Coconut Shrimp Tacos with Pineapple Jalapeño Salsa
These coconut shrimp tacos are topped with irresistible, easy-to-make pineapple jalapeño salsa, they’re baked, not fried and take only 30 minutes to make! With a little sprinkle of lime and your favorite hot sauce, you won’t believe how much flavor is packed into these gorgeous, spiced coconut tacos!
Servings: 8 tacos
Calories: 284kcal
Equipment
- 4 mixing bowls
- foil-lined baking sheet
Ingredients
For the Pineapple Jalapeño Salsa
- ½ pineapple - finely diced
- 1 jalapeño - finely diced
- 1 tbsp. red onion - finely diced
- 1 tbsp. cilantro - finely chopped
- juice from ½ lime
For the Tacos
- 1 pound shrimp - about 25 pieces (tails removed and deveined)
- 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
- ½ cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tsp. coconut oil - liquified
- ½ tsp. Old Bay seasoning
- ⅛ tsp. cayenne pepper
- ⅛ tsp. chili pepper
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- 2 eggs - beaten
- 8 tortillas
- spritz of lime - optional
Instructions
- Finely dice ½ pineapple, 1 jalapeño, 1 tbsp. red onion and 1 tbsp. cilantro. Add ingredients to a mixing bowl. Add juice from ½ lime and stir. Set aside until shrimp is ready. To see how to correctly dice a pineapple and learn a nice trick to slicing jalapeño, take a look at the full pineapple jalapeño salsa recipe.
- Preheat oven to 450 F. (230 C.) and line a baking sheet with tin foil. Wash and remove tails from 1 pound of shrimp (about 25 pieces). Set aside.
- In a bowl, mix 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes and ½ cup panko breadcrumbs. Thoroughly mix in 2 tsp. liquid coconut oil (or olive oil). Sprinkle with ½ tsp. Old Bay seasoning, about ⅛ tsp. cayenne pepper and ⅛ tsp. chili pepper. Gently toss so the spices are distributed throughout.
- Place the bowl of coconut mixture next to 2 other bowls on a table. In one, add ¼ cup all purpose flour, and in the other, add 2 beaten eggs. Dip shrimp first in flour, making sure it’s thoroughly coated. Then, dip the shrimp in egg, again making sure it’s thoroughly coated, allowing a bit to drip off. Then, dip the shrimp into the coconut-panko mixture, making sure to really press it down and thoroughly coat it.
- Place coconut-covered spiced shrimp on your foil-lined baking sheet, and repeat the 3 steps with each shrimp. Once they’re all done, bake for 10-12 minutes. When finished, remove and fill 8 tortillas with 3 shrimp each and add a nice helping of pineapple salsa. Spritz with lime and serve.
Notes
You can use either raw or cooked shrimp in this recipe.
I've used cooked shrimp and it didn't taste over-cooked at all. Just be sure your shrimp is fully thawed, whether cooked or raw.
To reheat the shrimp:
Store them in a sealed container for 2 days, and simply reheat at 400 F. (200 F.) for 8-10 minutes. I wouldn’t suggest microwaving them because they’ll become rubbery and, worst of all, your microwave will become quite stinky.
The pineapple salsa will be perfectly tasty for 3 days if covered and refrigerated.
It won’t look as fresh after a day however. If you want to keep leftover salsa for other recipes, feel free to freeze it for up to 3 months.
If you want to fry the shrimp instead of bake:
You would follow the directions up until baking. When they’re all covered with the coconut mixture, you would simply fill a frying pan with enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan fully (I use grape seed oil since it has a very high smoke point). Turn the heat to medium-high and place about 5-7 shrimp in the pan at a time. Allow them to fry on each side for 2-3 minutes. Remove them onto a paper towel to release some oil, and serve.
See post for detailed instructions with photos of the process.
Nutrition information is an estimate.
Nutrition
Serving: 1taco | Calories: 284kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 184mg | Sodium: 722mg | Potassium: 252mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 311IU | Vitamin C: 38mg | Calcium: 142mg | Iron: 3mg