Coconut Shrimp with Orange, Honey & Soy Dipping Sauce

This is a shrimp recipe that can be served for a hundred different reasons and occasions.  It's a very fun addition to a Chinese menu, it's a fabulous appetizer, it can also be part of a tropical menu like Caribbean or Hawaiian.  There's no bad time of year to serve it.  Holidays, birthdays, showers, cocktail parties, you name the reason and this is a welcome addition.  I have to say, I'm pretty sure that even people who barely like shrimp have ended up devouring these.  And if you're serving it to real shrimp lovers?  Uh, better triple the recipe.

Coconut Shrimp with an Orange, Honey & Soy Dipping Sauce

Dipping Sauce:
3/4 cup orange marmalade
2 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. fresh ginger or 1/2 tsp. dry ginger
1 Tbsp. soy sauce

Shrimp:
3/4 cup all-purpose four
3/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 large egg, beaten to blend
1 cup club soda or seltzer water

1 1/2 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
16 extra-large shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails left intact

For Sauce:
In a medium bowl, mix all the ingredients.  You can make it a day ahead.  Cover and chill.


For Shrimp:
Whisk first 3 ingredients in medium bowl.  Add the egg and club soda and whisk until JUST combined, but still a little lumpy.  Do not over-mix!  Let stand 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, pour enough vegetable oil into a heavy large saute pan to come halfway up the sides of the pan.  Attach a deep-fry thermometer to pan and heat oil over medium heat to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Line one baking sheet with wax paper and line another baking sheet with paper towels.

Spread coconut on a large plate or pie dish.  Working with 1 shrimp at a time, dip into batter, allowing excess to drip back into the bowl.  Roll in the coconut and lay out on the sheet lined with wax paper.  Working in batches, deep fry the shrimp until cooked through, about 2 1/2 to 3 minutes.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to paper towels.  Serve hot with dipping sauce.