Crunchy Fried Shrimp

      

      These little nuggets of goodness……we all need a treat like em’ every now and again, for sure. Naturally, I know they aren't what the doctor ordered, but they definitely cure some sort of something in our daily lives. Tired? Yup, these will perk you up. Cranky? Yesiree, got you covered. Grumpy? Check! Hangry? Double duty medicine 100%. Or even if you are having a grand ol’ day, they’ll widen that smile, I promise. 

     Funny, when I bought the shrimp I had planned to make some kind of a tortellini with shrimp and asparagus saute. Hubby and I opted for the pastrami I also bought and canned the shrimp idea. Because after a long week, a hot pastrami sandwich sounded way better than shrimp and veggies. 1 day later, we had the shrimp waiting to be cooked and it was a lazy Sunday football afternoon. Again, those poor tortellini got sidelined along with the asparagus. Enter easily battered fried shrimp, quickly salted for a deliciously satisfying bite. The only PITA part was cleaning the darn shrimp…..someone please invent a shrimp-cleaning transformer. My sad-a$$ paring knife and dwindling patience will thank you eternally. 

      So that’s that. A great, unexpected appetizer for us. I still have those tortellini and asparagus lingering in the fridge so I guess that’s on the menu this week. For you, I sure hope its some crunchy fried shrimp! Enjoy…

Crunchy Fried Shrimp

Serves: 4

slightly adapted from: Paula Deen's Southern Cooking Bible

Ingredients:

2 C self-rising flour

Salt

1/2 tsp black pepper 

2 C buttermilk

2 TBS hot sauce

1 TBS fresh lime juice

About 1-2 Quarts Canola oil, or peanut oil

1 LB jumbo shrimp, peeled, cleaned, deveined, cut in half or medium shrimp kept whole

1. In a shallow bowl or dredging plate, whisk flour, 1 TBS salt and pepper
2. In another same shallow bowl or dredging plate, whisk together buttermilk, hot sauce and lime juice
3. In a medium saucepan or deep sauté pan, heat 2 inches oil over medium heat until it reaches 375 on a deep fry thermometer. Or you can test oil but placing a pinch of flour in oil- if it sizzles- it is ready. 
4. Paper towel dry the shrimp and dredge in flour mixture, then buttermilk mixture, then back in flour mixture. Be sure to shake well after each dredge
5. Work in batches and fry the shrimp for about 2 minutes, until golden brown. With a slotted spoon, place on paper towel or brown paper bag to cool. Sprinkle immediately with salt
6. Serve warm