Mango Coconut Shrimp Pops have a tropical flair that your guests will love. Although shrimp cocktail is one of the most popular appetizers for parties, I love the idea of surprising my guests with a little something extra special.
I made these Mango Coconut Shrimp Pops for a fundraiser we hosted recently. The presentation of this bite-size appetizer was super fun, and our guests loved this tropical take on shrimp cocktail. Since we were on such a tight budget for this event, I couldn’t use a caterer, so I catered the party myself.
It took me four days to prepare and cook all the food for this gathering of 70 people. Everyone was so impressed with the food, since most fundraisers don’t serve fancy food.
I attended a fundraiser several years ago catered by Peter Callahan and was so impressed by the unique presentation of his appetizers. He has all his serving trays custom made, including a special lollipop tray made out of lucite.
I improvised by wrapping a piece of styrofoam with white wrapping paper. I poked holes in the wrapped styrofoam using a bamboo skewer to create small holes that the Mango Coconut Shrimp Pops could be placed in.
These Mango Coconut Shrimp Pops were a huge hit, and I was really proud of my crafty presentation (I’m not a crafty person at all!).
This recipe calls for two pounds of large shrimp (~25 count per pound), so you will end up with around 50 shrimp. You can halve the recipe if you like. I made double this recipe or 100 shrimp!
How To Make Mango Coconut Shrimp Pops
This recipe can prepared ahead of time in several steps:
- Make the mango coconut marinade several days in advance (you can freeze it if you make it farther in advance).
- Marinade the shrimp the morning of your party, and bake them up to 8 hours before you plan on serving them. Line the shrimp up all facing the same direction to make it easier to skewer them once they are cooked.
- Skewer the shrimp and store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Take the shrimp out of the refrigerator half an hour before serving to take the chill off.
- Serve on a platter, or make one of these styrofoam skewer holders like I did and place on a serving tray for an elegant presentation.
Mango Coconut Shrimp Pops
Ingredients
- 12 ounces frozen mango defrosted
- 1/2 cup cream of coconut
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 tablespoon spiced rum
- 1 tablespoon ginger peeled, finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper sauce Tabasco or Crystal hot sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 pounds shrimp 20-25 count per pound, peeled, deveined, tails removed
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro minced
- 24 4" bamboo skewers
Instructions
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Place mango, cream of coconut, garlic, chipotle pepper, lime juice, rum, ginger, cayenne pepper sauce, coriander, cumin and salt in food processor. Process until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl or Ziploc bag.
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Add cilantro and shrimp to mango marinade. Toss well to coat all shrimp. Let marinade up to 2 hours.
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place shrimp on parchment paper lined baking tray, making sure shrimp are all facing the same direction (this will make it easier to skewer once the shrimp are cooked).
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Bake shrimp until cooked through (tails will curl so shrimp looks like a lollipop), about 13 minutes.
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Let shrimp cool. Skewer with bamboo skewers.
Recipe Notes
Adapted from Bite By Bite by Peter Callahan
If you like this Mango Coconut Shrimp recipe, you might also like:
Roasted Old Bay Shrimp Cocktail
Such a delicious and fun party food!
Thanks Angie – these were really cute and fun for our party!
As a Nutritionist i can say this food is 100% healthy and nutritious. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, I will must try to home.
Thank you Selina – these are fun for everyone!:)
Best coconut shrimp ever! Mango sauce was perfection! Delicious and simple to make. YUM!
So glad you tried these and enjoyed them!