Thursday, October 6, 2011

Primal Recipe - Coconut Shrimp with Tropical Dipping Sauce

For dinner tonight, I made coconut shrimp with tropical dipping sauce. It was delicious - and very easy to make. The only thing I would change is to buy raw shrimp next time, because with the ones I used being precooked they were a LITTLE overcooked...but considering I detest looking at raw shrimp, it's probably never going to happen. hah.

Here's the (somewhat) recipe:
  • shrimp - as many as you think you'll eat
  • raw egg, whisked to mix yolk and whites together, in a bowl
  • coconut flour in a bowl
  • shredded unsweetened coconut, medium grind (you could use coarse, but I think  medium is better) in a bowl
  • coconut oil in which to fry the shrimp
  • frying pan

For the dipping sauce:
  • Plain yogurt, with the whey drained off - use a metal sieve or a piece of paper towel. Let it sit on your counter for an hour or so. The dip should be served at room temp anyway.
  • 1 can of crushed pineapple - you could use any kind, really, since you'll be blending it together.
  • A little of the juice from the pineapple
  • Shredded unsweetened coconut
  • A pinch or two of xylitol (this is a sweetener that's actually GOOD for you - it stops dental cavities and restores the pH in your mouth so you are much healthier - and it doesn't require insulin to metabolize, so it's safe for diabetics! Get some at your local health store - just make sure it says "Non-GMO" on the label.)
  • Immersion blender or food processor

Directions:
Take up a shrimp by its tail and dip it into the egg, making sure to coat it on all sides (the tail does not have to be covered). Let the excess drip off, then dredge it through the coconut flour. Dip it again into the egg, then dredge it through the coconut flakes and lay the shrimp on a plate. Continue until all of your shrimps are coated. Toss any of the remaining flour or coconut.

Put some coconut oil in the bottom of a pan. I used my stainless steel high-sided skillet. You only need about 3-4 Tbsp to do it if your pan is 8-10". Let the oil heat up until a piece of coconut dropped in sizzles. Don't get the oil TOO hot. Place the shrimps in one layer leaving some space between them into the oil. Let cook for 2-3 minutes and then flip. Make sure the coating is light golden brown. If you're using raw shrimp, follow the instructions for cooking time - but I think it's about the same. Just make sure you have enough oil in there. Once you flip the shrimp, cook them until the 2nd side is nice and golden brown, then remove to plate.

Mix all the dipping sauce ingredients together and blend with immersion blender or food processor until the pineapple pieces are fairly small, almost incorporated. Add xylitol to taste. Add pineapple juice until it is the desired texture. Serve at room temp and store any leftovers in the fridge - this would be great with some frozen blueberries! You could even partially freeze it and eat it as frozen yogurt! mmmmmmm Tastes like a pina colada!


As I said, I used pre-cooked, peeled and de-veined shrimp from Walmart - you can get 2 lbs of the stuff for around $8. I did about 35-40 shrimp, used 2-3 Tbsp of coconut flour (from Bulk Barn), and about 2 Tbsp of coconut.That served 2 adults and a 3-year old. We had a few leftovers because I was stuffed before I even ate my salad!

I served the shrimp with a baby spinach salad with red pepper, English cucumber, and a balsamic vinaigrette sauce I made using balsamic vinegar, olive oil, xylitol, salt,  pepper, and some onion powder.

The best part about this meal is how GOOD it is for us. Shrimp - 4oz worth - has over 100% of the daily recommended tryptophan (which helps restore good sleep habits), 64% daily selenium (helps protect against cancers); around 48% daily protein (!!!); 40% of the daily recommended value of vitamin D (although we eat about 5-7 times the RDA); 30% of the RDA of B12; 20% RDA of iron; about 18% of RDA of omega 3 (the good fats); plus vitamin B3, zinc, copper, and magnesium! IN JUST 122 calories. Not that I'm counting calories, of course.

The yogurt I used was fresh and made for me ever two weeks. So we also got a serving of some good bacteria to help keep our guts populated with good flora to prevent illness and to aid in maintaining healthy weights.

All around a great recipe, and one I'll definitely make again.

Edited to add: nutritional info on shrimp taken from HERE.

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