Coconut Shrimp Lollypops With Apricot-Ginger Dipping Sauce Yield: 4
Check out Bob's step by step demonstration of this tasty canape!
Ingredients:
Apricot-Ginger Dipping Sauce
1/2 cup apricot jam
1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, minced
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar or freshly squeezed lime juice
Coconut Shrimp Lollypops
1 coconut, or, 2 cups sweetened shredded coconut
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup beer
3/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 egg
12 shrimp, (16-20 count), shelled, deveined
12 bamboo skewers
4 cups peanut or vegetable oil
Directions:
Apricot-Ginger Dipping Sauce
Place all apricot dipping sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Reserve.
Coconut Shrimp Lollypops
Use scissors, or simply snap off excess bamboo skewer so that the stick is approximately 5 inches.
Pierce the soft eye of the coconut and drain the coconut water. Reserve.
Separate the coconut meat from the shell. Use a pairing knife to remove the brown skin from the meat. Using the finest part of your grater, grate 2 cups of shredded coconut .
Pour coconut water in a measuring cup and if necessary top off with beer until you have 3/4 cup of liquid. Reserve. If you are using store-bought shredded coconut (and consequently do not have any coconut water) replace mixture with 3/4 cup of beer.
In a large bowl, combine flour, coconut water/beer mixture, baking soda, salt, cayenne, and egg. Beat until it is smooth. Add a bit more flour or beer, if necessary, so that the batter has the consistency of thick pancake batter.
Tightly wrap each shrimp like a pinwheel (with the tail end of the shrimp on the outside) and skewer one shrimp on the end of each skewer. Use a paper towel to pat dry the shrimp.
Pour oil into a small, tall pot until it is 3 inches deep. Heat oil until it reaches 350°F (see oil dissertation below).
While oil is heating, dip each shrimp into the batter, then dredge into the coconut shreds so that the entire “lollypop” is covered in coconut shreds.
When oil is ready, submerge 4 shrimp at a time into oil (with the skewers sticking out of the pot). Fry for approximately 1 minute, or until coconut is a golden brown, rotating the top of the skewer once or twice. Remove and place lollypops on paper towel to absorb excess oil.
Skim any wayward coconut shreds from the oil. Adjust heat so that it is 350°F again and continue with next batch. Serve with apricot dipping sauce. For a creative presentation, stick skewers into an upturned pineapple or melon half and/or serve the dip in a coconut half (the side without the hole!)