chipotle powder and one egg. (A)

Step six

Place flour in a one shallow bowl and bread crumbs, chipotle powder, coconut and salt in the other bowl. Crack an egg in another bowl and whisk until combined. (B)

On the left - panko, bread crumbs, coconut, egg and flour. On the right - the flour in one bowl, and bread crumbs in another with raw shrimp in the background

Step seven

Dip shrimp first in the flour, then the egg, then the breadcrumbs. (C)

Step eight

Place coated shrimp on the parchment paper lined jellyroll pan. (D)

On the left - shrimp in the bowl of bread crumbs and on the right - coconut dripped shrimp on a jelly roll pan on the right

Step nine

Take an olive oil mister and spray a light mist over the shrimp or just dribble a small amount of olive oil over it. Place the shrimp into the oven and set the timer for 8 minutes.

Step ten

Once it dings, flip the baked shrimp over and put them in for another 2 minutes.

Step eleven

Arrange the baked shrimp on a serving dish, grab the sauce and get ready to partake in this delicious appetizer.

Coconut shrimp fresh out of the oven on a pink rectangle plate with dipping sauce off to the side and green plates in the background

I’m drooling. Time to plate a few baked coconut shrimp on our cute little plates.

2 plates coconut shrimp with apricot sauce in the background, and the platter of shrimp in the background

I dip one of the shrimp in the avocado sauce.

Crispy shrimp lying in the apricot dipping sauce with plates of shrimp in the background

Yum.

Crunch!

So delicious!

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I hope you enjoyed the baked coconut shrimp recipe!

Please feel free to leave me a comment, do you sometimes eat appetizers as your main meal?

And as always, may all your dishes be delish.

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