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Home Asian

Coconut Shrimp / Prawns with Spicy Thai Mango Sauce

By:Nagi
Published:19 Feb '16Updated:16 Dec '20
88 Comments
Recipe v

Crunchy coconut shrimp / prawns with a spicy Thai MANGO dipping sauce! This sauce is so scrumptious I want to pour it over everything. And really – you could! On cooked meats, seafood, as a salad dressing…..let your imagination run wild!

Coconut Shrimp / Prawns with Spicy Thai Mango Sauce with prawn dipped in sauce

This is a very special recipe to me because it was created during a visit to a mango farm called Groves Grown Tropical Fruits in Queensland, Australia. I’m fortunate to have travelled fairly extensively around the world, and yet this trip is possibly the one that has affected me most profoundly as an avid foodie, a cook, and a writer.

When you are welcomed by a farmer and his family onto their farm and into their home, walk the soil and see the fruits (literally) of their hard labour, it gives you a new perspective on things.

Last week, I was so fortunate to have the opportunity to meet Ian Groves and his family at Groves Grown Tropical Fruits farm. I expected a tour, some Q&A time, and to learn more about Australian mangos.

But within minutes of pulling up in my hire car, I knew this was not just the offical tour I was expecting when Ian said to me “Let me show you to your room.”

“My room?”, I asked, perplexed. “I have accommodation booked for me in town.”

“Oh no, you must stay here!”, he insisted. Which I gratefully accepted because I had no desire to be driving back and forth 50km on country roads.

And I knew, when I dragged my suitcase into my room and saw this, that this visit was not going to be just “a tour”.

Coconut Shrimp / Prawns with Spicy Thai Mango Sauce - Crunchy shrimp / prawns with a Thai Mango Sauce that's so good you will want to put it on everything!

Handwritten note about the noisy rooster on the farm!

This pretty much set the tone for the entire visit. Warm, welcoming, funny, thoughtful.

I’m sure the Groves family got sick of hearing me exclaim “I’m supposed to be “on the job”, but this feels like a holiday with friends!”.

I spent the day being toured around his extensive farm with his daughter Melanie and the obligatory farm dog, Milly, astounded by the scale, the time, care, labour, science and detail it takes to grow beautiful, plump, juicy mangoes that city folk like myself take for granted.

Mango trees on Groves Grown Tropical Fruits farm

I was especially pleased to see that some of the mangoes were low hanging. Fantastic for shorties like myself!! 😉

Mango trees on Groves Grown Tropical Fruits farm

I want to write so much and share so many photos but I know I’ll probably implode my site if I dribble on as much as I could. So I want to share with you one thing that I learned that I didn’t really appreciate before my visit – the mango varieties. Wow. Just wow.

Green mangoes. Red mangoes. Gold ones, giant ones. I was sent home with an extraordinary variety of mangoes, all hand marked by Ian so I wouldn’t forget. 😂 I’ve spent the past week making my way through the stash – eating and cooking half, and freezing the other half (note the absence of reference to giving them away!).

Each member of the Groves family has a favourite type of mango. I love ’em all, but having now tried Kensington Prides, Keitts, R2E2’s and Honey Gold mangoes, I must say I’m quite partial to Keitts! They are the red tone mangoes in the photo below with the tinge of green. Just as juicy, sweet and “meaty” as other varieties, but there is a very mild tang, almost lemony which really appeals to my palette.

Different mango varieties grown at Groves Grown Tropical Fruits farm

I was thrilled that Sandi, Ian’s wife, let me take over the kitchen on the 2nd day so I could experiment with mango recipes!! So I created this recipe while I was there but I must admit, I couldn’t get the sauce quite right (performance anxiety!) so I worked on it once I got back to Sydney until I was happy.

I really wanted this sauce to have some depth, zing and freshness to offset the sweetness of the mango which I thought would be a great accompaniment to the sweet, crunchy shrimp / prawns.

