Fried shrimp have been my favorite special occasion food for as long as I can remember. I grew up in North Carolina but my mom is from South Louisiana, and going out to eat crispy, tender, perfectly seasoned fried shrimp was a highlight of every trip to visit my grandfather and aunts in Louisiana. Mom has always shunned shrimp from anywhere but the Gulf—which is known for its sweet, nutty-tasting, plump shrimp—so I really only ever ate fried shrimp in South Louisiana, where you can reliably get excellent shrimp and where the cooks use a heavy-enough hand with the seasonings in their batters.
Only-in-Louisiana was still my general rule for fried shrimp until recently when I was on-site in Alabama where our Birmingham-based colleague Craig Ruff was creating this recipe for Southern fried shrimp. A recipe developer who specializes in Southern cuisine, Craig also has experience cooking in restaurants in New Orleans and Mississippi, so he knows a thing or two about frying shrimp. The first batch Craig fried was really good, but he kept tinkering, frying batch after batch, until he completely perfected his recipe for what were some of the best fried shrimp I've ever eaten—they were plump and juicy, with a light and crispy coating that had just the right kick from Creole seasoning. With Craig's recipe, I can have excellent Southern fried shrimp even when I'm nowhere near the Gulf coast—and so can you.
Choosing the Best Shrimp
The first task if you want a truly excellent fry-up is getting your hands on the best quality shrimp. "While Gulf Shrimp are the most appropriate for Southern fried shrimp, you can use whatever you have available to you," says Craig. "Get local and fresh if you live in a coastal area, but otherwise I tend to lean towards frozen at grocery stores." He points out that the shrimp in most grocery store refrigerator cases has likely been previously frozen anyway and simply thawed at the store. If you buy frozen shrimp, simply transfer it to the fridge to thaw 12 to 24 hours before you plan to cook it.
Whether you buy fresh or frozen shrimp, Craig advises choosing shrimp that's free of STPP (sodium tripolyphosphate), an additive used to prevent moisture loss, because it can cause the cooked shrimp to be rubbery and less tasty when cooked. "That retained moisture results in heavier (more expensive for their size) shrimp that cook differently, have a different texture, and most importantly, are less flavorful," says Craig. "I generally look for unpeeled, individually quick frozen (IQF) shrimp, and I always check the ingredient listing. The only ingredient should be 'shrimp.’"
The Best Batter for Fried Shrimp
When you're ready to prepare your shrimp, you'll stir together a dry mixture of self-rising flour, corn flour, cornmeal, and Creole seasoning and a wet mixture of buttermilk and eggs, to which you'll add some of the flour mixture. Self-rising flour is a mixture of all-purpose flour, salt, and baking powder (you can easily stir it together with those ingredients if you don't have a bag of it on hand). The baking powder is a leavener that activates in the presence of water and acid—buttermilk in this case—and produces gas bubbles that aerate the batter and help create an even coating that is a bit lighter in texture.
Corn flour is very finely ground flour milled from whole corn kernels, while cornmeal is coarser-grained—using both gives the coating a complex, sweet, nutty, and toasty flavor and a texture that's got some dimension but isn't so thick that it overpowers the shrimp. Another key component in the breading is Creole seasoning, which blooms when fried and complements the sweet shrimp. Craig and I are both fans of Zatarain's Creole Seasoning, which includes chile pepper, paprika, red pepper, garlic, onion, salt, and sugar, but feel free to use your favorite brand here.
In testing, Craig tried a dry-wet-dry dredge, but he found that process made for a coating that was too thick. Instead, he landed on combining a bit of the flour mixture with the batter. "Adding some of the dry mixture to the buttermilk mixture creates a loose batter that results in breading that actually sticks to the shrimp," he explains.
After dredging, you'll pop the shrimp in the fridge to rest for about a half an hour. "Do not skip resting the dredged shrimp in the refrigerator," Craig cautions. "The dry mixture slightly hydrates and really sticks to the shrimp. Not resting leads to a coating that flakes off and is distinguishably separate from the shrimp." Trust him—he tested batches without resting and he knows what he’s talking about: Without resting, "the coating was not adhered at all." He also tested batches with a 15-minute rest, and those fared better than the no-rest batch but not as well as the ones that rested for 30 minutes.
Frying the Shrimp So They're Crispy, Not Soggy
Once the shrimp are battered and adequately rested, it's time to fry them. There are a few keys to success here. The first is keeping the oil at the right temperature (365ºF) by frying in batches to avoid overcrowding and letting the oil come back up to the correct temperature between batches. The second is not overcooking the shrimp. "The answer to 'why is my shrimp rubbery?' is almost always that it is overcooked," Craig says. "Frying is one of my favorite ways to cook shrimp, but it is easily overcooked this way. You don’t want to fry shrimp any more than a few minutes—once the breading is golden brown, stop frying. The harder you fry shrimp, the tighter the meat proteins bind, squeezing out all of the juiciness."
How to Serve Fried Shrimp
I like to dip my fried shrimp in rémoulade sauce, but they're also great plain or with other dipping sauces, such as cocktail sauce. French fries are a classic side, but I also really love fried shrimp alongside a salad—cool crisp greens and a creamy dressing really complement crispy fried shrimp. Whatever you serve on the side, once your shrimp are out of the fryer, serve them as quickly as you can without burning your fingers—fried shrimp don't keep well, but if your family is anything like mine, somebody's gonna take care of eating that last shrimp.
In a large shallow bowl, whisk self-rising flour, corn flour, cornmeal, and Creole seasoning to combine. In another large shallow bowl, whisk buttermilk, eggs, and 1/2 cup of flour mixture to combine.
Set a wire rack in a rimmed baking sheet; set aside. Using paper towels, pat shrimp dry. Add to buttermilk mixture and toss to evenly coat. Working with 2 to 3 shrimp at a time, let excess buttermilk mixture drip off. Dredge shrimp in flour mixture, pressing gently to adhere. Shake off excess flour and transfer shrimp to prepared baking sheet. Refrigerate until most of the exterior flour mixture has slightly hydrated, 30 minutes.
Line another rimmed baking sheet with 2 layers of paper towels; set aside. Fill a large Dutch oven with 1 1/2 inches peanut oil and heat over medium-high heat until 365ºF (185ºC). Carefully add about 1/3 of shrimp to oil. Fry, using a spider skimmer or slotted spoon to gently stir, until golden brown and cooked through, about 2 minutes. Transfer shrimp to paper towel-lined baking sheet with a slotted spoon; allow oil to return 365°F (185ºC), and repeat with remaining shrimp in 2 more bat. Serve with remoulade, if desired.
Special Equipment
Two 13- by 18-inch rimmed baking sheets, large Dutch oven, spider skimmer or slotted spoon
Notes
To make your own self-rising flour: whisk together 1 cup of all-purpose flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1 teaspoon of Diamond Crystal kosher salt (for table salt, use half as much by volume).
Corn flour is very finely ground flour milled from whole corn kernels. Bob’s Red Mill is one good brand of corn flour available at many grocery stores. If you can't find it, you can swap the corn flour for an equal amount of self-rising flour.
Make Ahead and Storage
Fried shrimp is best eaten immediately, but if you have leftovers they can be safely stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Rémoulade can be refrigerated for up to 5 days.
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