Looking for a fun appetizer or dinner recipe that’s both delicious AND healthy? Want to make all of your friends think you spent HOURS making dinner without the effort? Well, have I got a recipe for you! At 328 calories per serving, these tasty Skinny Coconut Shrimp will make your friends question if you stole them from a celebrity chef. 

If you’re wondering what makes this typical comfort-food soo healthy, let me tell you my secret. My recipe uses Japanese style breadcrumbs mixed with shredded coconut flakes cooked in the oven instead of coconut infused batter fried in a grease pit. 

You’ll need 24 TAIL ON large (jumbo or butterfly) shrimp for this recipe. It doesn’t matter if they’re pre-frozen or not, but you’ll save some major prep time if you buy your shrimp already peeled and de-veined. If you elect to buy fresh shrimp, the fishmonger at the grocery store will usually do this chore for you, free of charge, if you ask! 

Set your oven to 425 degrees F so you can prepare your shrimp while things are heating up. To do this, arrange three plates in the following order: one plate of flour, one plate with a whisked egg, and one plate with your coconut/panko mix. One by one cover each individual shrimp in flour, then egg, then coconut/panko mix. Arrange seasoned shrimp on a foil lined cookie sheet, sprayed with cooking spray. Continue doing this until all shrimp have been prepared, then place in the oven for 8 minutes. 

While you shrimp are cooking, make your apricot dip. This is seriously the EASIEST thing to make! All you have to do is stir your apricot preserves, crushed red pepper flakes, and rice wine vinegar in bowl until they’re combined, and place it in the oven until your shrimp are ready. 

After 8 minutes, grab a spatula and flip over your shrimp so the other side can cook. You only have to wait 6 more minutes or until your shrimp turn golden brown before you can enjoy them! When time’s up, remove from the oven, serve with the apricot dipping sauce and enjoy! 

Skinny Coconut Shrimp

2014-09-03 15:03:42

Serves 4

Put a healthy spin on a traditional comfort food and make these Skinny Coconut Shrimp for your next meal. With 328 calories per serving there's room for seconds...and thirds!

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Ingredients

1. • 24 tail on shrimp, peeled and deveined
2. • 1 egg
3. • 1/2 cup shredded, unsweetened coconut flakes (I prefer Red Hill brand)
4. • 1/2 cup Japanese panko
5. • 1 tsp salt
6. • 1 tsp pepper
7. • 1 tsp cayenne
8. • 2 Tbs flour
9. • 1 tsp lemon zest
10. • 1/2 cup apricot preserves
11. • 2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
12. • 1 Tbs rice wine vinegar
13. • Cooking spray

Instructions

1. • De-thaw shrimp if frozen or peel and devein if needed (be sure to leave tail on)
2. • Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F, line a cookie sheet with foil, and spray with cooking spray.
3. • Arrange three plates in a row. On the first plate pour the flour. On the next plate crack and whisk the egg. Combine the coconut flakes, panko, salt, pepper, cayenne, and lemon zest on the last plate, and lay plates, in order, side by side. (flour, egg, coconut/panko mix)
4. • Take each shrimp individually and cover in flour (shake excess flour off)
5. • Next, dip the floured shrimp into the egg so that it is completely covered.
6. • Finally, Roll the shrimp in the coconut/panko mixture so that both sides are completely covered and mixture sticks, and lay on cookie sheet.
7. • Repeat until all shrimp are covered.
8. • Lightly spray tops of shrimp with cooking spray and place in oven for 8 minutes at 425 degrees F. (Spraying shrimp with cooking spray is required to make your shrimp crispy. I used PAM.)
9. • While shrimp are cooking make the dipping sauce. Combine the apricot preserves, red pepper flakes, and rice wine vinegar in a bowl and whisk with a fork. When ingredients are well combined, place dip in refrigerator until you're ready to eat.
10. • After 8 minutes, use a spatula and flip shrimp on opposite side and cook in oven for 6 more minutes or until shrimp turn golden brown.
11. • When finished, remove, serve, and enjoy!

By God Save the Quinoa

God Save the Quinoa https://www.godsavethequinoa.com/

Are you tired of cooking salmon in the oven, using the same spices, in the same dish, over and over again? I was. So, to spice things up I decided to take a stab at making some salmon skewers on the grill. (No pun intended). Believe it or not, they’re super easy to make and only require a few ingredients (salmon, lemons, some spices, and olive oil spray) and a couple of pieces of hardware (bamboo skewers and a grill).

I tested this recipe out on my parents and I think they thought the idea of salmon kebabs sounded strange because when I first told them what I was planning on cooking they told me they “didn’t like salmon”. Now, now, Mom and Dad, if you’re reading this, I’ve been your child for over 24 years and know all of your tricks (because I often use them myself). There’s no fooling me! But to ease the tension I grabbed some shrimp to make shrimp skewers for those who wanted to be difficult… I won’t mention any names. Anyways, the point of this story is that once the salmon kebabs were cooked and placed on the table the reluctant and curious words from my parents of “I’ll just try a bite” quickly turned into “Are there anymore salmon skewers?” and “Can you make some more?”. Now those are pretty bold words from someone who “doesn’t like salmon”. This recipe was a hit and apparently turned salmon haters into salmon lovers. I hope it will do the same for you!  

