A few weeks ago, Shawn and I went to Red Lobster to grab a quick dinner before we saw a movie. I spent all day thinking about how excited I was to get the coconut shrimp, which I haven’t eaten in years. Then we got there and I looked at the menu. 880 calories before you even start thinking about sides? I don’t think so!
I swear, living in a county that requires chains to put calorie counts on the menu is both a blessing and a curse. For the most part I love it, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised to learn that some things aren’t’ nearly as bad as I would have guessed. Other times the number is so outrageous that even if I was planning a splurge I just can’t do it.
I ended up getting the garlic-grilled shrimp, which were a much more reasonable 370 calories (and were really tasty – I recommend them!) but I couldn’t get those coconut shrimp out of my head. So I made them myself. And healthified them, of course.
This version shaves off almost 350 calories and a whopping 43 grams of fat per serving. Not too shabby! Even better is that they still taste like a splurge.(Especially the pina colada dipping sauce. Which, let’s be honest, bears a strong resemblance to frosting and wouldn’t be totally out of place used as a glaze on a cupcake or sweet bread.)
Ingredients
For the Shrimp:
- 1 pound Peeled Shrimp
- 1 cup Shredded Coconut
- 1 cup Panko Breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup Cornstarch
- ½ cup Light Coconut Milk
For the Sauce:
- ½ cup Light Coconut Milk
- 8 ounce can Crushed Pineapple
- 2 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar
- 1 teaspoon Cornstarch
- 3 teaspoons Water
Instructions
- Heat oven to 425F. Spray a baking sheet with olive oil spray (or line with parchment).
- Mix the coconut, breadcrumbs, and 2 Tablespoons of cornstarch in a shallow dish. Pour the remaining cornstarch into a second dish; pour the coconut milk into a bowl.
- Dip the shrimp into the cornstarch, then into the coconut milk. Dredge in the coconut-panko mixture. Arrange in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet; spray the tops of the shrimp with olive oil spray. Bake 10 minutes. Turn and bake another 8-10 minutes or until coconut begins to toast.
- Combine the coconut milk, pineapple, and sugar in a small saucepan over low heat; simmer 10 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk together cornstarch and water to create a slurry. Whisk the slurry into the sauce; cook 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.
What are the calories on this whole dish?
Hello! I was wondering if you knew what the nutrition facts for solely the pina colada sauce would be?
Thank you!!
I made this sauce tonight it was really good. The only thing was I had to put more cornstarch in than called for to thicken the sauce up, but maybe I did not heat it on a high enough heat. Thanks for posting I will be making this again.
Yummy, I am addicted to Red Lobster’s Pina Colada dip and can’t wait to try this. I swear I could eat this stuff (or maybe drink it by itself) alone or over a pancake or waffle!
This looks delicious. Do you know how many weight watchers points it would be?
Lauren,
I have never tried Red Lobster coconut shrimp, so I don’t know what I’m missing, but these look amazing. This is a dumb question, but I don’t buy shrimp all that often, I just see fresh and frozen shrimp as I’m passing by the seafood counter–do you start with raw shrimp? And the size would be “bigger than a salad shrimp/smaller than a lobster”?
Thanks!
Yes, start with raw – the cooked ones get really tough if you cook them further, so they’re best left for shrimp cocktail. Size isn’t terribly important, but I like to use medium or large shrimp – look for something labelled between 16 and 22 per pound.