Toasted Coconut Tempura Shrimp
with Tropical Slaw, Lime Rice, and Sweet n’ Spicy Sauce
- Tree Nuts
- Eggs
- Shellfish
- Milk
- Wheat
Is there anything better than the light and airy crunch of something tempura-fried? Seriously, you could coat just about anything in that magical Japanese batter and we’d happily chow down. This recipe, however, happens to be extra special. Juicy shrimp are coated in toasted coconut-flecked tempura for a sweet and savory sensation. The crispy shrimp are then piled over steamy lime rice along with a creamy tropical slaw studded with pineapple and crunchy cashews. For a finishing touch, everything is drizzled in a sweet-spicy-tangy sauce. What are you waiting for?!
Ingredients
¾ cup
Jasmine Rice
¼ ounce
Cilantro
1 unit
Lime
4 ounce
Pineapple
4 ounce
Shredded Red Cabbage
1 ounce
Cashews
(Contains: Tree Nuts)
2 tablespoon
Mayonnaise
(Contains: Eggs)
6 tablespoon
Apricot Jam
2 teaspoon
Sriracha
¼ cup
Shredded Coconut
(Contains: Tree Nuts)
10 ounce
Shrimp
(Contains: Shellfish)
82 g
Tempura Mix
(Contains: Eggs, Milk, Wheat)
Not included in your delivery
1 teaspoon
Sugar
1 tablespoon
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
Salt
Pepper
Vegetable Oil
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
In a medium pot, combine rice, 1¼ cups water (2¼ cups for 4 servings), and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a low simmer. Cook until rice is tender, 15-18 minutes. Keep covered off heat until ready to serve.
Meanwhile, wash and dry all produce. Roughly chop cilantro leaves and stems. Zest and halve lime (halve both limes for 4). Drain pineapple over a small bowl, reserving juice. In a medium bowl, toss together cabbage, cilantro, pineapple, mayonnaise, juice from half the lime, half the pineapple juice, and ½ tsp sugar (1 tsp for 4). Season with salt and pepper. Add cashews.
To bowl with reserved pineapple juice, stir in jam, a squeeze of lime juice, and sriracha to taste. Set aside. Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pan (preferably nonstick) over medium heat. Add coconut and ½ tsp sugar (1 tsp for 4 servings); cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 1-2 minutes. Turn off heat; transfer to a second small bowl. Wipe out pan.
Rinse shrimp under cold water, then pat very dry with paper towels. Season with salt. In a large bowl, combine tempura mix, half the toasted coconut, ½ tsp salt (1 tsp for 4 servings), and ⅓ cup cold water (⅔ cup for 4). Heat a ¼-inch-layer of oil in pan used for coconut over mediumhigh heat. Stir shrimp into batter until fully coated. Line a plate with paper towels.
Once oil is hot enough that a drop of batter sizzles when added to the pan, add coated shrimp in a single layer. Cook in batches until golden brown and cooked through, 2-3 minutes on the first side and 1-2 minutes on the second side. (TIP: Add more oil as needed between batches, allowing it time to heat back up before frying more shrimp.) Using a slotted spoon, transfer shrimp to paper-towel-lined plate. Immediately season with salt and pepper.
Fluff rice with a fork and stir in 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings) and lime zest to taste; season with salt. Divide rice, shrimp, and tropical slaw between plates. Sprinkle shrimp and rice with remaining toasted coconut. Drizzle shrimp with sauce (or serve on the side for dipping).
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many loved the delicious coconut shrimp and sweet-spicy sauce, with some calling it better than restaurant quality 🍲.
- Ease of prep: Several found it time-consuming to fry the shrimp in batches, but most agreed the results were worth the effort.
- Suggestions: Consider adding all the coconut to the batter for more flavor; some recommend using an air fryer for easier cooking.
- Portions: Generous shrimp portions impressed many, with some getting multiple meals from a single recipe.
- Slaw: Opinions varied; some loved the tropical slaw's unique flavors, while others found it underwhelming or preferred a different side.
Reviews from our home cooks
Slaw was a little meh (not bad, just not what I was expecting for a tropical slaw on an expensive dish). But the tempura shrimp definitely made up for it - absolutely delicious! I was a little worried when I was coating the shrimp because it didn't seem like the batter was fully sticking but it must have had enough because it fried up beautifully and kept its crunch longer than I thought it would. My husband called them restaurant quality, so thank you. Rice was delicious (I could eat rice at every meal haha)
The tempura batter fried perfectly so that the shrimp came out crispy. The lemon zest and butter in the rice was a great touch and the slaw was the right amount of citrus compliment. The Sriracha wasn't spicy enough for me, so I added a few drops of a scotch bonnet pepper sauce to the apricot pineapple sauce.
This might be my fav one!! So good I could have eaten another bowl of it, if I wasn't so full of this large portion. From the coconut shrimp to the tropical slaw to even the zesty rice...this was a party in my mouth! I wish there was another star to give it.
Great flavor. I would recommend a sauce pan with 1/2" of oil to prepare the tempura shrimp. The 1/4" recommended was not enough and they stuck to the pan.
The light and crispy coconut tempura shrimp was better than anything I've ordered in a restaurant - maybe because it was served piping hot and fresh. Great mix of flavors.
The crispiness of the shrimp, the sweet and spicy sauce, the tropical slaw. This meal was a never ending flavor train. Each bite was better than the last.
Incredible! So delicious. I'm not usually a coconut flakes fan (but I love savory dishes with coconut milk) and this shrimp looked really good so I had to try. I'm glad I did! Labor intensive but worth it, so scrumptious!
Loved this! A family hit! The crispiness of the coconut shrimp was amazing, and I was surprised my kids loved it despite their claim they don't like coconut. And I was surprised to like the coleslaw because I usually am not a coleslaw fan. Recipe made lots And leftovers were great for lunch
There needed to be more shredded coconut in order to properly coat the shrimps. The directions needed to be clearer about mixing the tempura batter before adding the shrimp in order to get the correct consistency.
This tropical meal was so exciting to our taste buds. Exactly as described "sweet 'n' spicy" it was perfectly balanced. Oh!! and I was not expecting to receive as much shrimp as we did! That was such a treat to have so much more than expected I was able to take some to work for lunch.
