★ ON THE MENU · RECIPES ★
Peeled, soaked in seasoned buttermilk, dredged in cornmeal and flour, fried 90 seconds at 350°F. Done before you can plate the hush puppies.
Shrimp cook fast. That is the whole challenge. Twenty seconds too long and they go from juicy to rubber. The cornmeal-flour blend in the dredge is exactly the right balance: cornmeal for crunch, flour for cling.
Southern Living's classic fried shrimp recipe hits the ratio right and uses a buttermilk soak to bring the seasoning all the way through the meat. The Hurricane Bay HB-4's 4-gallon oil bath holds 350°F when a basket of shrimp drops in, which means each one cooks in 90 seconds without crashing the next batch.
★ The Coastal Pairing
Sea Best Gulf shrimp are wild-caught American shrimp without the punishing price tag. The 26-30 count means they are large enough to eat whole without being so jumbo they overcook in the middle. Two pounds feeds four people. Pair with Pearl Milling cornmeal for a coastal-style cornmeal crust.
Member's Mark Peanut OilIn a bowl, stir the buttermilk with 1 tsp of the Tony Chachere's and the hot sauce. Add the peeled shrimp and let them soak in the fridge while the oil heats, about 15 to 20 minutes. Don't go past 30, the acid will start cooking them.
In a separate shallow pan, whisk the cornmeal, flour, the remaining 1 tsp Tony Chachere's, salt, pepper, and paprika.
Fill the Hurricane Bay HB-4 with 4 gallons of peanut oil and light the burner. About 12 to 14 minutes from cold to 350°F.
Pull a handful of shrimp out of the buttermilk and toss them in the cornmeal-flour mix. Press lightly so the dredge sticks. Don't dredge them all up front, the coating goes pasty if it sits.
Lower 12 to 15 dredged shrimp into the basket and fry for 90 seconds at 350°F. They will curl into tight C-shapes and turn pale gold. Pull them the second the color hits, they keep cooking on the rack.
Lift onto paper-lined sheet pan and salt while hot. Hit them with a squeeze of lemon if you've got it.
Wait 60 to 90 seconds for the oil to come back to 350°F. The 90,000 BTU burner climbs back fast even after a basket of cold shrimp.
Fried shrimp don't hold. Plate them as you fry them and let people eat off the rack if they want.
The Hurricane Bay HB-4: 4 gallons, 90,000 BTU, 12-gauge American steel, V-drain. The fryer this recipe was tested in.
Get a Hurricane Bay HB-4