Crispy coconut prawns with pineapple rum sauce

Butterflied prawns spend a little time in a coconut milk marinade before being coated in a breadcrumb and coconut mix. Once cooked, the crisp, golden crumbed prawns are served up with a spicy pineapple sauce.

Crispy coconut prawns with pineapple rum sauce. Credit: Comfort Food With Spencer Watts

• serves

  2

• prep

  20 minutes

• cook

  30 minutes

• difficulty

  Mid

Ingredients

• 12 large prawns (shrimp), peeled, deveined, tail-on

Coconut marinade

• 3 tsp lime juice
• 1 can (400 ml) coconut milk
• 1 tsp chilli flakes

Crispy coconut breading

• 1 cup plain (all-purpose) flour
• 3 eggs, whisked
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut
• 2 litres vegetable oil, for frying
• Sprinkle of sea salt, for serving

Pineapple rum hot sauce

• 5 cm (2 in) piece ginger, peeled, sliced
• 2 cups diced pineapple
• 1 fresh habanero chilli
• ½ cup diced white onion
• 2 garlic cloves, diced
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• ⅓ cup white wine vinegar
• ⅓ cup rum

Marinading time: 20-25 minutes.

Instructions

1. Butterfly each prawn (shrimp) by slicing along the back, from the tail to the top, take care not to slice all the way through.
2. For the marinade, add coconut milk, lime juice, and chilli flakes to a bowl and stir to combine. Add butterflied prawns to bowl, ensuring all shrimp are covered. Set aside to marinade for 20-25 minutes.
3. For the crispy coconut breading, assemble your breading station by adding flour to one shallow dish; whisked eggs to a small bowl; and combined Panko breadcrumbs and shredded, unsweetened coconut to another shallow dish.
4. Preheat oil in a Dutch oven, heavy-bottomed pot, or deep fryer to 177-191°C (350-375°F).
5. One by one, dip each prawn into the all flour, then into the whisked egg, followed by pressing into the Panko crumbs to coat. Finally, lower each prawn carefully into the hot oil.
6. Cook for one to two minutes, flipping each prawn halfway, or until golden brown. Remove from oil, transferring to a kitchen towel lined plate, sprinkling with salt to finish.
7. For the pineapple rum hot sauce: To a medium-sized pot on medium heat, add ginger, diced pineapple, chilli powder, sliced habanero, diced white onion, garlic, maple syrup, white wine vinegar and rum. Bring to a simmer and continue cooking until the sauce is thick and jammy (about 10 minutes).
8. Carefully pour hot mixture into a blender and blitz until smooth. Pour into a serving dish.
9. Pile prawns on a serving plate alongside the dish of sauce.

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.