Light and Crispy Fried Wild Gulf Coast + Argentine Red Shrimp

tips + tricks

• When working with any kind of “breading station”, always keep one hand dry and use the other hand for working with wet ingredients.  This helps you avoid getting clumps of wet, gummy flour all over your hands.
• Be sure your oil is not too hot or the shrimp will be undercooked by the time the coating is already golden brown. Alternatively, if your oil is too cold you’ll end up with a sad soggy, oily mess.
• You can prepare the breaded, uncooked shrimp ahead of time. Simply lay the breaded shrimp out in a single layer on a platter or small sheet tray and freeze uncovered for 30 minutes to one hour.  After the shrimp are frozen you can place them into a freezer bag with (or without) wax or parchment paper in between the layers.  Pull a few out and fry anytime you’re in the mood for fried shrimp.
• Use a pair of kitchen shears or shrimp scissors to make the de-veining process very easy. Kitchen shears work really well and you probably already have them in your kitchen.
• Increase the cayenne pepper for a spicier fried shrimp.
• Replace the water in the egg wash with your favorite hot sauce to add a slight tang to your shrimp.
• Replace all-purpose flour with self-rising flour, but reduce the amount of salt in the recipe.
• Serve with tartar sauce, sweet Thai chili sauce, BBQ sauce, honey, or your family’s favorite dipping sauce. *they’re great on their own without dipping into anything!

Some of my favorite shrimp comes from the gulf coast around Alabama, Louisiana, and Florida, USA.  It’s clean and very fresh tasting and is abundant and sustainable when purchasing your seafood from reputable local suppliers. I have friends from many of the southern gulf coastal regions/states and one great friend in particular, KP, knows his seafood (like any good Louisiana or Alabama-raised boy should).  In the early 2000’s, he first introduced me to the iconic gulf coast Royal Reds. They remind me of a larger, fatter version of the “Gambero Rosso”, or famous Italian Red Shrimp.  If you’ve never had them, I’m sorry.  If you’re fortunate enough to acquire some while in season, I recommend you try them more than one time and from more than one source.  The shrimp can be naturally very salty, or not so salty at all so you’ll need to adjust your seasoning accordingly.  Many countries have their own version of a “Royal Red”.  These shrimp are caught in 1200-2400 feet deep water, making their texture silky, buttery and the taste is ever so sweet. Everyone who knows me, knows I adore lobster. I LOVE lobster. But, if I were forced to choose between having access to and eating gulf shore Royal Reds or lobster for the rest of my life, it’ll be Royal Reds every single time.

Argentina Reds are seen everywhere nowadays in American grocery stores throughout the country and some are better than others, but I’ve never had one I didn’t like.  Before purchasing, always look at where they come from and make sure they’re sustainably shrimped or don’t purchase them. In NYC, I order them from Fresh Direct and they’re of the highest quality.  In Arkansas, I can get them at my local Harp’s, etc. but it’s nice to support local small businesses who specialize in one thing (seafood) and who are “doing it up right”!

My Dad loves shrimp. I love shrimp. His birthday is the day after mine and while I was home recently and helping him a little at his shop, we decided we both wanted shrimp for our birthday celebration. He mentioned “See’s Seafood” where he likes to order from and that was it. Arkansas is landlocked from the ocean so, although it has many beautiful rivers and lakes with lots of freshwater gems to eat, we both wanted good coastal gulf shrimp. So, we called See’s and we chose the Argentine Reds and some really big and tender local shrimp.  The crew at See’s are mostly (all?) transplants from around the gulf…some from Louisiana and others from Alabama.  They source shrimp from the gulf region and truck it in twice a week fresh from their suppliers near the coast. They’re also just about the kindest crew of people you’d ever want to meet.

For birthday lunch 1, we knew it wouldn’t take long to prepare fried shrimp, and then we’d have more time to sit and enjoy. *we did two birthday lunches on back to back days, so this was a small preview of what was yet to come.  This takes minutes to prepare and well, the photos just don’t do the flavor of these any justice.  The highest quality shrimp yields the most tender, succulent, and sweet shrimp…that tastes like the sea and “shrimpy” as hell. Stir in the seasoning, dip the shrimp in egg wash, then into the flour coating, and set aside till ready to fry!

You can see the difference in color between the wild gulf coast shrimp and the Argentine reds even after it’s been coated.

If you’re like my Dad, enjoy a little (or a lot!) of tartar sauce on your fried shrimpy’s.  I, on the other hand, prefer them plain or dipped into a spicy sauce or dunked into clarified shrimp butter. Happy Birthday, Dad!  Let’s get started!