Wild American shrimp are butterflied, highly seasoned, dipped in flour, then blended milk and egg and last in panko breadcrumbs, then deep-fried.
Deep-Fried Butterflied Panko Shrimp
Even though I love fried shrimp all kinds of ways, my number one way to make them is the classic version.
It's the one I crave and make the most.
I also love them batter-dipped or tempura style and if I'm baking them like an oven fry, panko breadcrumbs are likely to be my top choice of breading, just for the added crunch.
This time I thought I'd try the panko breadcrumbs in a deep fry instead, and I'm glad I did. They turned out fantastic!
This is a good place to insert a quick reminder... that this is a blog, not just a "recipe site," and yes, there is a difference! I want to first thank all of you who have supported my work over the years. Your notes to me are uplifting and encouraging, however, if you aren't interested in the chit chat, info, photos, tips and such in a post, as always, you'll find the complete recipe text with measurements and instructions, as well as a printable document, a little bit further down the page. Just swipe or scroll down to the bottom of the post!Here's how to make my Deep-Fried Butterflied Panko Shrimp!
I'm using 1-1/2 pounds of medium large (31-35 count) beautiful shell-on, Gulf shrimp, of course! Just for presentation purposes, I decided to leave the tails on. If you have time, use heads and shells to prepare a shrimp stock, even if it's just to put up in the freezer.
Drain and rinse.
I'm also butterflying these since it's gonna be panko coated. It's just a process to take the deveining a little bit deeper to open them up. You can get step by step details on the process by tapping or clicking this link here: Deep South Dish: How to Butterfly Shrimp. Butterflied shrimp will cook a bit faster too.
Preheat fryer to 350 degrees F and gather up your ingredients!
For seasoning, I'm using:
- Cajun or Creole seasoning - this is actually optional, though highly recommended
- Old Bay seasoning - I use this in most of my seafood recipes
- Kosher salt
- Freshly cracked black pepper,
- Lemon pepper
In a separate bowl, beat an egg with some milk and a bit of hot sauce.
Toss the shrimp with the seasonings and let rest for 10 minutes.
While that's resting, set up a dipping station. I like to use pie plates, one for flour, one for the milk and egg and the other for the panko. Keep in mind too that it's less messy if you dedicate one hand to dry and the other to wet.
Dredge the seasoned shrimp in the flour first.
From the flour, dip the shrimp into the milk and egg mixture.
Set aside on a plate.
Once you have accumulated enough, you're ready to start frying, while you continue dredging the remaining shrimp.
Carefully drop into the hot oil, one at a time and deep fry in batches, without overcrowding the fryer, until golden brown, about 1 minute.
Drain on a rack over a paper towel lined pan.
For more of my favorite shrimp recipes, check out the collection on my Pinterest page.
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