BBQ or Hot Wings? Hot, hot all day. I forever choose a spicy, buttery, hot wing over barbecue. Sweeetheat's Kansas City Classic Barbecue Sauce really has a different taste. You don't get that sharp acidic kick like your average sauce, but instead a smooth mix leveled out with sweetness.
The same goes for the All Purpose Rub. Not too salty, not too spicy, but the perfect mix between salt, spicy, and sweetness. I appreciate when a seasoning rub does not over do it with the salt. I like to actually be able to add my own salt to a mix when cooking.
Being able to work with Sweeetheat's products really put my creativity as a homecook to the test. People only associate barbecue sauce and seasoning rubs with the summertime and grilling out. My goal was to incorporate the two items into a new dish to add a new way to use barbecue products,
In this article, I'm going to walk you through step by step how to make these Coconut Shrimp Wonton Cups for your next dinner party.
Although this dish involves shrimp, the theme of my recipes are always going to be vēgish, meaning they can very, very easily be adapted into a vegan recipe and animal products are *rarely* used, making it vēgish.
This recipe is coconut fried shrimp, yet, our "batter" is not going to be prepared in the traditional sense. Instead, we are going to use the moisture of the shrimp/coconut milk marinade as the eggy, milky batter and just dip the shrimp directly into the dry seasoning mix.
Make sense? Keep reading to catch my drift.
This is a three part recipe for the shrimp, the wonton cups, and the assembly of the appetizer. Each part is sectioned off so you can feel free to stop at any point and improvise in your own way.
Here is the full list of ingredients you will need:
For the Shrimp:
-1 lbs shrimp
-1 can coconut milk to marinate the shrimp
-1 cup coconut shavings
-2 tbsp oat flour
-1 tbsp paprika
-oil or oil spray
-chili powder
-Italian seasoning salt by Andaz
-Sweetheat All Purpose Seasoning
-Sweeetheat Kansas City Classic Barbecue Sauce
Wonton Cups:
-Wonton Skins
-Oil/ oil spray
-Avocado
-Pineapple slices
-Arugula
-Cilantro
-Plantains
-Calypso Sauce (optional for spice)
How to Make the Coconut Shrimp
After a couple taste tests of the all purpose seasoning and the sauce, coconut shrimp came to mind for this dish. The mixes made me think more of the islands, hence the coconut feel, instead of actual barbecue. After cleaning and gutting the shrimps, I mixed a can of coconut milk into a bowl and let the shrimp marinate while I cleaned my space and readied the other ingredients.
Ingredients:
-1 lbs shrimp
-1 can coconut milk to marinate the shrimp
-1 cup coconut shavings
-2 tbsp oat flour
-2 tsp baking powder
-1 tbsp paprika
-Sweetheat All Purpose Seasoning
-chili powder
-Italian seasoning salt by Andaz
-Sweeetheat Kansas City Classic Barbecue Sauce
While your shrimps are relaxing in the coconut milk, prepare your seasoning mix. Combine all the dry ingredients into a bowl and mix well.
For me, working slowly and mixing the shrimps in one by one helped make sure each piece was evenly coated with seasonings and coconut shavings.
Once all the shrimps are ready prep a cast iron pan for cooking. Preheat the pan before adding the oil. Once the oil is hot, place shrimps down one by one, without crowding and cook them for 2-3 minutes on each side. When they are finished place them on a cooling rack.
The cooling rack helps food cool off without losing the crisp texture inherited during the cooking process.
Serve shrimp with a side of the barbecue sauce as a dipping sauce and plantains for a complete meal.
How to Make Wonton Cups
Take it a step further and turn the shrimp into a fun hors d'oeuvre for your next dinner party at home.
All you need is wonton skins, oil or oil spray, and a muffin tin.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Prep muffin tin with oil/oil spray and mold wontons into the tin.
Once cooked, the wontons will be a golden color and crunchy to the touch.
To fill the cups, prep a work station for flexibility.
Here I have a bowl to mix my avocado, a lime wedge, pieces of pineapple to top off the wontons, arugula, shrimp, and calypso sauce just in case I want to add some spiciness.
Mix the avocado into the bowl and add lime juice. To assemble your cups, scoop a tablespoon of avocado into the bottom of the cup, add some arugula, a piece of pineapple, and end with a piece of shrimp. For some I put a dab of calypso sauce and the barbecue sauce on top. Feel free to mix the two together in a small dish!
Overall the total time for this dish is 30 minutes. The assembly of the cups and the amount you decide to make can stretch the time.
This is such a fun dish to make and it allows you to be as creative as you would like.
To purchase Sweeetheat products, click here: https://sweeetheat.com/shop/
The company sells many different flavors of sauces like Bacon BBQ, Spicey Homey Honey, and a Southern BBQ spice blend.
Head over to their website to learn more and follow them on social media FB: @SweeetHeat IG: @Sweeetheat_ssb