Coconut Shrimp / Prawns with Spicy Thai Mango Sauce in blender and finished sauce

These crunchy prawns / shrimp…so, I have to tell you, the first batch I made was just coated in coconut. But they just weren’t that crunchy! Panko is essential for this Coconut Shrimp. As is using desiccated, rather than flaked or shredded coconut.

Many thanks to to my official taste tester for this recipe, Melanie, Ian’s daughter, for helping me make the prawns just right!!?

A plate of Coconut Shrimp / Prawns

Oh!! In all the excitement chattering about my trip, I almost forgot! I did a little video for this Coconut Shrimp / Prawns with Spicy Thai Mango Sauce recipe, along with a little peek at the beautiful Groves Grown Tropical Fruit Farm. And proof that these prawns are absolutely irresistible….you get to see DOZER taste testing!??

Coconut Shrimp / Prawns with Spicy Thai Mango Sauce VIDEO

Regular readers will know that I don’t fry very often. It is reserved for very special occasions, for food “worth frying” for.

These Coconut Shrimp are worth it. Pinky swear, promise. – Nagi x


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A plate of crunchy Coconut Shrimp / Prawns with Spicy Thai Mango Sauce

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Coconut Shrimp / Prawns with Spicy Thai Mango Sauce

Coconut Shrimp / Prawns with Spicy THAI Mango Sauce

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Prep: 20 minutes mins
Cook: 10 minutes mins
Total: 30 minutes mins
Appetizer, Finger Food, Mains
5 from 23 votes
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Crunchy coconut shrimp / prawns with a spicy Thai inspired Mango Sauce! These are shallow fried, not deep fried and the prawns cook VERY fast. These reheat really well! Refer to Note 6 for make ahead instructions. I made the sauce using Keitt mangoes because I think the slight tang is perfect for this recipe, but you can use any mangoes you want.

Ingredients

Shrimp / Prawns

  • 1 lb / 500 g whole prawns OR 12oz/350g peeled fresh prawns (Note 1)
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • Black pepper
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 cup desiccated coconut (Note 2)
  • Oil , for frying

Mango Sauce

  • 1 cup (packed) fresh mango. roughly diced
  • 2 tbsp cilantro/coriander , leaves and stems, roughly chopped
  • 2 tbsp red onion or eschallots , finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp fish sauce (or substitute with light or ordinary soy sauce)
  • 1 tbsp sriracha (Note 3)
  • 1 tsp red chilli , finely chopped (adjust to taste)
  • 2 - 3 tbsp coconut milk (adjust for desired sauce consistency)

Instructions

  • Mango Sauce: Place ingredients in a small food processor (or blender or use a blender stick). Whizz until smooth. Adjust salt and spice to taste. Use coconut milk to adjust the consistency.
  • Peel and devein the shrimp / prawns. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  • Whisk egg in a small bowl. Mix panko and coconut in another bowl.
  • Dip a prawn in the egg mixture then coat with panko. Repeat with remaining prawns.
  • Heat oil in a skillet (Note 4) over medium high heat. Toss in a clotted lump of panko/egg to test for heat - if it sizzles right away and floats to the top, then the oil is hot enough.
  • Working in batches, carefully place prawns in the hot oil. Cook for just 45 seconds (Note 5) until golden brown - start counting when you slide the first prawn in and remove the prawns from the oil in the order that you put them in.
  • Remove onto a paper towel lined tray to drain.
  • Serve warm with Spicy Mango Dipping Sauce!

Recipe Notes:

