Beer Battered Coconut Shrimp & a Guest Blogger

I am so happy to introduce you to my very first guest blogger, Sabrina from the WONDERFUL blog, Eat Drink & Be Merry.  I fell in love with Sabrina's blog the second I came across it! She not only has the most amazing recipes but her photos are all beautiful!  They literally have you wanting to lick your computer screen!  I have loved getting to know Sabrina through her lovely blog and I just know that all of you will too!  So after lusting over this delicious shrimp recipe, head on over and check out her amazingness! (Yes that is a word, he he he :) ) 

So enough of me; Here's Sabrina!

Thank you so much Muriel for inviting me to guest post on your beautiful blog! I am completely honored since I am a loyal follower and always look forward to your new posts! Everything you post here is fantastic! From your home decor ideas to your delicious recipes! 

Ever since I can remember, I have loved cooking and creating meals. My mom, and both my grandmothers have been great teachers in the kitchen and I am so very lucky to have them-and their recipes! Food is huge in my family! Growing up we had a sit down dinner every night and celebrations were hosted with enormous amounts of food! I was taught early on the simple pleasure of great food and drink!

I have followed cooking blogs for a long time, finding them extremely useful when I'm either looking for something to make for dinner, "how to" instructions, or to see what something looks like! When I finally graduated and got married, I knew that creating a food blog was the first project on my list! I created my blog so I could preserve all my recipes and my family's recipes, to have something to share with my future children, and to also share them with the wonderful food blogging community. Never would I have thought that it would be this much fun! I am meeting so many wonderful people and learning so much from them. I hope that people find my blog useful the same way I found others to be.

I chose the title Eat, Drink, and be Merry, because it perfectly explains how I feel about cooking and sharing my recipes. Food brings people together and in turn creates beautiful memories and great times! Where there is food and drink, there is fun! and I'm having so much fun!!!

Today I'd like to share with you my Beer Battered Coconut Shrimp and Sweet Chili Citrus Sauce. This recipe is special to me because it was the first meal Eric and I shared together on our honeymoon in Aruba. I can remember it perfectly! It was nighttime on the beach, we were sitting under the starry sky, our toes in the sand, with bright tiki torches all around us. I don't even think we said a word to each other! We were just taking it all in and listening to the waves crash in front of us. We were also starrrrrving and a little jet-lagged! The sweet and crispy coconut shrimp tasted sooo good and was the perfect meal to start off our incredible honeymoon! 

Beer Battered Coconut Shrimp and a Sweet Chili Citrus Sauce
serves 4, about 5 shrimp each

20 jumbo shrimp or prawns, about 1 1/2 lb, peeled and deveined with the tails left on
1 1/3 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup beer, I used Sam Adams Summer Ale, Eric's favorite
2 cups shredded coconut, I used sweetened
1/4 cup coconut milk
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon each, salt and pepper
3-4 cups vegetable oil

Sweet Chili Citrus Sauce
1/.3 cup sweet red chili sauce, found near the thai food
1 cup pineapple preserves, orange would work good too1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped

For the Shrimp.

Pour oil in a medium sized saucepan and heat on med hi until it reached 360 degrees. An oil thermometer works wonderfully here! Mix together chili sauce and preserves and microwave for 30 seconds. Add the cilantro, mix and set aside.

Mix together flower, baking powder, beer, coconut milk, sugar, and spices. pour your coconut in a separate shallow bowl.

Once oil reached temperature, dredge 1 shrimp into the batter, and then into the shredded coconut, pressing the coconut into the batter.

Carefully, drop into the oil and fry for 3 to 4 minutes. With a metal slotted spoon, carefully remove the shrimp and place them on a plate, lined with a paper towel. I did 3 shrimps at a time to no over crowd the pan and they all came out perfect. 

Serve with Sweet Chili and Citrus Sauce and enjoy! :)

Thanks again Sabrina for gracing us with this amazing looking appetizer! Can't wait to give it a try!

Click HERE to check out Sabrina's Wonderful Blog!