I would like to dedicate these Coconut Shrimp and Brown Rice Bowls to all the coconut and seafood lovers out there. *Takes a bow, waves to the crowd (which is really just an empty kitchen).

But seriously. These bowls are so dang good!

Whole wheat panko and reduced fat shredded coconut breading, the perfect fluffy brown rice, and crisp sautéed vegetables all topped with a delicious a sweet apricot chili sauce. What more could you ask for?

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Step 1: Prepare the Work Station

I like to start out by preparing my “shrimp factory,” since the process of breading the shrimp can be a tad lengthy.

First, thaw your shrimp and peel, if necessary. I have found that soaking frozen shrimp in warm water is the quickest and easiest way to thoroughly thaw my shrimp.

Next, prepare 3 bowls of ingredients.

The first bowl will contain your flour coating. Mix 1/3 cup flour with the zest of one lime, garlic powder, black pepper, and a few shakes of sea salt.

The second bowl will contain your egg wash. I used 1 egg and 2 tablespoons of egg white. Whisk the egg thoroughly.

The third bowl will contain your panko-coconut breading. Combine ½ cup each of whole wheat panko breadcrumbs and unsweetened reduced fat shredded coconut.

Odds say that you will have leftover coating, egg, and breading, so if you want to scale it back a hair, feel free to do so to avoid wasting ingredients. Just keep the proportions!

Step 2: Bread the Shrimp

Breading shrimp can be a tad tedious, so if you have children, siblings, a significant other, or just someone with two working hands in the general vicinity, now is the time to round them up and put them to work! (Kidding, sort of…).

Begin by coating both sides of the shrimp in the flour mixture. This is your first “dredging” step. Dredging is simply a technique in which you roll a wet food in a dry material before cooking.

Next, dip the shrimp in the egg wash. Give it a shake before transferring it to the breading bowl for the second round of dredging. Make sure to coat both sides with a generous amount of breading.

Lastly, move your breaded shrimp to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Repeat the process until all the shrimp is breaded.

Set aside the baking sheet until you are ready to cook the shrimp.

Step 3: Cook the Rice

There are several different methods you can use to cook your rice. But no matter what method you choose, these same 4 golden rules (generally) apply.

Ratio: The perfect ratio is a 2.5:1 ratio of liquid to brown rice. It ensures that your rice is cooked without being mushy and it is never still hard when that timer goes off. Respect the ratio!
Use broth: We have also found that using low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth rather than water results in fluffier, more flavorful rice. So, we highly recommend giving it a try!
Keep the Lid On: For every method outlined below, make sure to leave that lid on until you’re pretty certain the liquid has been absorbed. This goes without saying for the pressure cooker, but leave it alone in the rice cooker/slow cooker and over the stovetop as well. Trust us, it makes a difference. So, no peeking!
Let it Rest: Last rule, I swear! Once your rice is done cooking, let it rest. That means remove it from heat, but leave the lid on and let it cool several minutes (we recommend 10) before opening it and giving it a stir.

On another note, I also like to add 1 tablespoon of coconut oil to my rice after cooking IF I am using it for a stir fry or another dish that I’m likely to reheat over the stove, as it tends to reheat well and give that “fried” texture and appearance. This is not a golden rule, since I only do it in particular cases, but you should try it the next time you make fried rice.

Also, for reference, 1 cup of uncooked brown rice results in roughly 3 cups of cooked brown rice.

Method 1: On the Stove

The first method is the tried and true method that anyone can use to cook rice. It simply takes a stove and a saucepan.

Add your rice and chicken broth to a medium saucepan. Bring the pot to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. Make sure to maintain a simmer throughout the cooking, as it is key to making good stovetop rice.

Cook covered for approximately 40 to 45 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed. Remove the pan from heat and let it cool with the lid on for about 10 minutes. Fluff the rice with a fork before serving.

Method 2: Rice Cooker

Before we got our pressure cooker, we had a tiny rice cooker. It worked pretty well for our purposes since we were always making small batches.