What kind of salmon do I need? Go to the fish counter at your local grocery store (I went to Central Market) and look for skinless salmon filets. You will need about one pound of salmon to make 8 kebabs. There will probably be a plethera of choices to choose from and all of them will most likely still have the skin on them. Talk to the fishmonger behind the counter (the fishmonger is the “butcher” of the fish counter) and tell him or her that you’re planning on making salmon kebabs and that you need the skin removed and the filets cut into equal sized 1 – 1.5 inch cubes. The fishmonger should be able to do this for you at no extra charge. I LOVE asking the fishmonger to do this (and peel and de-vein my shrimp). If you don’t do so already, take advantage of these services. It’ll save you a ton of prep time when you get home! As for what type of salmon to use, its up to you. I recommend using fresh salmon from behind the fish counter, not the kind that comes frozen in a bag like a bunch of chicken breasts. But like I said, the choice is yours!  

What else do I need to know? When you’re at the store, buy the biggest lemons you can find. If I remember correctly, I found some HUGE ones at Central Market that were from Mexico. You will need to slice the lemons very, very thinly and fold each slice in half to put on the bamboo skewers. This is much easier to do with big lemons. Trust me! 

You will need to use TWO bamboo skewers for each kebab. So, make sure you have enough! Also, do NOT forget to soak your bamboo skewers in water for at least 15 minutes before assembling kebabs and placing them on the grill. This will prevent your skewers from catching on fire once they’re on the grill. Make sure your skewers are fully submerged in water. From my experiences, you can’t soak your skewers for too long. To make sure I don’t forget to do this, I’ll throw my skewers in a bowl of water before I leave to go get ingredients or will start soaking them as soon as I get back from the grocery store just to make sure they have plenty of time to marinate before I start cooking. 

Where do I start? Before you do anything, soak your bamboo skewers in water. Next, skin and cube your salmon filets (if your fishmonger has not done so already). Using a mandolin or a very sharp knife, cut your lemons into very thin slices. Keep in mind that these lemon slices will be folded in half when you’re assembling the kebabs. If they’re too thick they might break in half and fall off when you put them on the grill. 

Once your lemon slices and salmon cubes are cut, you can start to assemble your kebabs. Each kebab will have 6 salmon cubes and 5 lemon slices. Each kebab should start and end with salmon. To assemble the kebabs, hold TWO skewers side by side (a little less than once inch apart) so that they’re parallel to each other. Start by sliding a salmon cube on the skewers followed by a folded lemon slice. Continue until the skewers are full. (The pattern should go a little something like this: salmon, lemon, salmon, lemon, salmon, lemon, salmon, lemon, salmon, lemon, salmon.) As a reminder, each kebab should have 6 pieces of salmon, and 5 slices on lemon, starting and ending with salmon. Once assembled, lay your kebabs on a dish (as pictured below). 

In a separate bowl, combine 2 Tbs oregano, 2 tsp of sesame seeds, 1 tsp cumin, and 1/4 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes and mix well. Sprinkle the oregano sesame seed mixture across all salmon kebabs and head to the grill! 

Heat the grill to medium heat and spay with olive oil cooking spray to prevent kebabs from sticking. When the grill is ready to go, throw on the kebabs! You will cook your kebabs until the salmon is opaque throughout. You will need to turn each kebab occasionally to ensure they cook evenly. Each kebab should take between 8 and 10 minutes to cook, but keep in mind that this time could vary depending on the intensity of your grill. You will know your kebabs are cooked when the salmon turns a light pink color. 

When they’re done, simply remove them from the grill, lay them on a plate, and serve immediately! 

Grilled Salmon Kebabs

2014-06-19 14:24:19

Yields 8

A light and refreshing dish that combines the mouth-watering flavors of grilled salmon and fresh lemon, and can be made in less than 30 minutes.

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Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

10 min

Prep Time

15 min

Cook Time

10 min

Ingredients

1. • 2 Tbs oregano
2. • 1 tsp sesame seeds
3. • 1 tsp cumin
4. • 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
5. • 2 large lemons, very thinly sliced
6. • 1 pound skinless salmon fillet, cut into approx. 1 inch cubes
7. • Olive oil cooking spray
8. •16 bamboo skewers, soaked in water

Instructions

1. • Soak bamboo skewers in water for at least 15 minutes.
2. • Combine oregano, sesame seeds, cumin, and red pepper flakes in a bowl and set aside.
3. • With a sharp knife, cut lemon into very thin slices. (Cut the lemon slices horizontally for best result).
4. • Remove skin from salmon fillets and cut into EQUAL 1 - 1.5 inch cubes. You want all pieces to be similar sizes so they will cook equally. (You can ask the fishmonger behind the counter at the grocery store to do this for you).
5. • Assemble the skewers by alternating 6 pieces of salmon and 5 lemon slices on two parallel bamboo skewers. Fold lemon slices in half when placing on skewers. You should start and end each skewer with a piece of salmon.
6. • Lay skewers side by side on dish and sprinkle oregano sesame seed mix equally on each skewer.
7. • Turn grill to medium heat and spray with cooking spray.
8. • Grill salmon kebabs for about 8 - 10 minutes, turning occasionally, until fish is opaque throughout.
9. • Arrange cooked skewers on a plate, serve, and enjoy!

Notes

1. If using bamboo skewers soak skewers in water before placing on grill.

By God Save the Quinoa

God Save the Quinoa https://www.godsavethequinoa.com/

I hope everyone enjoys these as much as my family and I did! I’d love to hear what you think! Feel free to comment or message me with any questions or comments!