1. Fresh shrimp / prawns are best for this recipe. If you can't get fresh, then frozen will work fine for this recipe.
2. Desiccated coconut is the fine shredded coconut. I prefer the finely shredded coconut to the larger flakes because you get better crunch when combined with the panko breadcrumbs!
3. You can substitute the sriracha with any hot sauce of choice BUT you will need to add a touch of sour (~1 tsp white vinegar) and 1 small garlic clove, crushed (because sriracha has vinegar and garlic in it which is part of the flavour base for this sauce).
4. Amount of oil required: You need enough all so that the prawns are almost, but not completely, submerged. You don't need so much oil that the prawns are floating because they cook so fast. The oil bubbles when the prawns are put in the oil which cooks the top of the prawns which is above the surface of the oil - you can see this in the video.
5. There are few things in life sadder than overcooked prawns, especially if you made the effort to peel them yourself! Perfectly cooked prawns will form a "C" shape and OVERCOOKED prawns curl tightly into an "O" shape. My prawns were a fairly standard size - not jumbo, not small, they were about 10cm/4" in length (peeled, but including tail) and about 1cm/ 2/5" thick. These were perfectly cooked in 45 seconds.
6. To make ahead: Allow to cool then place in a container in single layers. To reheat so they recrisp, preheat the oven to 220C/430F. Place prawns on a baking tray and bake for 3-5 minutes until they crisp up. No longer than that, otherwise they will over cook!
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @recipe_tin.

No nutrition for this….when food is this good, it doesn’t matter! (Also, because it’s fried, I don’t know how to calculate it accurately, sorry!)

This post is brought to you by Aussie Mangoes who arranged my visit to Groves Grown Tropical Fruits. Many thanks to Ian Groves and family for welcoming me into their home, showing me around their beautiful farm, sharing a wealth of information about growing and harvesting mangoes, letting me take over the kitchen to create this recipe, indulging me with incredible food, and officially converting me into a mango snob.❤️

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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative!

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88 Comments

  1. Julie says

    April 30, 2023 at 10:11 am

    Hi Nagi I have a bag of frozen cooked peeled prawns. Can I make this recipe and then RE freeze ?

    Reply
  2. Les says

    February 24, 2023 at 1:30 am

    5 stars
    Hello,
    The sauce is delicious. Do u have a combo for a salad and use the dip as dressing? Chicken/shrimps with spinat leaves? cucumber? Bell peppers? Tomatoes? A bit lost :/ Thanks for all u delicious recipes!
    Greetings from Luxemburg.

    Reply
  3. Chris says

    January 11, 2023 at 4:17 pm

    5 stars
    Forgot to rate in last post

    Reply
  4. Chris says

    January 11, 2023 at 4:15 pm

    Made your prawns with Thai mango sauce last night and, well, YUM. This one will be made again.

    The sauce is somewhat reminiscent of a Caribbean mango-habanero sauce which goes great with white meat like fish and chicken (and prawns).

    Congratulations on the success of your cookbook. I see it topped a best seller list. I guess class shines through.

    Reply
  5. Lesley Wee says

    November 21, 2022 at 4:24 am

    PS.
    I’ll be making your vanilla cupcakes🧁 recipe again as well for my birthday meal🤩

    Reply
  6. Lesley Wee says

    November 21, 2022 at 4:21 am

    Hi Nagi
    That mango farm sounds incredible. The family so very welcoming..
    Just got back from Hawaii after waiting 3 years to be able to go from Canada. Yay. I had been yearning for my coconut shrimp there but never had it. 😞 Thats okay..was still wonderful trip.
    Anyway, its my birthday next weekend so I thought ide make my own 🥥 🍤 and of course I looked up recipetineats 😁
    Fresh🥭 kinda expensive now,so, I think I’ll get the frozen as well.
    Hugs to Dozer 🐾
    Domo Nagi.

    Reply
  7. Izzie says

    September 4, 2022 at 8:44 am

    5 stars
    Delish! I put the dip into a cob and served with coconut prawns and baby octopus. Was a hit!!

    Reply
  8. Anna Lion says

    July 30, 2022 at 11:47 am

    5 stars
    Grrrrr – forgot the well deserved stars again😏

    Reply
  9. Shana Baert says

    July 5, 2022 at 11:05 am

    5 stars
    Another spectacular recipe! The dip is dreamy (I used frozen mango). Loved the coconut shrimp. I cooked them in the air fryer (but did give the shrimp a pretty good mist of olive oil before “frying”. Needed to keep dinner WW friendly). Delicious!

    Reply
  10. Col says

    December 13, 2021 at 6:20 pm

    LOVE this recipe!
    Can the leftover sauce be frozen to use at a later date?

    Reply
  11. Sara says

    October 5, 2021 at 1:16 am

    Omg this sounds absolutely amazing!! Can’t wait to try it.

