Easy, Baked Coconut Shrimp

Years ago, my good friend Rachel had me over to her apartment for dinner. My husband and I had just gotten married, and I was anxious to begin cooking and creating as many fabulous meals as I could.  Unfortunately, I wasn't exactly sure where to start and was feeling fairly timid about what I could accomplish. My friend, however, was hardly timid about most challenges in life, and cooking was no exception. And so, she had us over on a weeknight and made coconut shrimp for the first time! I was so impressed and the shrimp were incredible. What I loved most about these shrimp was that they were baked. None of the mess of frying on the stove. I am pretty sure we ate only shrimp for dinner but it was all we wanted.

Years later, I still had never tried to make them myself and finally decided I would research a recipe and give it a try myself. I found that they were as easy and delicious as the ones I shared with her as a newlywed. I believe they would be better with an orange marmalade sauce, and I have included one but have not yet made it myself. If you decide to try it, please comment and let me know how it is.

Baked Coconut Shrimp
Adapted from allrecipes.com

Ingredients
I pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
2 cups flaked, sweetened coconut
3 egg whites, beaten until foamy

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 400 degrees. Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Rinse and dry shrimp with paper towels. Mix cornstarch, salt, and cayenne pepper in a shallow bow; pour coconut flakes in a separate shallow bowl. Working with one shrimp at a time, dredge it in the cornstarch mixture, then dip it in the egg white, and roll it in the coconut, making sure to coat the shrimp well. Place on the prepared baking sheet, and repeat with the remaining shrimp.
3. Bake the shrimp until they are bright pink on the outside and the meat is no longer transparent in the center and the coconut is browned, 15 to 20 minutes, flipping the shrimp halfway through.

Serve with dipping sauce if desired: Mix together 1/2 cup orange marmalade, 2 teaspoons stone ground mustard with seeds, 1 teaspoon prepared horseradish, and a dash of salt.