If you are wondering what to make for lunch today, here is the answer: coconut shrimp grilled veggie and peach skewers! I’ve always loved coconut shrimp, but wanted to find a way to make it healthier and also gluten free so my sister can eat it, so I came up with this recipe. I made this for my whole family and it was a hit! My brother only likes shrimp when fried and he even liked this recipe!
Peaches add a great summery flavor and sweet component to this dish, and go great with the peppers and shrimp. Of course, you can put whatever you want on the skewers and if you don’t have skewers you can eat the shrimp on a plate. I think skewers are fun in the summer and make it easier when grilling! You have two options for preparing the skewers - you can either spear everything on the skewer and then grill, or grill everything separately and then spear them on the skewers. I chose the second option because I wanted everything to be evenly cooked, and then it was easier to make sure that each skewer had a good balance of the flavors. I initially intended to add grilled pineapples to these, but forgot. If you are a fan of pineapple, I think it would be a delicious complement to the coconut flavor!
You may find that you need more shredded coconut depending on how much ends up on each shrimp. You can always add more to the bowl! The egg mixture will also get clumpy, so try to use one hand for handling the shrimp in the dry mixture and one for the wet mixture to minimize flour and egg mixing in the bowls. It isn’t a big deal if it mixes, but just wash your hands every so often because it gets messy.
Here is the recipe:
Ingredients
1 lb shrimp (thawed, uncooked)
¾ cup shredded unsweetened coconut
A few tbsp coconut oil
Dry:
1 cup coconut flour
About ⅓ cup almond flour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
½ tsp baking powder
Wet:
4 eggs, beaten
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
About ½ tsp minced garlic
Additions for the skewers:
Desired vegetables (I used mini bell peppers, onions, and asparagus)
Peaches, sliced
Coconut oil
Dash of salt (for veggies)
Steps
1. Soak skewers in water (to prevent the ends from burning).
2. Pat shrimp dry.
3. Mix together the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
4. Whisk the wet ingredients in a separate large bowl.
5. Pour the shredded coconut into a separate large bowl.
6. Place parchment paper on a large baking sheet or countertop.
7. Toss shrimp in the bowl of dry ingredients.
8. Take the shrimp individually and shake off the extra flour mixture, dip in the egg mixture, then roll in the shredded coconut and place on the parchment paper.
9. Repeat until all shrimp are covered in each layer of batter.
10. Heat the coconut oil in a skillet and place the shrimp on the skillet, and cook them.
Transferring the shrimp onto the skillet takes some care to minimize the amount of batter and coconut that falls off the shrimp - it was helpful to use a fork.
You will likely have to cook the shrimp in batches, depending on the size of your skillet. I just worked my way from one end of the parchment paper to the other, placing the shrimp on a clean section when cooked.
If you are eating the shrimp without further grilling, cover and sauté for a few minutes on each side until the coconut and batter is golden brown. To check, you can cut a shrimp piece in half and verify that it is cooked thoroughly (it will be pink and opaque).
If you are grilling, sauté for a few minutes until almost cooked through, then set aside.
11. Toss the vegetables and peaches with coconut oil and salt (removing stems or slicing if applicable).
12. Add the vegetables to the grill and cook. Keep an eye on the peaches so they don’t become overcooked - you want them to be juicy, but not so soft they cannot easily stay together on the skewer.
13. Once the vegetables and peaches are cooked, assemble the skewers with the shrimp and place on the grill for a few more minutes to ensure the shrimp is fully cooked and to blend the flavors together. We put asparagus spears on the tips of the skewers, which was fun!
14. Remove from grill, let cool, and enjoy!
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