    The mango sauce looks so delicious and versatile – is it possible to make a large quantity and freeze batches? How long does it keep in the fridge for?

    Thank you so much!!

    Reply
  12. Charmaine Edwards says

    September 25, 2021 at 8:38 am

    Hi Nagi. I am an avid follower of your receipes and appreciate you explaining why ‘this is used and not that’. Also appreciate the photos which I screen shoot and take to our only Asian supermarket to buy ingredients. I’ve only just dipped my toe in but so far have made the satay beef sticks, papaw salad and Singapore chilli crab. Yum yum yum!😋. Despite your easy to follow receipe I forgot to put the pasata in the chilli crab – (I
    wondered what it was doing on the bench when I’d finished) and had to use already cooked blue swimmer crabs instead of fresh but I did add fresh peeled prawns. Despite all the misses, the family loved it!❤. I am a huge fan of the papaw salad and am wondering if the dressing and the satay sauce are suitable for freezing?

    Reply
  13. laura says

    June 30, 2021 at 2:32 pm

    Im thinking of making this!
    Can I use canned mango or frozen mango instead of fresh? I have alot of frozen mango in my freezer though

    Thank you

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      July 1, 2021 at 1:08 pm

      Hi Laura – yes use the frozen! N x

      Reply
  14. Becky says

    June 22, 2021 at 11:34 am

    5 stars
    Better than any restaurant……loved the sauce n also made your meatball sweet n sour sauce for my husband who doesn’t do spicy….we all had to have multiple dipping bowls….thanx for always scoring a 10 at my house

    Reply
  15. Kate says

    June 18, 2021 at 6:36 pm

    5 stars
    O M G !! Just had this for dinner…life changing. My husband and I were speechless. SO DARN GOOD. Five stars just doesn’t cut it ⭐️ x 10 to the power of 1000. Forever grateful 🥰

    Reply
  16. Angela says

    August 30, 2020 at 12:41 pm

    Hi Nagi! Just wondering if I could use frozen mango? No fresh available in winter 😭

    Reply
  17. Jill says

    August 1, 2020 at 7:41 pm

    5 stars
    I have made this numerous times absolutely love it question is can I freeze this and if so how do I reheat
    Thanks

    Reply
  18. Karolina says

    May 23, 2020 at 11:42 pm

    5 stars
    I’ve actually only made the mango sauce, because I like my shrimps a different way, however I must say it became a staple at our house. Chicken, shrimps, sweet potato chips: they all go so well with it! And the sauce always comes out great! Thank you so much for this <3

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 25, 2020 at 11:14 am

      Oh that’s awesome Karolina! N x

      Reply
  19. Denise Burton says

    December 9, 2019 at 1:47 pm

    5 stars
    I was a bit nervous about trying this recipe as I have never attempted anything like this before so I watched the Video 3 times & read the notes a couple of times. The Prawns were perfectly cooked, had a delicious flavour & the sauce was to die for.
    Beautiful Aussie Mangoes we are so lucky to have them.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      December 9, 2019 at 6:51 pm

      I LOVE hearing this Denise!!

      Reply
  20. Ann Marie says

    October 28, 2019 at 9:24 am

    5 stars
    I made this, (with dried cilantro… all I had last minute)… and served it over salmon burgers and arugula. This is ridiculous, and I’m kinda mad I didn’t think of this before! How could I have overlooked such delicious ingredient-combos? Make again? 3x in two weeks. Sooooooo….. yes!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 29, 2019 at 6:43 am

      WAHOO!!!

      Reply
      • Kathy says

        December 25, 2021 at 7:47 pm

        5 stars
        All my Christmas lunch dishes today were from Nagis recipes – BBQ prawns 2 ways with spicy thai chilli and lemon garlic butter sauce, crostini, 12 hours lamb shoulders, pomegranate holiday salad, and fruit punch. What can I say, you are the best Nagi! Easy to follow, absolutely delicious and everyone loved it. Thank you and Merry Christmas!

        Reply
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I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

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