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8 Perfect Side Dishes to Serve With Coconut Shrimp

Coconut shrimp tastes incredible. Not only is it full of flavor, but it has the perfect amount of crunch too.

While you may not necessarily think that coconut and shrimp work well together they really do. The flavors compliment each other perfectly.

If you’re unsure of what coconut shrimp is, prepare to try it straight away! Coconut shrimp is a type of easy finger food to eat. 

As you can imagine coconut and shrimp are the main ingredients used in the recipe, and the shrimp is deep fried or baked.

The coconut flavoring comes from coconut milk that the shrimp is sautéed in after cooking.

Coconut shrimp is typically served in a bowl or on skewers, depending on personal preference. 

You can certainly decide to eat coconut shrimp on its own or as an appetizer, but it tastes even better when you make it into a main course to serve to your family or guests.

However, it can be difficult to know which side dishes to serve with the coconut shrimp. Fortunately, there are many fantastic side dishes that work well with coconut shrimp.

To help you along, in this article, we will be discussing 8 of our favorite, and perfect side dishes that work incredibly well with coconut shrimp. 

Pasta

Pasta

When it comes to the perfect side dishes, you really can’t go wrong with pasta. It’s a staple for many people, and it tastes great.

Pasta is always a sure fire way to bulk out any meal, and it’s versatile too. There’s so much that can be done with pasta.

When it comes to serving pasta with coconut shrimp, we personally prefer to serve the pasta with a light, creamy sauce.

The milk based sauces tend to work better with seafood dishes in comparison to tomato based sauces. However, the tomato sauces do still taste great.

You can choose any type of pasta to serve with coconut shrimp, but tagliatelle and spaghetti tend to work particularly well. You can pair the pasta up with some steamed vegetables too. 

Potatoes

Potatoes

Potatoes are another super versatile option to select to serve with coconut shrimp. There are so many different things you can do with potatoes. From serving french fries, to garlic potatoes, the choice is entirely up to you. 

The easiest potato option tends to be French fries. They are quick to prepare, and they appeal to the vast majority of people.

This makes them a useful option. They can also be dipped into any of the sauces you serve with the coconut shrimp. 

If you’re not a fan of French fries, boiled potatoes or roasted potatoes are tasty options too. Roasted potatoes are full of flavor, and compliment the coconut shrimp well. Boiled potatoes are a healthier option to consider. 

There’s also mashed potato to consider. This is fantastic to serve with coconut shrimp because it’s smooth and creamy.

Don’t forget you could also opt for sweet potatoes rather than regular potatoes to switch things up a little. 

Vegetables

Vegetables

When you’re serving a meal, it’s always useful to incorporate some type of vegetables into the meal. Not only are they a great way for you to consume your five a day, but they’re healthy and delicious too. 

There are so many ways you can serve and cook vegetables. When it comes to coconut shrimp, our preferences are steamed vegetables, especially peas, and carrots.

However, if you prefer, you can serve fried vegetables or roasted vegetables instead. Roasted parsnips, onions, and carrots taste fantastic.

The choice of how you cook the vegetables depends on personal preference, and what you feel tastes the best.

The great thing about coconut shrimp is that it works well with the majority of vegetables. 

Garlic Bread

When it comes to the best side dishes, garlic bread is certainly up there. The vast majority of people love garlic bread, and it’s easy to see why. Not only does it taste fantastic, but it’s easy to cook too. 

While you can purchase store bought garlic bread, it’s just as easy to create your own garlic bread from home.

This is what we love to do, because the preparation time is minimal, and it tastes better and fresher overall. 

There are many types of garlic bread you can choose from, such as ciabatta, baguette, and even tear and share. We love to top the garlic bread with some cheese, especially mozzarella. 

This gives the garlic bread some extra texture and flavor. You can also decide to serve garlic bread alongside other side dishes. It works particularly well with dips and potatoes. 

Dips

Dips

Dips are always a strong choice to consider when it comes to coconut shrimp. This is because it’s the perfect finger food to pair up with a dip.

While coconut shrimp does taste fantastic on its own, it tastes even better when combined with the right dips.

It’s entirely up to you when it comes to the dips you select to serve. Some of our personal favorites include barbecue, ranch, mayo, and sweet chili. However, you could choose options such as hot sauce or salsa if you prefer.

We would recommend including an assortment of dips when serving coconut shrimp to allow your family and guests to enjoy their favorite options and to provide them with a good number to decide between. 

Creating a coconut based, creamy dip can be a great idea as this will complement and enhance the flavor of the coconut shrimp as a whole. 

Salad

Salad

Salad is another strong contender when it comes to the most perfect side dishes to serve with coconut shrimp.

This is because it’s so easy to prepare and serve. It can be completely customized to best suit your personal preferences too. 

As a result of this, the salad can be as interesting, or as boring as you want it to be. You can choose to serve a simple salad of lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions.

Or, you can select to serve the ultimate salad, with a delicious dressing, nuts and seeds, and even some cheese too! 

If you want a more filling salad, you can add food such as pasta or potato, to take them to the next level. Pasta and potato salad are both popular choices, and can work well with coconut shrimp. 

Rice

Rice

Rice, and coconut shrimp is arguably one of the best combinations to consider.

Rice works well with the majority of different foods, and it’s so easy to cook and prepare. As a result of this, it’s a useful option to consider. 

You can select to serve boiled rice, or alternatively you can fry it if you’re looking for the rice to have some extra flavor.

While plain rice is a tasty option to consider, you can use stock, and seasoning, along with vegetables to make the rice more interesting too. 

spring rolls

Spring Rolls

Last, but certainly not least, we have spring rolls. While these may not be the first side dish you think of when it comes to coconut shrimp, the flavors lend themselves to each other well.

Our personal preference is to serve vegetable spring rolls with coconut shrimp. However, you can decide to serve spring rolls that are meat based too. The option is entirely up to you. 

Spring rolls are easy to cook and serve, making them a great option to consider. 

Summary

We hope you have found this article useful. As you can see, there are many fantastic side dishes you can choose to serve with coconut shrimp. The options you select will ultimately depend on your personal preferences. 

All the choices selected in this article work well and are easy and simple to prepare. However, you can pick other options, or you can double up on sides too!

Which of these 8 perfect side dishes will you decide to serve with coconut shrimp first?

Frequently Asked Questions

What Sauce Goes With Shrimp?

There are many different types of sauces that you can pair with shrimp that work well with them. A lot of people choose to use butter with and will add things such as the shrimp juices, miso or garlic for extra flavor.

Lemon, salsa, tomato based sauces and pesto are also great options to consider. 

How Much Shrimp Do You Need Per Person?

How much shrimp you will need will ultimately depend on the person, as some people will eat more than others.

However, on average, a pound of raw shrimp per person is a good serving suggestion. This tends to be filling without being too large of a portion size. 

What’s Healthier Shrimp Or Chicken?

Shrimp and chicken are both healthy options to consider.

However, shrimp does tend to be slightly healthier than chicken on the whole, especially when you take into consideration the calorie and fat content. 

8 Perfect Side Dishes to Serve With Coconut Shrimp

Are you looking for the perfect side dishes to serve with coconut shrimp? Here are 8 options to choose from that taste fantastic!

Ingredients

  • Pasta

  • Potatoes

  • Vegetables

  • Garlic Bread

  • Dips

  • Salad

  • Rice

  • Spring Rolls

Directions

  • Pick a recipe from the list above
  • Click the recipe name and visit the website
  • Collect the ingredients and cook the food
  • Enjoy – don’t forget to leave a review

Recipe Video

Jess Smith
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