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Crunchy Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp with Plum Chili Sauce

Air fried to golden perfection, these crowd-pleasing Butterflied Coconut shrimp are drenched in sweet coconut and crunchy panko and paired with an easy Plum Chili Dipping Sauce.
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Keyword air fry, coconut, gluten free, panko, seafood, shrimp
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Chill Time 30 minutes
Servings 4 servings (24 shrimp total)

Equipment

  • Air fryer

Ingredients

Coconut Shrimp

  • 24 (1 pound) large shrimp (tails on, cleaned, and butterflied)
  • ½ cup all-purpose flour (gluten free)
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 whole egg
  • 1 tablespoon coconut rum
  • 1 cup sweet coconut flakes
  • 1 cup panko (gluten free)
  • Coconut oil

Plum Chili Sauce

  • ½ cup plum jam
  • 1 tablespoon Thai chili sauce
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon lime juice
  • 1 teaspoon water (optional)

Instructions

  • Clean and butterfly the shrimp, leaving the tails on. Pat dry with paper towels.
  • Set up a three-bowl station for battering the shrimp. In the first bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, and black pepper. In the second bowl, whisk together the egg and the rum. In the third bowl, whisk together the coconut flakes and the panko.
  • Dip the shrimp in the flour mixture and then the egg mixture. Press the coated shrimp into the panko coconut mixture, coating thoroughly. Spread out onto a baking sheet and chill in the freezer for around 30 minutes.
  • Preheat the air fryer to 375 degrees F. Spray with coconut oil.
  • Spread out the battered shrimp in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Air fry for 8 minutes, shaking halfway through.
  • Meanwhile, whisk together the dipping sauce ingredients. Add the water if the mixture seems too thick a little at a time until the consistency of loose honey.
  • Serve shrimp alongside dipping sauce as an appetizer or with a vegetable or rice if a main meal.

Notes

Verify All Gluten Free Ingredients:
This may seem obvious, but if making this recipe completely gluten-free, verify that all of your ingredients are labeled gluten-free - especially the panko. 
As a note, this recipe can be made with regular or gluten-free ingredients to delicious effect.