The rice cooker has a single cooking setting. So simply combine the rice and broth (in the 2.5 to 1 ratio) in the rice cooker, put the lid on, and flip the switch down.

After a predetermined time (about 30 to 35 minutes), the cooker will chime and your rice will be done. Again, let the rice rest 10 minutes before serving.

Method 3: Pressure Cooker

I could write you a (very long and very boring) book about the many reasons why I love our pressure cooker. But at the top of the list is that it makes fluffy brown rice in 22 minutes.

At this point, I should clarify that the pressure cooker breaks the first golden rule of rice cooking (2.5 to 1 cup ratio of liquid to rice). For pressure cooking, you only need 2 ½ cups of liquid per 2 cups of brown rice.

I generally use the pressure cooker for larger batches of brown rice. So, if you use this method, you’ll likely need to use at least 2 cups of uncooked brown rice. I haven’t tried it with a smaller batch, but I probably wouldn’t try it.

Combine 2 cups of brown rice and 2 ½ cups of broth in the pressure cooker. Close and seal the lid. Prepare the pressure cooking according to your manual. In other words, double check that your steam valve is set to “Sealing.” Check that the float valve is down.

Now would be a great time to read your manual if you haven’t already done so. It’s always a good idea to operate this baby as safely as possible! From this point on, I am assuming you know how to operate your pressure cooker safely.

Next, set the pressure cooker timer to 22 minutes and start it up.

It’ll take several minutes for the pressure to build up, but once it does, the pressure cooker will chime and the countdown will begin on your timer.

Once the pressure cooker is done, it will initiate the natural pressure relief. You can either let it sit there and naturally release the pressure (which I recommend anyway, since you should let your rice rest for 10 minutes regardless), or you can do a Quick Release.

I generally will let it naturally depressurize for about 10 minutes and then flip the steam valve to venting to finish it off.

Fluff with a fork before serving.

Step 4: Make Apricot Sauce

The apricot sauce is super quick to whip up and I usually just do it while I’m waiting for the rice to cook. Combine apricot jam, orange juice, vinegar, soy sauce, honey, chili paste, and garlic in a small bowl and whisk together. If you plan on making fresh Small Batch Honey Apricot Jam (which I HIGHLY recommend!), make sure to do so ahead of time, as it takes about 30 minutes in total to cook, cool, and thicken.

We also highly recommend changing things up with some of our vibrant vinaigrette recipes, like peach vinaigrette or agave citrus vinaigrette.

Step 5: Cook Vegetables

When your rice is close to done, start sautéing your vegetables.

Heat ½ tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat and toss in chopped onion, bell pepper, and zucchini. Cook for 5 or 6 minutes before adding the sweet apricot chili sauce. Reserve about 1/4 cup of the sauce for serving, if desired. Cook another 2 to 3 minutes, or until vegetables are soft, but not mushy. Remove from heat.

Step 6: Cook the Shrimp

This step is really in conjunction with step 5, as the shrimp and the vegetables will take roughly the same amount of time to cook since you’ll likely have to do a few batches of shrimp since they won’t all fit in the skillet or air fryer.

For this recipe, we used our air fryer to cook the shrimp. Set the air fryer temperature to 400F. Layer the shrimp in a single layer in the air fryer basket and cook for approximately 3 minutes. Repeat as needed until all shrimp are cooked. I prefer the air fryer method just because it doesn’t require any additional oil for the shrimp.

You can also “fry” these shrimp using a skillet and they take roughly the same amount of time to cook as the air fryer. Simply heat 1 tablespoon of high-heat oil, like avocado oil, in a large skillet. Add the shrimp in an even row. Cook about 2 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Move cooked shrimp to a plate with a paper towel to pat dry any residual oil.

Step 7: Assemble the Bowls

Combine about ¾ cup of rice, ½ cup of vegetables, and 8 to 10 shrimp in a bowl. Drizzle with additional apricot sauce, if desired. And Enjoy!

This recipe yields about 4 bowls.

