Coconut Crusted Vegan Shrimp!

My vegan seafood recipe series continues with these Coconut Crusted Vegan Shrimp! (Seriously, how cute are these)!?!? These crunchy golden bites are the perfect appetizer to impress. Golden, crispy, coconut coated on the outside, lightly chewy, juicy, with a slight taste of the sea on the inside. Serve these with homemade cocktail sauce for a real crowd-pleaser. Oil-free and air fryer versions are included in the recipe notes!

What are vegan shrimp?

I’ve seen vegan shrimp for sale in fancy food stores, but in my recipe, I’m keeping it simple by using one of my favourite vegan products to make the shrimp: soy curls! The soy curls are soaked in a marinade of vegetable broth, lemon juice, miso paste, and a few other seasonings. This makes them juicy and taste lightly of the sea. The soy curls are then covered in a panko coconut coating and then fried until golden brown. Crispy and golden on the outside, and juicy and tender in the middle. Yum!

What are soy curls?

If you are new to soy curls, they are this amazing affordable 1-ingredient dried soy product. Soy curls are bland in flavor with a light chewy texture. This makes them the perfect vehicle for sucking up any marinade you give them, making them perfect for this recipe. I always keep a few bags in my pantry at all times. You can find soy curls at bulk food stores, health food stores, vegan grocers, or on amazon.

How to make Coconut Crusted Vegan Shrimp:

To make the cocktail sauce: Add the ketchup, horseradish, vinegar, and hot sauce (if using), to a medium bowl and mix well to combine.

For the soy curls: to a medium bowl, add the vegetable broth, lemon juice, miso paste, parika, garlic powder, and salt and whisk well to combine. Add the soy curls and stir to coat. Let the soy curls soak for about 10 minutes until they are softened.

Note: for this recipe, to get the most shrimp-like shapes, I like to handpick the dry soy curls from the package. I select soy curls that are longer and curlier in shape to mimic shrimp shapes. Use the remaining soy curls to make recipes such as my soy curl tacos, lemon garlic soy curls, or Jerk BBQ soy curls. In these recipes, it doesn’t matter if the soy curl bits are smaller or broken.

To make the coconut panko shrimp: assemble the bowls: You will need three medium bowls.

• In bowl 1: whisk together the flour, salt, and pepper.
• Next, bowl 2: mix the warm water with the chia or flax (this will thicken in about 10 minutes).
• Lastly, bowl 3: mix together the coconut and panko.

Coat the soy curls: when you are ready to assemble the vegan shrimp, working with a few soy curls at a time, remove them from the marinade. (Do not squeeze them out, you want the soy curl to hold some of the marinade). Dredge the soy curls in the flour bowl and shake off excess. Next drop them in the chia mixture and toss to coat. Finally, toss them in the coconut panko mixture, then set them aside on a plate. Repeat with all of the soy curls until you have used up all of your ingredients.

Note 1: The chia or flax mixture can get thick as you work, so feel free to mix in more water to the mixture as needed so that it is easy to work with.

Note 2: the coating will stick to your fingers so I find it easiest to dedicate a pair of chopsticks to each bowl to make coating the soy curls easier and preventing it from sticking to your fingers.

To fry the soy curls: in a large skillet or non-stick frying pan, pour enjoy oil to generously coat the bottom of the pan. Heat the oil over medium-high heat, and when hot, carefully add the coconut-coated soy curls in a single layer, giving space around each soy curl. You will likely need to work in batches. Fry the soy curls on one side until golden brown. Then carefully flip over and fry the other side until the soy curls are browned all over (2 – 4 minutes per side). Drain the fried soy curls on a paper towel and repeat with the remaining batches.

Serve the coconut crusted vegan shrimp hot with the cocktail sauce. My chimichurri, marinara or garlic butter, or creamy red pepper cashew dip would also make yummy sauces for dipping if you want to try something other than the cocktail sauce.

Bon appetegan!

Sam Turnbull

Print Recipe

Coconut Crusted Vegan Shrimp!

