Coconut Shrimp

Rinse the shrimp with cold running water. Drain them, place them in a bowl and season with salt, pepper, cayenne and the lemon zest. Allow to marinate for 30 minutes.

Heat the oil on a wide skillet on the stove on medium to high heat (350 F).

Prepare your breading station. Have the bowl of shrimp in the first position. Put the flour, whisked egg and milk together in a separate bowl. And combine the coconut and panko in another bowl.

Start by dipping the shrimp in the flour, then in the egg mix, then in the coconut and panko mix. Make sure the whole shrimp is nicely coated with the coconut and panko. Place on a wire rack set over a rimmed baking sheet. Coat all the shrimp before starting to fry.

Once you start frying, fry only until the shrimp are golden brown on both sides. It will take only about a minute to fry each one. Do not fry more than 3-4 at a time. Egg batter tends to make the oil frothy and then you won’t be able to see the shrimp in the skillet. So do only a few at a time. After frying, place them back on the wire rack to drain.

Combine all the ingredients for the aioli and seve with coconut shrimp!