Coconut Shrimp and Brown Rice Bowls

Healthier coconut breaded shrimp, fluffy brown rice, crisp sauteed vegetables, and sweet apricot chili sauce combine to make the perfect dinner bowl.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword Coconut Shrimp

Prep Time 40

Cook Time 25

Servings people

Ingredients

Coconut Shrimp

1 lb medium shrimp, thawed and peeled
⅓ c unbleached all purpose flour
zest of ½ lime (about 1 tsp)
½ tsp garlic powder
⅛ tsp ground black pepper
1 pinch sea salt
1 large egg
1 egg white
½ c reduced fat shredded coconut
½ c whole wheat panko breadcrumbs

Brown Rice

1 c brown rice
2½ c low-sodium chicken broth

Sauteed Vegetables

½ Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 red onion, coarsely chopped
2 red bell peppers, coarsely chopped
1 medium zucchini, halved and sliced
⅛ tsp ground black pepper
⅛ tsp salt

Sweet Apricot Chili Sauce

1 c Small Batch Honey Apricot Jam or store-bought jam
2 Tbsp fresh orange juice
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
2 tsp chili paste (sambal oelek) more if desired
2 tsp honey (optional)
3 garlic cloves (about 3 tsp minced garlic)

Instructions

Thaw and peel shrimp. Set aside 3 bowls. In the first bowl, combine flour, lime zest, garlic, salt and pepper to create flour dredge. In the second bowl, combine the egg and egg white and whisk well. In the third bowl, combine the panko and coconut.
First dredge the shrimp in the flour coating, making sure to coat both sides of the shrimp. Then dunk the shrimp in the egg wash and move to the breading bowl, ensuring to coat both sides generously. Place the shrimp on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Repeat until all the shrimp is breaded.Set the shrimp aside.
Cook the brown rice.
For Cooking Over the Stove: Combine 1 cup of brown rice and 2½ cups of broth in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook covered for approximately 40 to 45 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and let the rice rest covered for about 10 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork.
Cooking in Rice Cooker: Combine 1 cup of brown rice and 2½ cups of broth in rice cooker and cover. Flip the switch down to begin cooking. The flip with switch up once the rice is done, after about 30 to 35 minutes. Turn off the rice cooker and let rest covered for about 10 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork.
Cooking in Pressure Cooker: Combine 2 cups brown rice and 2½ cups of broth in pressure cooker. Seal lid and flip steam valve to not-venting position. Check that float valve is down. Set the timer to 22 minutes. Once the timer goes off at 0 minutes, let the pressure release naturally for about 10 minutes, at which time you can manually vent the steam by flipping the steam valve to venting position. Once steam is vented, remove the lid and fluff rice with a fork.
Combine the sauce ingredients in a small mixing bowl and whisk thoroughly. Set aside.
When the rice is closed to being done, start cooking the vegetables. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add vegetables and seasoning and sautee 5 to 6 minutes. Add sweet apricot chili sauce, reserving ¼ cup for serving. Heat another 2 to 3 minutes, or until vegetables are soft but not mushy. Remove from heat.
At the same time that you begin cooking the vegetables, begin cooking the shrimp.
For Using the Air Fryer: Place shrimp in a single layer in the frying basket. Set air fryer to 400°F and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes. Repeat as needed until all of the shrimp are cooked.
For Using a Skillet: Heat 1 tablespoon high heat oil, like avocado oil, over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp in a single layer and cook 2 to 3 minutes, turning over after a minute or so to cook both sides. Remove shrimp from the pan and place on a paper-towel lined plate to absorb any excess oil from shrimp. Repeat as needed until all the shrimp is cooked.
Combine ¾ cup of brown rice, ½ cup scoop of vegetables, and 8 to 10 shrimp in each bowl. Top with remaining sweet apricot chili sauce, as desired. Should yield about 4 bowls.

Coconut Shrimp and Brown Rice Bowls

Step 1: Prepare the Work Station

Step 2: Bread the Shrimp