Baked Coconut Shrimp

This weekend some of our friends from our time in Baltimore happened to be going on a family vacation near us. They were kind enough to come a day earlier so that they could come visit us...yay! It is always so nice to have visitors, especially when you can pick up where you left off. They stopped at our house for appetizers before we all went out to dinner at one of our favorite farm to fork restuarants. Here is a cute picture of us all before I get to the all important food!

Jason and I ordered coconut shrimp at a restaurant the other night where it was served with orange slices and did not deliver. Then I saw this post for a baked coconut shrimp instead of fried and using panko instead of heavy bread crumbs and an apricot sauce. I will admit I was a bit leary of baking the shrimp and losing some flavor. Boy was I wrong, these had the perfect crunch and were light and airy with the sweet coconut flavor. The apricot sauce was sweet yet spicy and hot from the red pepper flakes. We ate the entire plate and left me wanting more the next night. I definitely put this in the book as a great party appetizer because it was easy, flavorful and healthier and lets be honest, who doesn't love coconut shrimp?!

Baked Coconut Shrimp
Source: Skinnytaste
Serves: 8  Serving Size: 3 shrimp

Ingredients:

1 lb (24) large shrimp, peeled and de-veined (weight after peeled)
½ cup shredded sweetened coconut
½ cup panko crumbs
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 large egg
pinch salt
non-stick spray

For the Sweet and Spicy Dipping Sauce:

½ cup apricot preserves (you can use sugar free if you wish)
1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
¾ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°. Spray a non-stick baking sheet with cooking spray.

Combine coconut flakes, panko crumbs and salt in a bowl. Place the flour on a small dish. Whisk egg in another bowl.

Lightly season shrimp with salt. Dip the shrimp in the flour, shaking off excess, then into the egg, then in the coconut crumb mixture.

Lay shrimp on the cookie sheet then spray the top of the shrimp with more cooking spray; bake in the middle rack for about 10 minutes. Turn shrimp over then cook another 6-7 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from oven and serve with dipping sauce.

For the sauce, combine all the ingredients and place in a small bowl.