Coconut Shrimp is a tropical-style dish well revered in the tropical islands of Hawai and even Bali. Shrimp is a delicacy in tropical islands, and add coconut to it, and you have a blast!
You can eat coconut Shrimp as an appetizer or an entree, and you can find this dish at your favorite restaurant. Recreating the dish at home is also very easy; you can serve it with many food items. With that out of the way, let us now get into the article and see some side dishes you can enjoy with Coconut Shrimp.
Let us now get into the article and see some of the dishes you can serve with Coconut Shrimp.
What To Serve With Coconut Shrimp?
Coconut Shrimp itself tastes very delicious. Some of the things you can serve with coconut shrimp include fries, Coleslaw, rice, pasta, and more. You can also get creative and pair it with Desserts and Drinks.
Here is a complete list of various dishes that work well with Coconut Shrimp:
1. Pasta
Multiple pasta dishes work exceptionally well with coconut shrimp. Pasta is filling, and Coconut Shrimp is just light protein. So, combining them will result in a filling meal. You can also add some sauce to the Shrimp to pop the flavors.
A pasta dish such as Fettucine Alfredo works exceptionally well with pasta. You can also add some extra sauce to complement the Shrimp’s flavor.
You can also eat Orzo with Coconut Shrimp. Orzo is a type of rice pasta, and you can cook it in chicken broth and flavor it with onions and garlic.
Top it with mushrooms, and you will get the perfect pasta dish laced with different flavors. Couscous will work if you don’t have Orzo on your hands.
Not a fan of rice? Well, go with macaroni then! Macaroni pasta is extremely easy to make. Combine macaroni noodles with chopped celery and a lot of mayo. Then add some chopped onions, cheese, and bacon!
2. Rice
Protein with Carbs is the best food combo anywhere in the world. Coconut Shrimp is a protein-loaded dish, and when you consume it with rice, you get a tremendous burst of flavors in your mouth.
A cup of plain white rice is pretty great with Coconut shrimp, but you can make things even better by using the Shrimp with fried rice.
You can also mix your fried rice with your choice of protein, veggies, seeds, and nuts. You can also make an Italian dish such as risotto, and the risotto has a very creamy texture that can be paired nicely with coconut shrimp.
Adding pineapples is also a great way to add extra flavor to the rice.
3. Coleslaw
Coleslaw is a cabbage dish with a salad dressing, and a lot of mayonnaise. It has a very tangy flavor that goes well with coconut shrimp.
You can also use red and green cabbage with Coleslaw, and it will give you that vibrant color that looks good on a plate.
If you want something light, you can also replace mayonnaise with vinegar, and this will also work well with a protein like Shrimp.
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4. Veggie Spring Rolls
Veggie spring rolls have crisp vegetables and rich avocados covered by a thin and gelatinous rice wrapper. You can then dip the rolls in a sweet mango sauce.
This unique blend of flavors is refreshing, making veggie spring rolls an impressive side dish. The light and refreshing flavor will balance out the richness of the deep-fried Shrimp, and they work perfectly together.
5. French Fries
French Fries are just a classic side dish, and Fries go with everything. And you can use them with Coconut Shrimp. Fries are crispy on the outside, and they are a bit tender on the inside, which makes for an incredible texture.
Fries will also remind you of seafood restaurants. But if, for some reason, fries aren’t something that you like to eat, you can also go with sweet potato fries and add some extra sweetness to them.
When combined, Sweet Potato and Coconut Shrimp will have both sweet and savory flavors, and that combination is nothing but tasty.
6. Dips/Sauce
Dips aren’t exactly side dishes, but a deep-fried dish like coconut shrimp is excellent with a dipping sauce.
And dipping sauces have no limits. You can make anything you like, and you also can’t go wrong with your dips.
You can make a tartar sauce, mango sauce, or other fruit sauce. How about an orange chili sauce? A perfect mix of sweet and tangy. Perhaps a pineapple and cilantro dip? The sweet, tangy taste of pineapple mixed with a herb like cilantro is heavenly!
Sauces also help to balance the heaviness of the Shrimp. Sauce and Shrimp together are tasty!
7. Grilled Summer Squash With Feta
This dish is unique on the list as you would need a grill for it. But the dish goes well with the tropical flavors, and especially during summer, this dish is incredible to eat.
If you plan a gathering or throw a party, this is the best dish for you. Get your grill on ad put Zucchini and Yellow Squash on it, and grill both the ingredients perfectly on mint and basil. Now, top it off with feta cheese, and you have a superb dish!
8. Roasted Tomato Basil Salad
Roasted Tomato Basil Salad is a 20-minute dish that is easy to make and delicious to eat. You can use it as a side dish to coconut shrimp, and you will be satisfied.
You can roast your tomatoes in a foil packet and bring the flavor out. So, you won’t need an oven, and you could even microwave the tomatoes. Anyway, this tomato dish with basil seeds is tasty, and we recommend it.
9. Pineapple Fried Rice
We already mentioned how rice goes with Shrimp and how fried rice is tasty. This dish is slightly different from the classic fried rice recipe, and you serve the rice with pineapple!
The aesthetics of this dish is out of this world, and it looks pretty good, and the beautifully hollowed-out pineapple half is charming.
We recommend you use a ripe pineapple while making this dish as they are sweeter and better to eat. While the preparation method can be a bit different, it is still easy to make this dish. You can see many great tutorials online for this dish.
