This crispy deep-fried coconut prawns recipe is made with succulent king prawns, crunchy coconut coating, and 3 ingredients homemade dipping sauce. Perfect as an appetizer or party snack for all occasions. Your family and dinner guests will absolutely love it!
If you love crispy prawns/shrimp appetizers you don't want to miss our readers' favourite Crispy Honey Shrimp, Garlic Butter Prawns, Prawn Tempura and Crispy Sweet and Sour Prawn Balls recipes.
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If you haven't tried coconut prawns and wondering how does it taste like. It is very similar to panko-coated Japanese Katsu Prawns but it has a very unique taste from the shredded coconut. We love to serve it as a starter and party snack and it's always a great hit. I've tried a few different methods and this recipe is the best flavour, and also the easiest and simplest way to make it.
Even though everyone loves coconut prawns, no one knows where this dish originated. It's one of the most popular appetizers in restaurants and takeouts in the US, Caribbean, and Western countries.
Why you would love this crispy prawns
- Flavourful coconutty crispy prawns are an absolute crowd-pleaser party finger food. Succulent prawns with crunchy coating are super addictive and can't stop to have another bite.
- You can make it with everyday cupboard-friendly ingredients, including the dipping sauce. Make your own mixed dipping sauce or simply serve with favourite store-bought sauce.
- It takes under 30 minutes of preparation time, is fridge-friendly, freezer-friendly, and great for prep-ahead.
- When you make it at home, you can serve the big crowd with a minimum budget.
- It tastes way better than store-bought frozen coated prawns and takeout prawns.
What do we need
- What type of prawn to use - Use large or medium size prawn/shrimp. We usually use king prawns or tiger prawns for this recipe. Peel and devein the prawns but leave the tail part shell-on. You can use the tail part as a handle when you dredge the prawns in the coating.
- The best coconut coating - You will need shredded coconut or desiccated coconut, panko breadcrumbs, eggs, coconut milk, and plain flour.
- Panko breadcrumbs are the secret to achieving a super crispy texture. Instead of panko, you can use regular breadcrumbs.
- Desiccated coconut - You can either use desiccated coconut or shredded dry coconut. Desiccated coconut is finer and drier than shredded dry coconut. If you don't like a bit of sweetness in the coating use unsweetened desiccated coconut.
- Eggs & coconut milk - Beat two eggs and add coconut milk for the extra rich coconut flavour. If you don't have coconut milk you can use egg on its own.
- Dipping Sauce ingredients - You will need 3 simple ingredients to make this delicious dipping sauce. Sweet chilli sauce, orange marmalade, and fresh lime juice. Instead of sweet chilli you can also use hot chilli sauce or tomato ketchup.
How to make it
Prepare the prawn and coating ingredients: First, peel and devein the prawns and pat dry the excess moisture with a paper towel. Place the coating ingredients in 3 separate bowls. Mix the panko and desiccated coconut in a small bowl. Beat two eggs with coconut milk in one bowl and place the plain flour in a separate bowl.
Coat the prawns:
- Season the prawns with salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste.
- Then, dredge each prawn into the plain flour by holding it from the tail.
- Next, dip it into the egg and coconut milk mixture.
- Coat with the panko and shredded coconut by pressing gently with your hands. Then toss the excess crumbs out before frying.
Fry the prawns:
- Fry the prawns in the pre-heated oil 350ºF (180ºC) for about 2-3 minutes or until crispy golden brown.
- Place the fried prawns over the cooling rack to remove excess oil. Then transfer to a serving plate.
Baking Option:
Baking and the air-frying option are one of the most asked questions on our website. Deep-frying gives the best color and coating texture. However, if you want to use less oil, you can bake or air-fry the coconut prawns. Place the coated prawns on the baking tray or sheet, spray a generous amount of cooking oil, and bake/air-fry it in the pre-heated oven/air-fryer 400°F (200°C) for 10-12 minutes or until crispy golden brown. Flip halfway through.
Dipping sauce for coconut prawns:
Coconut shrimp can be served on its own or pair it with a choice of dipping sauce. We love to have it with a mixture of sweet chilli, orange marmalade, and fresh lime juice. This dipping sauce is, sweet, tangy, zesty, and slightly spicy in flavour. Perfectly goes well with these crunchy coconut prawns. You can also try it with regular sweet chilli sauce, hot chilli, Thai Sriracha sauce, tomato ketchup, spicy mayonnaise, or spicy mango sauce.
