Undergrad Gormet

Snow is dancing outside the windows as fireplaces and heaters have friends and lovebirds huddled near. And, while that’s all well and good, a little reminder that summer is around the corner would be much appreciated, especially for those who are ready for a change in season.

Coconut lime shrimp is a tropical delicacy that will surely break the toughest case of winter blues, and here’s all it takes.

24 medium-sized shrimp
1 cup flour
2/3 cup beer (about half a can) (preferably Mexican/Caribbean beer)
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
2 cups shredded/flaked coconut
1 egg
2 limes
¼ cup canola (or other cooking) oil
1 fine grater
3 bowls
1 frying pan
1 spatula
1 fork
Wax paper

Begin by mixing ½ cup of flour and the baking powder in a bowl. Add the beer and egg and beat the mix with the fork until it is uniformly textured without clumps.

In another bowl put the remaining ½ cup of flour, and in another put the coconut shreds.

Take the limes and grater and grate the skin of the limes into the coconut and shake it up until the green and white are well mixed.

Slice up the skinned limes into halves and keep them handy for later.

Fill the frying pan with enough oil (probably a full ¼ cup) to leave a thick film on the surface of the pan and heat it to medium heat. While the pan heats, be sure to thoroughly clean the shrimp you will be using.

Tear off a large sheet of wax paper and place it on a flat, stable surface near the frying pan.

Once the oil is hot enough, coat the shrimp by battering them in flour then dipping them in the batter. Allow the excess to drip off then coat them in the lime/coconut confetti, placing them on the wax paper afterwards.

After coating six to 10 shrimp (depending on how big a pan you have) place the first batch into the oil, making sure that the shrimp do not crowd together or they will stick.

If the oil was hot enough the shrimp should begin to fry and bubble as soon as they hit the pan. Allow them to fry until the batter is a visible dark golden color.

While the shrimp cook, squeeze lime juice and sprinkle cilantro onto them. Feel free to add salt, pepper, garlic or other spices at this stage as well.

Check the underside of the shrimp to make sure they are not burning — they should be ready to flip within the first few minutes.

Continue coating more raw shrimp to prepare for the next batch. After you remove the cooked shrimp from the pan, place them on a large plate covered with paper towels so that they may cool. The paper towels will also soak up the oil.

Repeat the battering and frying until all the shrimps have been used up and are cooling on a plate.

Squeeze the remaining lime into the remaining beer and enjoy!