Seafood lovers will flip for these crispy breaded Kickin' Fried Shrimp. The crunchy coating is perfectly seasoned and provides extra crunch by combining both flour and cornmeal. In warm weather or cool, these fiery shrimp are sure to start a party whenever they're served. Set-up a condiment station for dipping then step aside and watch your family and friends dig in.
Kickin' Fried Shrimp
These mouthwatering shrimp fall into the category of special treats for my family. Contrary to common thought about life in the South, deep fried dishes aren't an everyday occurrence at our house so when we splurge, we do it right! Shrimp is definitely on our short list of favorite golden-fried dishes following close behind chicken, of course.
What's the Breading Like?
The flour-cornmeal breading for this kickin' shrimp provides just the right balance between crispy and crunchy. It's always a plus that fried shrimp cook quickly, too. They're easy to pop and even harder to stop popping making them guaranteed to disappear in flash. Serve them with tarter sauce, cocktail sauce or one of our favorites, Yum Yum Sauce.
You may also like to try this Kickin' Shrimp Dip from my Parade Magazine kitchen ideal for the holidays or summer soiree's.
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Helpful Kitchen Items:
Kickin' Fried Shrimp
Servings: 10 servings
Ingredients
- 2 lb medium raw shrimp peeled, deveined tails removed
- 2 ½ cup self-rising flour
- ½ cup plain yellow cornmeal
- 3 ½ tsp seafood seasoning divided [i.e. Seafood Magic, Old Bay, Cajun-Creole]
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1 ½ cup whole buttermilk
- oil for frying
Instructions
- Season the shrimp with ½ tsp seafood seasoning and set aside.
- In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the self-rising flour, cornmeal, 3 tsp seafood seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, and ground cumin.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together 2 large eggs and 1 ½ cups whole buttermilk.
- Toss the seasoned shrimp with ⅓ cup of the seasoned flour-cornmeal breading.
- Spread out into a single layer so they won't clump.
- Dip each piece in the buttermilk-egg wash.
- Toss in the seasoned flour-cornmeal breading shaking off any excess.
- Heat 4 inches of oil in a dutch oven or heavy bottomed saucepan to 350°F. Do not overfill the pot.
- Fry the shrimp in batches for 2-3 minutes [depending on the size of the shrimp] until golden and crispy. Adjust the heat periodically to maintain the temperature of the oil while frying.
- Use a slotted spoon to remove the crispy golden shrimp to a paper towel lined pan to drain.
- Repeat until all of the shrimp is fried. Sprinkle with additional seasoning after frying, if desired. Serve immediately with your favorite dipping sauce.
Notes
Self-rising flour has salt and baking powder already added. The baking powder adds a light and crispy texture to the breading that makes it so delicious! The salt in the flour and in the seafood seasoning makes it unnecessary to add additional salt to the breading. If needed, adjust to your taste.
Tried this recipe?Mention @melissassk or tag #melissassk!
My name is Melissa and I'm the Creator of Melissa's Southern Style Kitchen. Cooking, baking, developing recipes and kitchen tips is my passion. I love sharing my dishes and connecting with people through the food that I create.
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Coral
Trying to make these tonight, anything I can substitute for buttermilk? I don’t have any right now.
Melissa
To make your own, add 1 Tbsp of lemon juice or white distilled vinegar to each cup of whole milk. Let stand for 5 minutes on the counter, then proceed with the recipe.
Dan
What’s the best oil to use for these shrimp?
Melissa
Peanut oil, canola or vegetable oil.
charles morgan
Found this shrimp receipe a few weeks ago, it is outstanding, our guest said it was the best they had ever eaten, better than any restaurant
Melissa
How wonderful, we love these, too. Thanks so much for your kind comment.
Marilyn Sanders
Celiac here, would gluten free flour work instead of all purpose?
Melissa
I haven't tested this recipe with gluten free flour but, if you've had success with a particular gluten free flour used for breading in the past, it should work.
Shirlene
Can I use. White corn meal
Melissa
Plain yellow cornmeal is best.
Michele
Delicious!!!
Margo
Do you have your own app?
Had save some of your recipes and had a hell of a time finding them ... forgetting your name
Bought the shrimp but, needed to more ingredients.
Melissa
Hi Margo, I don't but be sure to subscribe for email updates and bookmark my website in your browser.
Lauren
These shrimp are amazing! We live in Charleston, SC. They are better than any we've had in the many seafood restaurants here. Bravo!
Melissa
That's high praise thanks so much. I'm glad you loved these!
Melissa
Thanks so much. The sauce pictured is a roasted red pepper tarter sauce. I'll have to add the recipe to this one soon.
Sharon
Why wouldn't this work for chicken also?
Melissa
Sounds like a great experiement.
Nufsaid
Sounds yummy just like the rest of your recipes! What dipping sauce do you have in the picture?