Red Lobster Coconut Shrimp

Name: Red Lobster Coconut Shrimp
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 cup plain breadcrumbs; 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes; 3/4 cup cornstarch (divided use); 1/2 cup piña colada mix; 1 tablespoon powdered sugar; 3 tablespoons Captain Morgan Spiced Rum; vegetable oil (for deep frying); 1/2 pound jumbo shrimp (butterflied)

April 18, 2024 by Stephanie Manley 28 Comments

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Red Lobster’s Parrot Isle Coconut Shrimp has been a beloved menu item for years. This shrimp is crispy-coated with bread crumbs, coconut flakes, and pina colada mix, making for an unforgettable dining experience. With this easy copycat recipe, you can recreate this delectable dish in just 30 minutes.

Copycat Red Lobster coconut shrimp and dipping sauce.

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Table of Contents

Red Lobster Parrot Isle Jumbo Coconut Shrimp

Hands down, Red Lobster Parrot Bay Coconut Shrimp is one of my long-time favorite recipes from the restaurant. It seems that this dish has been renamed Parrot Isle Jumbo Coconut Shrimp. Whatever the name, you can get this simply irresistible shrimp either as a main dish or as an appetizer.

The shrimp is breaded with coconut, fried until perfectly crisp, and then served with a wonderfully light and flavorful pina colada dipping sauce. Red Lobster also includes salsa on the side. Now, you can recreate this dish at home, and you won’t believe how easy it is to make.

What makes this shrimp so good?

This coconut shrimp is irresistible – one of the secret ingredients to this recipe is the Captain Morgan Spiced Rum. However, all of the components contribute to its amazing taste and texture.

It features tropical coconut mixed with pina colada mix and powdered sugar to achieve just the right amount of sweetness to complement the shrimp. Breadcrumbs, rum, and cornstarch are the only other ingredients needed for the shrimp’s flavorful coating, but the cooking method is also crucial here.

By frying the coconut shrimp, you get an extra crispy texture. Although there are definitely air fryer or oven recipes for coconut shrimp, those techniques just don’t achieve the same texture or taste as freshly frying them in oil. Then, when the shrimp are still warm and you dunk them in the pina colada dip, this appetizer becomes next-level indulgent.

Why you’ll love this recipe

If you’ve loved this menu item since it was known as Red Lobster Parrot Bay Coconut Shrimp, you are long overdue for making the homemade version of it. The good news is that recreating it at home can be a breeze with this copycat Red Lobster Coconut Shrimp recipe!

Don’t worry, the process is straightforward, and the final result is even better. Whether you’re hosting a dinner party or want to prepare an incredible appetizer to indulge in just for you, this shrimp dish is bound to impress your guests or yourself.

You can pair the Red Lobster Jumbo Coconut Shrimp with clam chowder or other shrimp dishes like dragon shrimp or shrimp scampi to create your personalized “shrimp your way” meal, just like at the restaurant. You’ll love the versatility of this dish and I can guarantee it will be added to your regular rotation.

Ingredients

Here’s what you need to make Parrot Isle coconut shrimp:

Large shrimp
Sweetened coconut flakes
Plain bread crumbs
Cornstarch
Pina colada mix
Captain Morgan Spiced Rum
Powdered sugar

Copycat Red Lobster coconut shrimp ingredients on a tray.

How to Make Red Lobster Coconut Shrimp

In a deep bowl, combine bread crumbs, cornstarch, and coconut flakes.
In a small bowl, combine piña colada mix, powdered sugar, and rum.

Collage of dry and wet breading mixtures for copycat Red Lobster coconut shrimp.

Place additional cornstarch in a separate small bowl.
Heat oil to 375°F.
Coat shrimp twice as follows:
- First Coating: Cornstarch, then in the pina colada mix, then in bread crumb/coconut mixture.
- Second Coating: Pina colada mix and then the bread crumb/coconut mixture.

Collage of breading shrimp to make copycat Red Lobster coconut shrimp.

Place the prepared shrimp carefully into the hot oil and fry until golden brown.
Remove from the fryer and drain.
Serve with coconut shrimp sauce.

Copycat Red Lobster coconut shrimp and a small cup of dipping sauce.

Recipe notes and tips

When choosing shrimp for this recipe, I like to go for the larger size, just like Red Lobster. They cost a little more, but you will have less work in prepping your shrimp, and I like to devein my shrimp when I prep them. (If you watch the grocery store ads you can often find shrimp on sale.)

That thin black string down the back of a shrimp is not actually a vein, but rather the shrimp’s digestive tract, and its dark color means it is filled with grit. Even so, the vein is not harmful if eaten. So the decision to devein shrimp is basically a matter of personal preference and aesthetics. And, with jumbo shrimp, it is fairly easy to devein them.

Devein your shrimp by using a sharp paring knife to make a slit along the back and lift out the vein with the tip of the blade. You can also use a shrimp deveiner, a knife-like kitchen tool made specifically for deveining shrimp with their shells on. This tool can be purchased at any kitchen supply store.

Butterflying your shrimp helps them cook more evenly and gives you an attractive presentation. Watch this video and see a three-step demonstration of how to devein and butterfly your shrimp.

To remove that shrimp smell from your hands, it seems that toothpaste works well according to Lifehacker.

Copycat Red Lobster coconut shrimp and dipping sauce on a small serving tray.

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