Trefoil Cookie Showdown: Coconut Shortbread Shrimp

Got some Girl Scout cookies sitting around? So did we. Hence, the Trefoil Cookie Showdown.

Re-purposing Trefoils into some sort of dessert seemed a little too easy. I wanted to try my hand at something savory. Almost instantly, I had it. Coconut Shrimp! I honesty didn’t even consider anything else past that (okay, maybe mac & cheese for a second). It was like it was meant to be. The standard dish was already slightly on the sweet side; cookies could only make it better.

I also whipped up a batch of sriracha mayo to complement the crispy shrimp and tone down the sweetness. It worked out quite nicely and I will be putting sriracha mayo on pretty much everything from now on.

The recipe has a few steps, but it’s relatively simple. They are best served hot, so don’t fry them until right before serving time.  Please beware of the hot oil, we don’t want anyone burning their pretty faces!

Coconut Shrimp Ingredients:
Canola oil (for deep frying)
1 lb large uncooked shrimp (peeled and deveined)
1 ½ cups all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon season salt (nature seasonings, montreal steak seasoning, whatever you like)
1 cup milk
1 cup ground Trefoil Cookies ( about 1 sleeve)
1 cup flaked coconut

Step 1: rinse shrimp, pat dry. Butterfly the shrimp by using a  sharp knife to cut each shrimp down the back (where the vein was) and then flatten. Leave the tails on.

Step 2: Combine 3/4 cup of flour with cayenne pepper, black pepper and season salt. Set aside.

Step 3: In a separate bowl, mix milk with remaining 3/4 cup flour till smooth.

Step 4:  Put Trefoils in a food processor and process till you have a course powder. Mix cookie crumbs with coconut.

Step 5:  Coat each shrimp first with the flour spice mix, then dip in the milk/flour batter, then roll in the coconut cookie mix.

Step 5: Heat 2 inches of oil in a heavy bottom pan to 350 degrees. Working  in batches of 6, drop shrimp in hot oil and cook till golden brown, about 2 minutes. Remove from oil and drain on paper towel. Serve hot with sriracha mayo.

Sriracha Mayo Dipping Sauce