Fried Shrimp
After posting my Boiled Shrimp recipe, one of my devoted readers reached out to me via Twitter asking me to please share my Fried Shrimp secrets with her. I’m so glad she did because I thought I had already posted this one. My Fried Shrimp recipe really should have been one of my initial postings considering most NOLA babies cut their teeth on them–a popular Friday night dinner, local kid’s menu and weekly school lunch item. Finally, here it is.
As I’ve written about before, I believe different types of seafood need different batters to not only enhance each one’s unique characteristics but also give each one a signature flavor. This is especially important when serving more than one type of fried seafood at the same meal. In my opinion, there’s nothing worse than have a wonderful variety of seafood that all tastes the same.
When it comes to shrimp, I like to soak them in a spicy buttermilk bath then dredge them in seasoned “fish-fri,” a term coined by Zatarain’s. I’m quite partial to this particular corn flour because it’s very fine creating a thin coating that fries up light and fluffy. The seasoned variety also adds a hint of lemon and spice that adds zing while still allowing the shrimp’s sweetness to shine through. Thankfully, Zatarain’s products are now widely available. But if you have trouble finding this particular product, click on my Resources tab for online ordering options.
Fried Shrimp Recipe
Print Recipe
Peanut or canola oil, for frying
2 cups buttermilk
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon Creole seasoning
2 cups Zatarain’s Crispy Southern Seasoned Fish-Fri
2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled
Salt
Place oil in a large skillet or electric fryer and heat to 350 degrees F. Meanwhile, pour buttermilk and Creole seasoning into a large resealable bag. Seal bag and mix ingredients until combined. Add shrimp and let soak for 20 minutes. Pour seasoned fish-fri into a separate resealable bag. Working in batches, remove shrimp from buttermilk mixture, drain off excess and dredge in fish-fri. Fry until shrimp float to the top and are golden brown, about 2-3 minutes per batch. Transfer to a wire rack or stack of paper towels to drain. Season to taste with salt. Makes 4-6 servings.
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