Golden, crispy, coconut coated on the outside, lightly chewy, juicy, with a slight taste of the sea on the inside. Serve these with homemade cocktail sauce for a real crowd-pleaser. The secret ingredient to make these shrimp: soy curls! Oil-free and air fryer versions are included in the recipe notes!

Prep Time25 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Total Time40 mins

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Servings: 4 (makes 30 – 38 vegan shrimp)

Calories: 497kcal

Author: Sam Turnbull • It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken

Ingredients

For the Cocktail Sauce (optional):

• ½ cup ketchup
• 3 tablespoons horseradish
• 1 ½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• hot sauce to taste (optional)

For the coconut panko coating:

• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ½ cup warm water (plus more if needed)
• 4 teaspoons ground chia or ground flax
• 1 cup unsweetend shredded coconut
• ¾ cup panko bread crumbs (gluten-free if preferred)
• light oil for frying (such as vegetable or canola)

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

To make the cocktail sauce:

• Add the ketchup, horseradish, vinegar, and hot sauce (if using), to a medium bowl and mix well to combine.

For the soy curls:

• To a medium bowl, add the vegetable broth, lemon juice, miso paste, parika, garlic powder, and salt and whisk well to combine. Add the soy curls and stir to coat. Let the soy curls soak for about 10 minutes until they are softened.

To make the coconut panko shrimp:

• Assemble the bowls: You will need three medium bowls. In bowl 1: whisk together the flour, salt, and pepper. In bowl 2: mix the warm water with the chia or flax (this will thicken in about 10 minutes). In bowl 3: mix together the coconut and panko.

• Coat the soy curls: when you are ready to assemble the vegan shrimp, working with a few soy curls at a time, remove them from the marinade (do not squeeze them out, you want the soy curl to hold some of the marinade). Dredge the soy curls in the flour bowl and shake off excess. Next drop them in the chia mixture and toss to coat. Finally, toss them in the coconut panko mixture, then set them aside on a plate. Repeat with all of the soy curls until you have used up all of your ingredients. Note 1: The chia or flax mixture can get thick as you work, so feel free to mix in more water to the mixture as needed so that it is easy to work with.Note 2: the coating will stick to your fingers so I find it easiest to dedicate a pair of chopsticks to each bowl to make coating the soy curls easier and preventing it from sticking to your fingers.

• To fry the soy curls: in a large skillet or non-stick frying pan, pour enjoy oil to generously coat the bottom of the pan. Heat the oil over medium-high heat, and when hot, carefully add the coconut-coated soy curls in a single layer, giving space around each soy curl. You will likely need to work in batches. Fry the soy curls on one side until golden brown, then carefully flip over and fry the other side until the soy curls are browned all over (2 – 4 minutes per side). Drain the fried soy curls on a paper towel and repeat with the remaining batches. Serve the vegan shrimp hot with the cocktail sauce.

Notes

Soy curl tips: for this recipe, to get the most shrimp-like shapes, I like to handpick the dry soy curls from the package. I select soy curls that are longer and curlier in shape to mimic shrimp shapes. Use the remaining soy curls to make recipes such as my soy curl tacos, lemon garlic soy curls, or Jerk BBQ soy curls. In these recipes, it doesn’t matter if the soy curl bits are smaller or broken.
Air fryer/ oil-free version: to make the soy curls in an air fryer, follow all of the steps to prep the vegan shrimp. Instead of frying in oil in a pan, preheat your air fryer to 370F (190C). Use spray oil to lightly grease the bottom of the air fryer basket (omit if oil-free). Place the coconut-coated soy curls in the basket in a single layer keeping them spaced out so there is air around each soy curl. You will need to work in batches. Air fry the soy curls for about 6 minutes until they are crunchy and lightly browned around the edges. Note that they will not get as deep golden brown as when frying in oil, but they will still be gorgeously crispy! Repeat with the remaining soy curls and serve with the cocktail sauce.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving (recipe makes 4 servings, estimating 1 tablespoon of oil per serving)) | Calories: 497kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1244mg | Potassium: 338mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 532IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 115mg | Iron: 4mg