Crispy Cornmeal Shrimp with Homemade Tartar Sauce.
I love fried seafood.
Fried clams, oysters, even fried lobster…but my all time favorite is fried shrimp.
For shrimp, I like coconut shrimp, shrimp parmigiana, buffalo shrimp, but my favorite go to recipe when I am in the mood to fry…a nice crispy shrimp that will be so addicting, you can stop eating them.
Did you ever open a bag of chips or cookies in the car after the supermarket run and say to yourself,
“I’m just going to have one…perhaps two..tops, but that is it.”
By the time you pull into the driveway your shirt is full of crumbs and there’s an empty bag or container on the passenger seat.
Yup, we’ve all been there…only the strong ones will admit it. 🙂
That, in the nutshell, or shall I say, In the shrimp shell…is exactly how this shrimp will be to you.
In our house, we always have certain things at the ready.
Old Bay seasoning, various dried peppers, salts, onion powder and the list goes on.
In the fridge there are always organic, nitrate free hot dogs. My very picky little one will eat them when push comes to shove, as long as the next item is always in my pantry.
Ketchup. Lot’s of organic ketchup.
Hey, it’s a vegetable. ok?
Without the need to be said, there is always wine and beer..for those, “personal emergencies.”
In our freezer, I always make sure that there is frozen shrimp.
Shrimp are so versatile and defrost under running water within minutes and then it’s up to your imagination to do the rest.
Dredging your shrimp in the recipe that I use will give you that perfect crispy shrimp, every time.
Equal parts stone ground yellow corn meal and all purpose, white flour.
Old Bay seasoning, garlic powder and a little of this and some of that and damn…you’re ready to impress.
I find that the perfect accompaniment for your crispy shrimp is my homemade tartar sauce.
This recipe will totally rock your world and make you question whether or not your favorite take out place or restaurant is really making their tartar sauce on premises and not just blopping it out of a giant jar.
And yes..blopping is a word. A very special word used in very select culinary circles.
Very small, select circles. Ok. I’m the only one I know that has ever used the word blopping.
This tartar sauce will make you turn your head on the jar once and for all.
Serve with fresh lemon.
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- 1/2 cup all-purpose white flour
- 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
- 2 tbsp Old Bay seasoning
- 1 tbsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Black Pepper, freshly ground
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 1 pound(18-24) peeled and deveined large shrimp, thawed
- 1 cup canola or vegetable oil
- tartar sauce
- lemon
- 1/2 cup of mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons fresh minced shallot
- 1 tbsp lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
- 1 tbsp pickle relish (original sweet)
- 1/4 tsp black pepper (freshly ground)
- In a large bowl, combine flour, cornmeal, Old Bay, garlic powder, pepper.
- In a medium sized bowl, beat three eggs.
- Dip the shrimp in the eggs, then coat in the seasoned cornmeal/flour mixture.
- In a large hot skillet pan, carefully lay the shrimp and cook the until golden brown and crisp, about 3-4 minutes (depending on how hot your oil is)
- Place shrimp on a paper towel-lined plate to absorb the extra oil.
- Serve with sliced lemon and homemade tartar sauce.
- To avoid overcrowding in the pan, only cook 6-8 shrimp at a time.
- Make sure oil is covering the shrimp in the pan. If it isn't, turn the at the shrimp over at the 2 minute point to evenly cook to a golden brown.
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