Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Freeze Baked Coconut Shrimp







Baked coconut shrimp is a lower fat version of the tasty but relatively unhealthy fried coconut shrimp. Panko bread crumbs are mixed in with the coconut to add extra crunch and the shrimp are sprayed with olive oil or cooking spray to help them to brown and crisp in the oven. You can make a large batch of these treats and freeze them so that you'll have them ready for holidays, parties and entertaining.


Instructions


1. Remove the pans of shrimp from the oven when they are just beginning to brown. This should be about three minutes before the usual complete cooking time. Allow the shrimp to cool on the pan for ten minutes.


2. Mark the name of the recipe and the date on each zip top bag. Some bags have spaces printed on them for this information, but if yours do not, make the writing large and noticeable.


3. Use tongs to gently place the shrimp in zip top bags, putting six or eight in each bag. Putting smaller amounts in each bag will help the shrimp to freeze faster. Packaging the shrimp in serving sizes helps with deciding how many bags to use later, as well.


4. Close the bags almost all the way, leaving a space about an inch long open. Place the straw in the bag and use it to suck out as much air as you can, quickly closing the bag the rest of the way, enclosing the vacuum-packed shrimp.


5. Lay the bags flat on a cooking or baking sheet and set the pan on the bottom surface of the freezer. This will help in freezing the shrimp faster. When the shrimp are frozen solid, remove the pan from the freezer and stack the bags of shrimp in a convenient spot in the freezer.

Tags: coconut shrimp, shrimp bags, will help