Caramel-Laquered Coconut Shrimp with Spicy Pineapple Honey Dip

Sunday is a great day. It's the time when after a crazy week at work I get a chance to work in my yard, relax with a glass of wine and read a book. Or, just think about what I might want to cook during the next week. When I was young Sundays meant: the whole day spent in the pool, my dad home all day and usually an al fresco dinner on the patio. Now that I'm grown, Sunday remains a day that I still like to have an easy meal that we can enjoy outside or relax with. This is one of those recipes. Easy, fun. Great to serve to family and friends. It is really a finger food that could easily be an appetizer but makes for a great summer meal if you add a few sides.

I have a love affair with sticky, spicy, rich, fingerlicken foods. When I saw the article in my new Food and Wine magazine about http://lanternrestaurant.com/ in North Carolina and the chefs recipe for Caramel-Lacquered Pork belly I thought what could be better...pork fat with all the above mentioned attributes. But, alas I will forgo the Pork belly and tweak the recipe to meet some semblance of health.

Enjoy this incredibly fun and sexy recipe and all the fingerlicking that goes along with it!!!!



Recipe for the Lacquer:

1/2 c sugar
2 teaspoons Asian fish sauce
1 teaspoon tamarind concentrate
1 Thai or Serrano chili minced
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice

In a sauce pan,cook 1/4 cup of the sugar over mod high heat until it starts to melt.Swirl the pan and cook over mod heat until it is completely melted about 5 min. Add the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and cook swirling until a richly brown caramel forms.








Turn off the heat and pour in 1/3 c water. Turn the heat to high and cook, stirring, until the caramel is smooth. Remove pan from heat and stir in the fish sauce, tamarind, chili, and the lime juice.


Recipe for the Coconut Shrimp:


15-20 lg prawns
1/2 c flour for dredging
2c sweetened shredded coconut
The Caramel Lacquer you just made.

1. Dredge the shrimp in the flour and shake off excess. soak in the Lacquer then dredge in the shredded coconut.

2.Place on a rack in a baking sheet.
3 Pre heat oven to 425 and cook for 15 minute until brown.

The Spicy Pineapple Honey Dipping Sauce:
One 20 0z can Pineapple chunks or half a Pineapple plus some juice.
3 cloves garlic minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoon corn starch
1 Jalapeno minced
1 red bell pepper chopped
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons cider vinegar

1.Blend all ingredients (except the vinegar and honey) in a blender. Simmer for 1/2 hour.Stain and stir in vinegar. cool

Enjoy!!!

I served this with some scallion rice and a Asian inspired slaw. We ate until we were stuffed and sat around smacking our lips and licking our fingers truly a sexy dish....