Whole30 Coconut Shrimp Taco Bowls
Make these Whole30 Coconut Shimp Taco Bowls, light and covering all the bases, as your next quick dinner. They are crunchy, bright, flavorful and healthy. Bonus...shrimp cooks in about 3 minutes so with packaged coleslaw this dinner is on the table in 30 minutes or less.
What is Coconut Shrimp?
Coconut Shrimp is as basic as it sounds: coconut-crusted shrimp. It's totally delicious on its own, but served in taco form with all the traditional fish taco toppings, it's over the top. If you've tried my Coconut Cod tacos, you know the deliciousness. The natural sweetness of shrimp along with the coconut, however, is purely magical.
What Makes these Whole30 Coconut Shrimp Taco Bowls?
Whole30 is a way of eating that eliminates inflammatory foods. Instead, you eat whole, real, clean foods that are not known to cause inflammation. Typical fried fish or shrimp tacos are breaded with panko bread crumbs or are battered. In either case they are deep-fried. For these Whole30-friendly coconut shrimp taco bowls, the shrimp are breaded with finely shredded coconut and are fried in a skillet.
What Ingredients are in the Coconut Shrimp Taco Bowls?
These bowls start with a bed of cabbage, red peppers, carrots and a citrusy dressing. The coconut-crusted shrimp, brings the crunch. Add sesame seeds, and a swim-worthy, Whole30 version of the ever-popular Bang Bang sauce to top it off. Ingredient Note desiccated coconut (unfortunate name for very finely shredded, almost chopped, coconut) is the secret to making the crust stick to the shrimp. You can also pulse any coconut in a food processor or blender to get it to that consistency.
I can't eat shellfish, what can I do instead?
Shellfish allergies are super common, but luckily this technique can be used with any other fish or you can use 1-inch pieces of chicken breast. You will follow the entire recipe as written, using your alternate protein instead. Any fish will cook in about the same time, but chicken will take longer and is best checked with digital thermometer at 165 degrees.
Whole30 Coconut Shrimp Taco Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 bag coleslaw mix
- 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 bunch radishes, thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- Sea salt to taste
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- white and/or black sesame seeds
- Avocado, optional
- 3/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp chile-garlic paste (or to taste)
- 2 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 1 tbsp lime juice or rice vinegar
- 1 1/2 tbsp Whole30-friendly ketchup or use my recipe
- sea salt to taste
- 2 cups very finely shredded (AKA dessicated) coconut
- 1 1/2 tsp ginger powder
- 11/2 tsp granulated garlic
- 11/2 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 2 lb peeled and deveined shrimp or 1 1/2 lbs chicken cut into 2" pieces
Instructions
- Mix the coleslaw, red pepper and rashes with cilantro, lime juice, olive oil and half the green onions. Add sea salt to taste. Divide between bowls.
- Whisk all the ingredients together and set aside.
- Mix the coconut with 1 tsp each ginger, garlic and salt on a wide plate or pie dish. Whisk the eggs in a shallow bowl with the remaining ginger, garlic and salt. Coat the shrimp in the egg then the coconut mixture. Lay on a plate until you are ready to cook (but not more than 10 minutes or so as the coating my start to stick to the plate.)
- Heat 2 tbsp coconut, avocado or light olive oil over medium.
- Gently lay the shrimp in a single layer (do in batches if necessary) in the skillet and fry on one side until the shrimp are almost opaque. Flip and fry the second side. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Divide the shrimp between the bowls and drizzle with the sauce. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and thinly sliced green onions. Add sliced avocado if desired.