CRISPY COCONUT SHRIMP and ORANGE MUSTARD DIPPING SAUCE

Guy and I love the Outback's Gold Coast Coconut Shrimp, so when I found myself with frozen shrimp that needed to be consumed, I decided to try and find a copycat recipe. The Southern Living 2005 Category Winner recipe for Crisco was "Crispy Coconut Chicken Dippers with Wowee Maui Mustard." Since chicken and shrimp are mostly interchangeable, I thought I would try this recipe using shrimp instead of chicken. If you're averse to fried things, then skip this, but the recipe is great and the shrimp were every bit as good as the Outback's. I made my own dipping sauce, because I didn't have the ingredients for the Wowee Maui Mustard recipe (pineapple, red pepper jelly and whole grain mustard).

Crispy Coconut Shrimp and Orange Mustard Dipping Sauce

INGREDIENTS: 1/2 cup orange marmalade

1 Tbsp. bold and spicy mustard

1 lb. fresh or frozen large shrimp (jumbo are even better)

Vegetable oil for frying

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. ground dried ginger

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1/2 cup lime-flavored seltzer water (I used lemon-lime)

1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

1/2 cup fine, dry breadcrumbs (I used Panko and crushed them fine)

DIRECTIONS: Prepare dipping sauce by mixing together the marmalade and the mustard in a small dish. Set aside. Shuck and devein shrimp and rinse in cold water. Set aside. Pour vegetable oil to a depth of 2 inches in 3-quart deep pot or frying appliance. (If you have a candy thermometer, use it to monitor the temperature of the oil. It should be 350 degrees F. , no higher, so it's best to use medium heat, not high).

While vegetable oil is heating, whisk together flour and next 4 ingredients in a medium-sized bowl. Combine coconut and breadcrumbs in a separate large shallow dish (I used a paper plate). Dip shrimp, one at a time, first in wet mixture, then in coconut/breadcrumb mixture. Set the shrimp on a paper towel or paper plate as you get them breaded and ready to fry. When all shrimp are breaded, begin to drop them in to the hot oil, one at a time, being careful not to splash yourself with the hot oil. (A fry basket would be a big help here.) As shrimp go in, the oil will bubble up considerably, and that's why you need a deep pot. Fry the shrimp for 2-3 minutes, or until golden brown. Drain on paper towels. Serve with dipping sauce.