Chinese Coconut Shrimp Recipe: Juicy Shrimp
Craving something light and healthy? Chinese coconut shrimp may be the best option if you want to eat shrimp with a tropical combination. This shrimp dish made with coconut milk and lemon looks simple yet tastes delicious. Especially, kids love it so much because of its mild flavor. Why don’t you make some coconut shrimp today?
Don’t know how to make it? Well, I have the authentic Chinese coconut shrimp recipe for you. This recipe can be made in under 10 minutes if you have all the ingredients ready. Let’s get into the detailed recipe. At the end, I will include the nutritional values and some secret tips.
Table of Contents
Recipe Overview
Find the key information of the recipe in the following overview chart.
| Course: Side dish | Cuisine: Chinese | Difficulty: Easy | ||
| Total Time: 10 minutes | ||||
| Serving | Preparation Time | Cooking Time | Calories | |
| 2 persons | 3 minutes | 7 minutes | 45 kcal | |
Ingredients Needed for the Recipe
Get the following ingredients ready to complete cooking this dish faster.
- Shrimp: 300g, peeled and deveined
- Onion: ¼ of a large onion, diced
- Ginger: 1 tsp, chopped
- Garlic: 1 tsp, minced
- Lemon Zest: ½ of a lemon
- Lemon Juice: 1 tbsp
- Cooking Oil: 1 tbsp
- Salt: ½ tsp
- Black Pepper: ½ tsp
- Coconut Milk: 100ml
- Fish Sauce: 1 tbsp
Chinese Coconut Shrimp Recipe: Step-By-Step Instructions
Making coconut shrimp is so easy that you will want to make it often. Here are the steps.
Step 1: Prepare the Spices
First of all, dice ¼ of a large onion finely. After peeling garlic and ginger, mince them. Then, grate the zest of half a lemon.
You Can Also Try: Chinese Garlic Shrimp Recipe
Step 2: Fry the Shrimp
If you have bought peeled and deveined shrimp from the store, the cooking process will be much easier. Put about ½ tbsp of oil in a pan and heat it. When the oil is hot, put the shrimp into the pan and stir-fry them for about 30-45 seconds.
You Can Also Try: Chinese Coconut Chicken Recipe
Once the shrimp changes color, season it with some salt and black pepper. Then, take them out and set aside.
Step 3: Fry the Spices
Add some more oil to the same pan and let it heat. Then, put the diced onion, minced ginger, and garlic in the pan. Stir-fry the spices until they are fragrant. Once the onions become translucent, pour about 100ml of coconut milk.
Step 4: Add Fried Shrimp to the Pan
After cooking the milk for 1-2 minutes, add the fried shrimp. Sprinkle the lemon zest onto the shrimp. Also, add about 1 tbsp of lemon juice to the sauce to give the shrimp a tangy kick.
Step 5: Season the Dish and Serve
Put about 1 tbsp of fish sauce in the pan to season the dish. Mix everything and cook for 2 minutes. After that, you can serve delicious coconut shrimp.
Nutrition Facts of the Recipe
Shrimp is a good source of protein with a lot of good fat. You get 216 calories from each serving of this coconut shrimp recipe. Here are the nutritional values of this dish.
- Total Carbohydrates: 34g
- Protein: 11g
- Total Fat: 24g
- Saturated Fat: 9g
- Polyunsaturated Fat: 7g
- Monounsaturated Fat: 7g
- Total Dietary Fiber: 2g
- Total Sugar: 17g
- Cholesterol: 65mg
- Sodium: 390mg
- Potassium: 151mg
- Calcium: 36.4mg
- Iron: 1g
- Vitamin A: 12IU
- Vitamin C: 3.3mg
Do’s and Don’ts of the Recipe
If you follow these little tips, they can highly impact the way your coconut shrimp turns out.
Do’s
- You must peel and devein the shrimp if you are using fresh ones.
- If you don’t have a grater or microplane, you can simply chop the lemon rind finely.
Don’ts
- Don’t add too much lemon juice to this dish. Otherwise, it will overpower the tropical flavor of the coconut milk.
- Don’t fry or cook shrimp for too long. Otherwise, they will become rubbery.
Chinese Coconut Shrimp Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- First of all, dice ¼ of a large onion finely. After peeling garlic and ginger, mince them. Then, grate the zest of half a lemon.
- Step 2: Fry the Shrimp
- If you have bought peeled and deveined shrimp from the store, the cooking process will be much easier. Put about ½ tbsp of oil in a pan and heat it. When the oil is hot, put the shrimp into the pan and stir-fry them for about 30-45 seconds.
- Once the shrimp changes color, season it with some salt and black pepper. Then, take them out and set aside.
- Add some more oil to the same pan and let it heat. Then, put the diced onion, minced ginger, and garlic in the pan. Stir-fry the spices until they are fragrant. Once the onions become translucent, pour about 100ml of coconut milk.
- After cooking the milk for 1-2 minutes, add the fried shrimp. Sprinkle the lemon zest onto the shrimp. Also, add about 1 tbsp of lemon juice to the sauce to give the shrimp a tangy kick.
- Put about 1 tbsp of fish sauce in the pan to season the dish. Mix everything and cook for 2 minutes. After that, you can serve delicious coconut shrimp.
FAQs
You might bump into the following questions while trying this recipe. Here are the answers.
How to enhance the coconut flavor in the dish?
The best way to enhance the coconut flavor in this dish is to use coconut milk. If you want more of this tropical flavor, you can sprinkle some grated coconut as a garnish.
Can I use orange instead of lemon in the coconut shrimp recipe?
Yes, you can. Orange will give a milder flavor compared to lemon. If you want a mild tangy flavor, you can use orange zest and orange juice.
Can we bake Chinese coconut shrimp instead of frying for a healthier option?
Of course. You can drizzle some oil onto the shrimp and season them with salt and pepper. Then, bake them for a few minutes and add them to the sauce.
What dipping sauces pair well with Chinese coconut shrimp?
As the Chinese coconut shrimp already has a saucy base, you don’t need any dipping sauce with it. Instead, you can top it with some cilantro or spring onions.
Conclusion
Coconut shrimp is such a comforting dish that you can eat it in any season, day or night. Whether you serve it with white rice or noodles, it will steal the attention. I absolutely love the tropical flavors of this dish and make this pretty often.
Follow this Chinese coconut shrimp recipe to make this mild yet flavorful shrimp dish. As it can be made in under 10 minutes, it should be the perfect option for busy days. Don’t forget to let me know how much you liked the recipe.
