This recipe for Lightly baked Coconut prawns is great if you’re looking for something special to work up an appetite or your fingers, but don’t want to spend too long making it. Unlike coconut shrimp recipes that are deep fried, this one is lightly oven baked, which means less fat and calories. Great served with Thai sweet chilli sauce (available in most Asian supermarkets) or for an extra tropical treat serve them with my Easy Mango Dip'see below). Enjoy!

What you’ll need

18-24 medium-sized raw shrimp butterflied (tails can be left out) 1/2 cup dry shredded coconut (unsweetened baking type) 2-3 eggs for the topping: 1/2 Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs or any type of dry refined breadcrumbs* see below for gluten-free diet) 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon onion powder 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1/8 teaspoon cayenne'pepper (OR dried crushed chili)

How to make it

Preheat oven to 425 F. Season with salt and pepper. Also, prepare a baking sheet by spraying it with a nonstick cooking spray or cover it with parchment paper. Stir the mixing ingredients into a bowl. Set aside. In another smaller bowl lightly beat 2 eggs. In a third bowl, place the shredded coconut. Hold the shrimp by their tails, first rinse the beaten egg, then in the panko mix lightly to coat, drop the egg back in and finally roll in the coconut. Place the prawns on the sides of your prepared baking tray. Depending on the size and number of shrimp, you may need to use another egg. Tip: as they start to cook, avoid overlapping or the shrimp will be flat on one side. Bake the center strip at 425 F for 15-20 minutes or until the coconut is lightly toasted (light golden brown). Turn the shrimp halfway through baking. Serve with Thai Sweet Chili Sauce (available in most Asian section supermarkets) or my Mango Coconut .

* Gluten-free diets: use plain or sesame rice crackers seasoned with food processor or chopped fine (1/2 cup). Results are very similar to Panko!

Nutritional guidelines (per serving) Calories 163 Total fat 8 g Saturated fat 4 g Saturated fat 2 g Cholesterol 170 mg Sodium 199 mg Carbohydrate 13 g Fiber 2 g Protein 9 g (Nutritional information in our recipes is calculated from the ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. Individual results may vary.)