Fried shrimp is something that goes fantastically well with many different meals. Some people enjoy eating it as an appetizer while others will even eat it as a main course.
Often, people will order this from restaurants. You can certainly make your own at home if you’d like to, though.
If you’ve never tried it before, you might wind up having a tough time getting perfect results. Some people have noted having issues with getting things to turn out crunchy enough.
The dish simply won’t be as satisfying as it should be if it doesn’t have the proper texture. Read on to learn how to make shrimp crunchy so that you can enjoy it with your family.
Use a Wide, Heavy Pot to Heat the Oil
To get started, you’re going to need to find a wide and heavy pot that you can use to heat the oil. To get the best results and to heat the oil properly, it’s recommended to attach a deep-fry thermometer to the side of the pot.
It’s also possible to use an instant-read thermometer to get the job done if you have one of those. Once you have the thermometer issue sorted, it’ll be time to add two inches of vegetable oil to the pot so that it can start heating.
Set the heat on the stove to medium and then keep heating the pot until the oil is 350 degrees Fahrenheit. It should take several minutes for the oil to heat up to this temperature.
You want to keep an eye on the thermometer, but it should be possible to handle other tasks while you do so. Seasoning the shrimp is the next step.
How to Season the Shrimp
Get approximately one and a half pounds of medium shrimp that has been peeled and deveined. This will be enough to serve a family of four.
You’ll want to add salt and pepper to the shrimp to taste. This is the right time to add any flavorings that you’re interested in, too.
There are many options when making this crunchy shrimp recipe. You might wish to season the shrimp with a particular blend of herbs and spices that you know you love already.
If you’re looking for a good blend that works nicely for shrimp, consider trying paprika, cayenne pepper, thyme, onion powder, black pepper, oregano, and garlic powder. Put the shrimp in a bowl that’s large enough to fit them and then toss the seasonings in.
You’ll simply need to toss the shrimp in the bowl to coat them properly. Once you’ve finished seasoning it, you’ll be able to move on.
The Battering Process
The battering process is the crucial thing to pay attention to when you wish for the shrimp to be crunchy. Pour some buttermilk into one bowl and then get a second bowl to mix the dry ingredients.
Whisk cornmeal and flour together in the dry ingredients bowl so that you can make the breading that you need. You dip the seasoned shrimp in the buttermilk quickly and then coat them with the breading.
You might get better results if you take the time to dredge the shrimp in the breading mixture that you created. After this is done, it’ll be time to toss them into the hot oil so that they can be cooked.
Remember that you’ll have to fry the shrimp in batches. It won’t be good to try to fry too many at once since you might burn some, and crowding issues can also cause the breading to come off of the shrimp.
Keep Frying the Shrimp
Frying the shrimp is a pretty straightforward process, but it’s one that you need to pay attention to. You need to fry them until they appear to be golden brown.
When they’ve finished frying, you’re going to remove them from the pot and set them on a sheet pan to dry. Keep frying them until you have finished all one and a half pounds.
Removing the shrimp from the pan will be easier if you use a slotted spoon. Once you get the hang of this, it’s not going to be tough to get into the flow of frying shrimp.
Try not to let the hot oil sit for too long between frying batches of shrimp. The shrimp in the pot actually help to regulate the temperature and keep it in the proper range.
You should try to be fast so that you can do everything without having to adjust the oil heat again. If all goes as planned, the shrimp should turn out to be delicious and quite crunchy.
Serve the Shrimp
Now that you’ve fried all of the shrimp, it’ll be time to serve them to your family. Allow them to cool a bit if things are still incredibly hot.
Frying shrimp in this way should allow you to get consistently amazing results each time. This is an ideal way to get them to turn out very crunchy while also ensuring that the taste is perfect.
If you ever wish to alter the taste of the shrimp, you can try mixing things up with the seasonings that you use. You could try a different combination or remove certain seasonings that aren’t as fond of.
Eating shrimp this way will be very addictive overall. This simple recipe is just as good as any “popcorn shrimp” from a local restaurant.
It’s a perfect snack to enjoy with everyone in your household during the weekend. You can use it as an appetizer to accompany a larger meal as well.
So long as you get the breading process done correctly, the shrimp will always have a good crunch. If the breading starts coming off of the shrimp too easily, try frying fewer shrimp at once.
You might also need to do a better job of dredging the shrimp in the batter that you created. Little mistakes can throw things off a bit, but even if things don’t turn out perfectly, the shrimp will likely be very tasty.
You’ll also get better as you get used to doing this. The second and third times that you make this recipe will likely be much better than the first if you made any little errors.
Final Thoughts
Now you know exactly how to make the crunchiest shrimp that you can enjoy with your family. Getting good results with this method will be simple so long as you pay attention to each step.
You might need to go out and get a deep-fry thermometer or an instant-read thermometer, though. It’ll be worth it when you taste the delicious shrimp for the first time.
Remember to avoid distractions when frying shrimp. Keeping them in the oil for too long will make it so that they’ll burn instead of being golden brown.
Crunchy shrimp will turn into burnt shrimp if you aren’t careful. Thankfully, it’s not hard to get the right results so long as you’re engaged in the frying process.
Treat your family to some delicious shrimp sometime soon. Everyone is going to enjoy how they turned out when you put your heart into making it.
Sarah is the founder of Baking Kneads, LLC, a blog sharing guides, tips, and recipes for those learning how to bake. Growing up as the daughter of a baker, she spent much of her childhood learning the basics in a local bakery.