Quick Tips
- Add enough oil to deep fry the prawns to achieve the best crispy coating texture.
- The oil needs to be hot enough to fry the prawns and the temperature should be maintained at around 350ºF (180ºC). If it is too hot, reduce the heat and let it cool down a few minutes before you add the prawns.
- Do not overcrowd the oil, as it can drop the temperature. Fry with batches if needed.
- To prep-head, you can freeze the coconut-coated prawns or keep them in the fridge. Then fry it just right before serving.
- As prawns cooked very quickly, make sure not to overcook. Overcooked prawns can be tough and less in flavour.
FAQ
Yes, you can place the coated prawns on a baking sheet on a tray. Freeze for 1-2 hours until set. Then transfer them to the freezer-safe bag or container. It usually lasts in the freezer for a couple of months.
It tastes best when freshly cooked. However, if you have any leftovers, you can reheat them in the pre-heated air-fryer 400°F (200°C) for 1-2 minutes or until hot.
Use neutral flavour oil, sunflower, vegetable, grapeseed, canola, etc. Do not recommend olive oil for this recipe.
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📖 Recipe
Crispy Coconut Prawns
Equipment
- Deep frying pot/pan
Ingredients
Prawns and seasonings
- 250 gram Large prawns Large shrimp/tiger prawns, About 8.8oz, peeled and deveined ( see detail in note )
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Black pepper
- ¼ tsp Garlic powder
Coating ingredients
- 2 Egg Whisked
- 6-8 tbsp Panko breadcrumbs Or white breadcrumbs
- 6 tbsp Desiccated coconut Or shredded coconut
- 3-4 tbsp Plain flour
- 50 ml Coconut milk (Optional)
- Oil for frying
Dipping sauce
- 2 tbsp Sweet chilli sauce
- 2 tbsp Orange marmalade or lemon marmalade
- 1 tbsp Lime juice or lemon juice
Instructions
Prepare prawns and coating
- Season the prawns with salt, black pepper and garlic powder. Mix it well and set it aside.
- Mix panko breadcrumbs and desiccated coconut in a small bowl, whisk the eggs with coconut milk and place the plain flour in a separate bowl.
- First, dredge each prawn in the plain flour, next, dip it in the egg bowl. Then coat with coconut panko mixture. Press gently with hands to coat each pieces evenly. Toss the excess crumbs out and place it on the tray/plate.
Deep fry the prawns
- Preheat the oil over medium-high heat about 350ºF (180ºC) and fry the prawns for 2-3 minutes until crispy golden.
- Once its crispy, remove from oil and place it over the cooling rack or paper towel.
Air fry or Baking Option
- You can also air fry or bake coconut prawns. Place the coated prawns on the baking tray or sheet, spray cooking oil over the prawns, and bake/air-fry it in the pre-heated oven/air-fryer 400°F (200°C) for 10-12 minutes or until crispy golden brown. Flip halfway through.
Coconut prawns sauce
- To make the dipping sauce, combine sweet chilli sauce, orange marmalade, and fresh squeeze lime juice in a small bowl.
Video
Notes
- What types of prawns to use - Use large king prawns, shrimp, tiger prawns, or medium-size ones. Do not recommend using cooked prawns. You can use fresh raw prawns or thawed frozen raw prawns.
- How to clean and prepare prawns - Peel and devein the prawns but leave the tail part shell-on. You can use the tail as a handle when you dip in the coating ingredients.
- As desiccated coconut coating can burn quickly, the frying oil temperature should be maintained at around 340-350ºF (170-180ºC). Not higher than that.
- It's important not to overcook the prawns, it usually takes 2-3 minutes to deep fry the coated prawns. But the frying time can be varied according to the size of the prawn and the thickness of the coating.
- You can serve up to 4 people as an appetizer.
- The nutritional facts are calculated approximately and can be varied by a number of different factors.
Fring says
It was soo good. We have been cooking this recipe every Sunday now. All of my grandchildren enjoyed them so much. Coconut prawns with sweet chilli sauce is their favourite now.
Khin says
Thanks, Fring. I am so glad that you and your grandchildren enjoyed this recipe.