Many people love the taste of coconut shrimp. The outer crispy layer of flaked coconut and bread crumbs provides the perfect contrast to the rich, buttery shrimp. Coconut shrimp are usually served with a dipping sauce, as an appetizer or a main dish.
Many people on a low-carb diet often avoid coconut shrimp because it is high in carbohydrates as well as calories. However, you can make your own low-carb coconut shrimp at home.
Low-Carb Modifications
By changing the ingredients used for coating for the shrimp, you can add extra fiber and reduce the number of carbs. Substituting almond flour for white flour is an easy switch. Make your own breadcrumbs with high-fiber bread instead of white bread. Opt for unsweetened flaked coconut instead of sweetened flake coconut to reduce sugar intake.
Additional Recipe Changes
Marinate the shrimp before adding the crispy coating for extra flavor. Substituting egg whites instead of eggs will also make the recipe lower in calories.
To lower fat intake, bake coconut shrimp instead of deep-frying; the texture will change somewhat, but it will save calories and be less messy. Pan-frying often times is not as effective.
All Coconut Recipe
This recipe for Low-Carb Coconut Shrimp is from the Forum Health Care website. The simple outer crispy coating is made with shredded coconut and eggs. You can either bake or deep-fry the shrimp after applying the coating. You can also make the kiwi chutney on the side for dipping. One serving of has 350 calories, 22 g fat, 29 g protein, 8 g net carbs, and 3 g fiber.
Cornstarch Variation
This recipe for Oven-Baked Coconut Shrimp is from Food.com. In this recipe, the crispy layer is made with sweetened coconut flakes, cornstarch and egg whites. The coconut shrimp are then baked instead of fried. One large shrimp has 40 calories, 1.9 g fat, 1.7 g protein, 4.1 g carbs and .2 g fiber. This recipe is both low-calorie and low-carb.
Fiber One Variation
This recipe for Bigtime Shrimp from the Hungry Girl website uses Fiber One bran cereal as a substitute for white-bread breadcrumbs. The crispy coating also uses sweetened flaked coconut, panko breadcrumbs, chili powder, garlic powder, black pepper, and egg substitute. The shrimp are first coated with egg and the spicy coating, and then baked instead of fried. One serving is about 5 shrimp. One serving has 164 calories, 4.5 g fat, 19.5 g protein, 12 g carbs, and 2 g fiber.
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