Sexy Fried Shrimp

Yes, shrimp can be sexy! My sister Julie sent me a picture of the fried shrimp she made and my mouth started watering. Every state has its famous seafood place to get fried shrimp. In NJ, it's Keyport Fishery, down the shore. Something about getting fried fish and sitting in your car, shoveling it in your face, while watching the ocean. That screams guilty pleasure to me. We don't go often but enjoy every bite when we do go.

Julie shared her recipe for me to create this blog, and we all thank you!

Here goes, you'll need:

fresh (or thawed) shrimp - cleaned

flour

egg wash

panko bread crumbs

Old Bay Seasonings

Cocktail sauce

Vegetable oil for frying

Clean the shrimp and devein them. You have to take out that nasty line of poop that goes down the back of the shrimp. I use a small knife and make a think slice and remove it intact. Dry the shrimp with a paper towel and set it aside. If you want, you can put the shrimp, covered, in the refrigerator to bread and fry later. Once breaded, you have to fry them immediately.

Put the vegetable oil in a deep pan to make a shallow fry (about 2" - I use a stovetop wok). Start to heat the oil while you get the breading station ready. No matter what the calendar says, it's FEB (flour, egg & breadcrumbs) when it comes to frying. Add a sprinkle of Old Bay Seasoning to the flour along with black pepper.

Put the shrimp in flour, then the egg, and into the bread crumbs. I like to pat the bread crumbs on the shrimp to ensure the breading stays on during frying. Drop them carefully into the hot oil. Don't let them sit around or the breadcrumbs will get soggy.

I breaded all the shrimp before I lowered them gently into the hot oil. DON'T CROWD THE OIL - the temperature of the oil will drop and you will have chewy, greasy shrimp instead of crispy fried shrimp. Only put a few in at a time, allowing the hot oil to surround the shrimp.

Julie's secret to perfect, crispy shrimp (or anything she fries) is to allow them to drain on a wire rack instead of a paper towel. Who knew?? I have been using a paper towel for years and the bottom always gets soggy. This secret works and the shrimp was 360 crunchy.

Of course, I used a paper plate so once it was dirty, I could just throw the greasy plate away.

Ketchup, fresh hot horseradish, and a dash of hot sauce made a delicious cocktail sauce for the fried shrimp. You can also top them with red gravy and mozzarella and have shrimp parm to serve over pasta for dinner.

I made these as an appetizer and enjoyed the perfect bite with a glass of wine.

Once you make this easy recipe for fried shrimp, you'll see why I entitle this sexy friend shrimp. These bad boys are sexy, crunchy, and delicious!

Enjoy