Red Lobster Parrot Bay Coconut Shrimp is a long-time menu favorite at the Red Lobster. You can recreate this dish at home with this easy copycat recipe. This shrimp appetizer goes well with clam chowder!
Hands down, Red Lobster Parrot Bay Coconut Shrimp is one of my long-time favorite recipes from the Red Lobster. It seems that this dish has been renamed Parrot Isle Jumbo Coconut Shrimp. Whatever the name, you can get this simply irresistible shrimp dish 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 dip. 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.
Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make Parrot Bay coconut shrimp:
- Large shrimp
- Sweetened coconut flakes
- Plain bread crumbs
- Cornstarch
- Pina colada mix
- Captain Morgan Spiced Rum
- Powdered sugar
How to Make Red Lobster Coconut Shrimp
- In a deep bowl, combine bread crumbs, cornstarch, and coconut flakes.
- In a small bowl, combine pina colada mix, powdered sugar, and rum.
- Place additional cornstarch in a separate small bowl.
- Heat oil to 375 degrees.
- Coat the 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.
- Place the prepared shrimp carefully into the hot oil and fry until golden brown.
- Remove from the fryer and drain.
Recipe Notes and Tips
When choosing shrimp for this recipe, I personally 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 personally 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.
- Tip: To remove that shrimp smell from your hands, it seems that toothpaste works well according to Lifehacker.
More Copycat Red Lobster Recipes
- Seafood Nachos
- Cajun Shrimp
- Cajun Spice Mix
- Shrimp Pasta
- Bacon Wrapped Scallops
- Corn with Old Bay Seasoning
- Whipped Sweet Potatoes with Pecans
- Mountain Dew Margarita Recipe
Love shrimp? Try these recipes
Be sure to check out more of my easy shrimp recipes and the best casual dining restaurant recipes.
Red Lobster Parrot Bay Coconut Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound large shrimp (butterfly the shrimp)
- 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
- 1 cup plain bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup cornstarch (for mixing with coconut and bread crumbs)
- 1/2 cup pina colada mix
- 3 tablespoons Captain Morgan Spiced Rum
- 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
Instructions
- In a deep bowl, combine the bread crumbs, 1/4 cup cornstarch, and the coconut and set aside.
- Combine the pina colada mix, the powdered sugar and the rum in a small mixing bowl and set aside. Place 1/2 cup cornstarch in a separate bowl.
- Heat oil for deep frying – oil should be at 375 degrees for frying shrimp. Coat the shrimp twice as follows:First Coating: Cornstarch, then in the pina colada mix, then dust in bread crumb/coconut mixture. Second Coating: Pina colada mix, and then the bread crumb/coconut mixture.
- Place the prepared shrimp carefully into the hot oil and fry until golden brown. Remove from the fryer and drain.
Gene
The coating fell off while frying!
Taste is ok.
JJ
Can you give us a air fryer recipe for this please??
Stephanie
I will see what I can do about this.
Tam
Can I get the sauce recipe? I had pretty much the right thing for the shrimp, but that sauce recipe is killing me.
Stephanie
Sure, here you go. https://copykat.com/red-lobster-pina-colada-dipping-sauce/
Chad
Please email me the dipping sauce recipe for the shrimp after it’s cooked. My wife loves it. I can’t find it anywhere.
Thanks
Anonymous
What can I use instead of coconut?
Stephanie
I am not sure. It’s pretty central to the recipe.
Naz
What can I use instead of the spiced rum?
Meliss
Just made this and it came out great. Only thing is, you definitely need to add some salt to the bread crumb/coconut mixture. It came out tasting a little flat, but sprinkling some salt on after frying took it to the next level.
Patti Moses
Would you please email me the sauce recipe for the Coconut Shrimp?
Thank You!
Patti
Patti Moses
Can you email me the sauce recipe for the Coconut Shrimp please. Thank You! Patti Moses
Janet
Where do you find Pina colada sauce
Stephanie
I couldn’t see the recipe being covered, there is a link to the recipe. I will email you the sauce recipe.
Marilee
Oh, wait! I see where the dipping sauce recipe is, but it’s hidden behind an ad that I can’t get rid of!
Violet
Can anyone who’s made this suggest a good pina colada mix to use?
Cecilia Pipitone-Oliveto
I use the frozen Barcardi Pina Colada mix that is in cans near the frozen orange juice.
Sharnese Coney
This is my first time reviewing a recipe and this is point on! I was afraid to try this at first because i have tried copy cat recipes that came out horrible. But I tried this one because I LOVE Red Lobsters coconut shrimp. I get it every time my family and I go to Red Lobster. But now I never have to go back and its all because of this recipe. It tastes exactly like the coconut shrimp at Red Lobster.
I did change the recipe a bit though. I butterflied the shrimp so that it cooked well and got the perfect golden brown color. I also used panko bread crumbs instead of regular bread crumbs and left out the rum. BEST COPYCAT RECIPE EVER
QuickNEasyCookin
Order this often, so talked w/an employee who said they add sour cream to the Pina Colada mix.
sarabear04
Is everything else accurate though?? Really want to try this sauce!
Carrie
Look through the comments on the sauce recipe. Bill worked there and gave the recipe they used.
Amanda
Can i have the pina colada sauce recipe.
Liz Nelson
I love Coconut shrimp and this recipe was no exception I can’t believe it was so easy to make at home! We will be making this again!