Easily make this copycat recipe for Red Lobster’s Parrot Bay Coconut Shrimp complete with Pina Colada Sauce in the comfort of your own home! This recipe produces great results with all the same flavors of your favorite restaurant shrimp.
The shrimp are dusted first in cornstarch “shake ‘n’ bake” style then dipped in a mix of cream of coconut and coconut milk for flavor and so the coconut-panko mix has something to stick to. They’re coated in a mix of sweetened coconut flakes and panko bread crumbs then fried in coconut or vegetable oil until golden brown and irresistibly crunchy.
The sweet and tangy pina colada sauce is made with cream of coconut, sour cream, crushed pineapple and a touch each of lime and pineapple juice (from draining the pineapple). It’s good enough to drink but try to resist. . . if you like a lot of sauce then double the recipe.
You can also butterfly the shrimp if you want them to look exactly like the restaurant version and don’t mind the time consuming task of it. It’s not necessary for absolutely delicious results.
The cream of coconut can be found in a can and is used to make pina coladas – look for it in the international food section or with the alcoholic drink mixers – make sure it’s sweetened.
So. . . are these exactly like Red Lobster’s? Absolutely not but they’re pretty darn close.
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Red Lobster’s Coconut Shrimp with Pina Colada Sauce
Ingredients
- Sauce:
- 2 - 3 tablespoons sweetened cream of coconut
- ½ cup sour cream
- ⅓ cup crushed pineapple well-drained (save the juice)
- 1 - 2 tablespoons pineapple juice from draining the pineapple
- salt and pepper
- ½ teaspoon fresh-squeezed lime juice
- Shrimp:
- 1 + ½ pounds tail-on shrimp deveined (26 - 30 size)
- ½ cup cornstarch
- ¾ cup sweetened coconut flakes
- ¾ cup Japanese panko crumbs
- 2 tablespoons sweetened cream of coconut
- ⅔ cup coconut milk
- coconut or vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
- Make the Sauce: (double it if you like a lot)
- In a small bowl whisk 2 tablespoons cream of coconut with the sour cream until well combined.
- Stir in the crushed pineapple. Whisk in the lime juice and pineapple juice, one tablespoon at a time, to thin it out a little.
- Stir in a dash or two of salt. Taste and add the remaining tablespoon of cream of coconut if you prefer it sweeter.
Make the shrimp:
- Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Season the shrimp with salt and pepper.
- Add ½ the cornstarch and ½ the shrimp to a large ziploc bag. Close the bag and shake it up gently to coat the shrimp.
- In a large shallow bowl mix the coconut flakes and panko crumbs together. Remove half of them to a separate bowl.
- In a small bowl whisk the cream of coconut and coconut milk together.
- Working with a few of the corn starch coated shrimp at a time, dunk them into the coconut milk, let the excess drip off then coat them with the coconut-panko mixture (adding more to the bowl as needed) patting it on with your hands to help it stick.
- Place them on the baking sheet. Continue until they're all coated.
- Repeat with the remaining cornstarch and shrimp until they're all coated.
- Cover them with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to cook.
- In a Dutch oven or deep-sided frying pan fitted with a splatter screen heat about 1 + ½ inches of oil over medium heat to 350 degrees F.
- Fry the shrimp in batches of 6 - 8 shrimp about 3 minutes or until golden.
- Drain on paper towels or a wire rack.
- Serve warm with pina colada dipping sauce.
- Refrigerate leftovers.