Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Crispy Cornmeal Shrimp


My favorite meal . . . love it with a baked potato, corn, hush puppies and of course, lots of tartar sauce.

The following recipe from Real Simple is exactly (well, almost) the way I make mine, which I also use to pan fry fish and chicken fingers.  There is something about the corn meal that gives it that perfect texture and the cajun seasoning (I use red cayenne pepper) gives it just enough spice.  

The other thing I do different is use a generous amount of dill (sorry, I don't measure) in the flour mixture and a little garlic salt.  I love using dill when cooking seafood!  

I have a few variations.  When I'm in a real hurry, I don't even dip it in egg first . . . it still works well.  Sometimes I marinate the shrimp or fish in a little olive oil, lemon and dill for around 15 minutes instead of using the egg dip.  It gives a different dimension of flavor that is delicious and goes well with tartar sauce.

It is very important when cooking shrimp . . . do not overcook!  I have found that a total of 3 to 4 minutes is enough.  Quick and easy :)




Directions


In a bowl, whisk together ¼ cup flour, ¼ cup cornmeal, and 1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning.


Dip 1 pound raw peeled and deveined medium or large shrimp in 2 beaten eggs, then coat in the cornmeal mixture.


In a skillet, cook the shrimp in ½ inch of canola oil until golden and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. 


Serve with tartar sauce.



2 comments:

Catherine said...

Dear Gina, You are a girl after my own heart! I don't really measure either. It is very difficult to measure when you are cooking from the heart. Well, this shrimp dish sounds just wonderful. I hope that you stay safe and sound during this terrible storm that is coming up the coast. Blessings, Catherine xo

Gina Alfani said...

Hey Catherine!

It is very difficult to post my own recipes since I don't measure! I do measure when baking, but that is it :)

Looks like the storm is going past the east side of Florida . . . I am on the west coast of Florida. What a relief, but feel so bad for those on the east coast.

Have a wonderful day . . . Gina

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