Camarones Al Coco
Camarones al Coco is a typical dish of the state of Campeche Mexico. This state lies along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico between Yucatan and Tabasco. Now one of the least-populated Mexican states, Campeche was once the site of a flourishing Mayan civilization.
This festive and amazing shrimp dinner or appetizer is easy and fast to prepare. Though popular in Campeche, this regional recipe is said to be introduced by a Miami.Florida chef in the 1980’s. He was hired by the owner of a well known restaurant to be his chef. The chef, born in Cuba, was reported he may have reimagined a recipe from Hawaii. Never the less, this recipe is accepted as a Campeche favorite.
A mango based salsa pairs nicely with this recipe. I would serve this dish with rice. Let’s get started.
Ingredients
Serves 4 for dinner or 6 as appetizer
Salsa – Mango chipotle
2 medium ripe mangos, peeled, pitted, and cut into chunks (about 1 ½ cups diced mango}
¼ cup chopped white onion
1 garlic clove
1 teaspoon or more of canned chile chipotle in adobo
¼ cup water or more to thin the consistency
1 tablespoon honey to sweeten the salsa
Shrimp
¾ cup flour
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground pepper
2 eggs
1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
½ cup panko or homemake breadcrumbs
1 lb peeled shrimp (1.5 lbs with peel)
Vegetable oil for frying
Salt and pepper
Salt to taste
Garnish with green herb for presentation
Preparation
Salsa
Combine the mango, onion, garlic, water and chipotle in a blender and puree until smooth. If desired add more chipotle to taste. If necessary add more water to thin the sauce.. Salt, pepper to taste then mix in the honey.
Shrimp
- Put the flour, salt and pepper on a dinner plate then mix the ingredients.
- In a small container, combine the egg and 1 tablespoons of water, and whisk until blended using a fork.
- In a wide casserole dish or dinner plate mix the coconut, panko, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon ground pepper in.
Dredge each shrimp in the flour then shake off excess. Dip into the egg, turning to coat all sides. Place on the coconut mixture, press down all sides to get a uniform crust of coconut mixture. Lay each shrimp on a tray or cutting board for the next step.
Heat 1 inch of oil to 350º F. Using tongs, fry the shrimp in batches not overcrowding the pan until they are golden brown about 1 minute each side but be mindful not to overcook. Transfer to a cooking rack to drain.
Plating
As dinner plate, lay a bed of salsa then place the shrimp over the salsa. Place the remaining salsa on the dinner table. Lightly garnish with green herb of your choice for presentation.
As an appetizer, locate container of salsa on the table for dipping.
Buen Provecho.
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