Coconut Shrimp with Cilantro Lime Rice and Mango Salsa

Coconut Shrimp with Cilantro Lime Rice and Mango Salsa.

This dish screams summer so much, I just had to get up on the blog. I will look back at this blog post in January when I am freezing my tail off and day dream about eating this whilst sitting on a beach in Hawaii.

Every component of this dish work so well together, from the coconut flakes coating the shrimp, to the lime juice seasoning the rice, the sweet mango in the salsa and the cilantro throughout. There are plenty of tropical vibes and TONS of flavor. This coconut shrimp recipe is on the healthier side, as the shrimp are air fried rather than pan fried (however, I give pan frying instructions below, too) and you get lots of vitamins and healthy fats from the mango avocado salsa.

Mango Avocado Salsa

I have made this mango avocado salsa many times, including in this Spicy Shrimp Tacos with Mango Avocado Salsa recipe. It is the perfect jazzed up summertime salsa recipe with chunks of mango and avocado and seasoned with jalapeño, cilantro, lime and sea salt. The most time consuming step in making this mango avocado salsa is chopping and dicing everything up. Once all your fruit and vegetables are cut, all you have to do is combine the mango, avocado, tomatoes, red onion, jalapeño, lime juice, cilantro and salt together in a bowl. This mango avocado salsa gets better after you let it sit and let the flavors meld, so feel free to make this a few hours ahead of time. Store the mango salsa in the fridge until you are ready to use it.

Cilantro Lime Rice

The cilantro lime rice acts as the perfect base for the coconut shrimp. Cook your favorite type of white rice as you normally would. I do this on the stovetop, following the package instructions. Once the rice is done cooking, I remove it from the heat and add my cilantro, lime juice and lime zest. I use about 1/4 cup cilantro and juice and zest from half of a lime, but feel free to adjust these measurements based on how much you like them. Add that’s it, really simple. You can take care of the rice first and keep it warm on the stove while you prepare the coconut shrimp.

Coconut Shrimp

For the coconut shrimp, I like to use thawed raw shrimp with the tails removed. My favorite kind of shrimp is Argentinian Shrimp. They are the kind that are pink when they are raw. They are slightly more expensive than regular shrimp, but are more tender and flavorful. Worth the extra cost, in my opinion. However, if you do not have or cannot find Argentinian shrimp, regular shrimp will work just fine. Make sure you pat the shrimp dry before breading.

To set up the breading stations, add the eggs to one shallow bowl and whisk well. Add flour, salt and pepper to a second shallow bowl and breadcrumbs and shredded coconut to a third shallow bowl. If your coconut flakes are large like mine were, they may not stick well to the shrimp as is. If this is the case, go ahead and pulse the coconut flakes in a food processor or blender, until you have finer coconut flakes/shreds.

Take your shrimp and coat in flour mixture, then dredge in the beaten eggs, then coat in shredded coconut/breadcrumb mixture. Place shrimp on a greased air fryer basket and repeat. Create a single layer of shrimp on your basket (you may need to do two batches) and brush or spray shrimp with coconut oil. Air fry at 350 for 4-5 minutes, flip shrimp and air fry an additional 2 minutes. The coconut shrimp should be golden and crispy!

To plate, scoop some rice onto your plate first, add the coconut shrimp, then top everything with the mango avocado salsa. Garnish with some extra cilantro and lime juice and you are ready to dig into this tropical meal.

Substitutions:
Gluten Free: Use rice crumbs in place of regular breadcrumbs to keep this dish gluten free.
Flour: Any flour works in this recipe.
Mango Salsa: If you want to cut down on prep time, combine 1 1/2 cups prepared pico de Gallo with mango chunks, avocado chunks, splash of lime juice and extra cilantro.
Spice: Omit jalapeño for mild salsa.
Pan fry: add 1/4 cup of coconut oil to a skillet over medium heat. Pan fry shrimp 3-4 minutes each side until golden and crispy.

If you make this dish, leave a comment below to let me know and tag me on Instagram @thechowdown. I love seeing your recreations!