10. Cucumber Salad
Cucumber Salad is an Asian dish that will act as an appetizer for Coconut Shrimp. It is a solid recipe overall, and a salad will release the flavors of vegetables without any issue. In addition to that, the Zingy taste of the dressing is something you’ll be a fan of.
You can use any Cucumber Salad recipe online and get the exact results. Cucumber Salad is a lightweight dish that goes perfectly well with coconut shrimp.
11. Crispy Pan-Fried Cauliflower
A crispy fried cauliflower is a perfect side dish option for coconut shrimp. You can boil or steam cauliflowers and then cut them into florets. You can then coat the cauliflower with egg batter and fry it in a skillet on the stove. Turn the cauliflower pieces to brown on each side, and you have a delicious side dish.
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12. Hawaiian Macaroni Salad Recipe
Macaroni Salad is a great option to have with coconut shrimp. This comforting and flavorful dish has pineapple, and when paired with coconut, it gives you that fabulous taste.
This dish is comforting and delicious. Macaroni with cheese is incredible, and this comforting food with pineapple and coconut shrimp is heavenly!
13. Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Brussel Sprouts may not be a crowd-pleaser, but roast the sprouts well, and Brussel Sprouts suddenly become a tasty dish. Cut the sprouts in half, and then you can coat the sprouts with oil, salt, pepper, and more seasoning.
But before you serve the sprouts, make sure to drizzle some oil over them, and there you have it, perfectly roasted brussels sprouts to go with your coconut shrimp.
14. Gold Potato Salad
Potatoes are probably the most consumed vegetable on the planet, and everything tastes well with potatoes. And this recipe of Gold Potatoes goes very well with the Coconut Shrimp.
You add butter to the potato salad and ingredients such as onion, pickles, hard-boiled eggs, celery, mayo, mustard, salt, and seasoning (to your liking). This classic dish is tangy, creamy, and chunky, and the texture is complementary to coconut shrimp.
15. Drinks
You’d also want a cool glass of drink with your salad. A fruity drink will complete your seafood experience, and some significant drinks are very good with salad.
These drinks include Mojitos, Pina Colada, Bahama Mama, and more. If you are not a fan of alcohol, a mango smoothie or a sweetened Iced Tea will do the job for you. You can also try Iced Coffee with Shrimp.
A long island iced tea with an umbrella on your glass is perfect with Coconut shrimp!
16. Desserts
Seafood is not complete without something sweet. After having a good coconut shrimp with a solid side dish and a refreshing drink, you’d want something sweet to wash top it off. Enter Dessert!
Everyone has their favorite dessert, and I like Butterscotch Icecream, and some may prefer chocolate or vanilla. Anyway, Ice Cream is probably the dessert of choice for many.
But some people prefer a mousse or a brownie, and some may like to eat a piece of cake, and Cheesecake is an excellent dessert for Coconut Shrimp.
How To Make Coconut Shrimp?
Ingredients
- Half a cup of all-purpose flour
- Half tea-spoon of salt and black pepper each
- Two beaten eggs
- 3/4 cup of bread crumbs
- A cup of sweetened shredded coconut
- A pound of sizeable raw Shrimp (peeled)
- Three to four tablespoons of vegetable and coconut oil
- A tablespoon of finely chopped cilantro
Instructions
Step 1 – Start with 3 bowls: mix flour, salt, and pepper in one bowl. Beat the eggs in the second bowl. And on the third bowl, mix the bread crumb and coconut.
Step 2 – Now, start the dipping. You need to dip the shrimp in all three bowls. First, dip it in the flour bowl, then in the eggs bowl, and then in the coconut and bread crumb mixture. Make sure your Shrimp has an ample amount of coconut coating.
Step 3 – Add oil to a large skillet and heat it at medium heat. Now, fry the coconut shrimp in a batch of around 7-8 shrimp. Do not crowd the shrimp in the pan. Flip the pans after 2 minutes and then fry the other side for 2 minutes until golden brown. Fry each side for 2 to 3 minutes.
Step 4 – Now, place the finished coconut shrimp on a plate lined with a paper towel as you try to fry the rest. You can also sprinkle some finely chopped cilantro on it, mix it well with a dipping sauce and serve the Shrimp.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What Sides Go With Coconut Shrimp?
Many dishes work with Coconut Shrimp. Out of all of the dishes, our favorites include dishes like Pineapple Rice, Coleslaw, Macaroni, Potato Salads, Various kinds of drinks, and desserts.
Is Coconut Shrimp Healthy?
Yes, coconut shrimp is healthy despite being deep-fried. Coconut is a fruit with different vitamins and minerals, and Shrimps are pure protein. And coconut Shrimp also has other ingredients with various other nutrients. Overall, Coconut Shrimp contains essential nutrients like calcium, iron, and Vitamin A.
How Fattening Is Coconut Shrimp?
Coconut Shrimps are deep-fried, so they have a lot of calories. One coconut shrimp contains 126 calories, and the overall fat content is around 7 grams.
What Sauce Goes With Shrimp?
There are many kinds of sauces that you can use with Shrimp. We recommend any type of fruit sauce – Pineapple, Orange-Chilli, and Mangoes, anything would do! All types of sauces are delicious with Shrimp.
Final Words
Coconut Shrimp is a fantastic dish to have. Especially in summer, it becomes a delicious dish. You can use many side dishes with it, but the ones mentioned in the article are some of the best ones.
These go well with Shrimp as they all in some way provide that contrasting flavor, and when you put contrast in your food, the overall flavor just elevates totally!