You’re going to love these crunchy, classic fried shrimp… they taste delicious, and are SO EASY to prepare, for a fraction of the cost of eating out!
The other night I went “old school” for dinner… crunchy Fried Shrimp, with a seafood cocktail sauce on the side. I had a half of a pound of shrimp begging to be used, and decided to just “fry ’em up”. I usually grill or pan sear shrimp, but these bad boys were destined for hot oil.
Guess what? They were GOOD and CRUNCHY. They are also ridiculously EASY to make. Pass the seafood cocktail sauce, please! Crunchy and delicious… just the way they’re SUPPOSED to be!
Since I bought a pound of shrimp on sale, and only used 1/2 pound, the cost for my husband and I was only $3 total for some mighty delicious crunchy fried shrimp (cheaper than fast food!)! Best part – the shrimp were on our plates in under 20 minutes total. Such a deal!
Scroll Down For A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page
Prepare The Shrimp
Here’s what you do to make these “old school” crunchy fried shrimp: First clean, remove shells and de-vein (if necessary) the shrimp.
Let the shrimp soak for a couple minutes in a bowl filled with an egg and some milk that have been beaten together. Make sure to coat all sides with egg mixture (so the flour coating will adhere).
Combine self-rising flour (see recipe for an easy substitution tip) and spices. Place flour mixture on a dinner plate.
Dredge the shrimp in the flour mixture, one at a time, to completely coat all sides.
Dredge The Shrimp TWO Times!
Place each shrimp onto baking sheet (or aluminum foil) and set aside. This is what they looked like after the FIRST flour coating.
Once they have all been dredged in flour mixture… dredge them AGAIN (in flour mixture) for the second time. Shake off excess flour. Let shrimp rest while oil is heating to temperature in pan.
Time To Make Some Fried Shrimp!
Add enough oil to pan to fill about 2 inches deep. I used my electric skillet, but you can also use a pan or regular skillet (but you WILL need a thermometer to get the oil heated to the necessary temperature for frying these successfully!).
Heat the oil to 350 degrees. It must be this hot to fry these correctly and get a great outside crunch!
Once the temperature is 350 degrees, carefully add the shrimp one at a time (remember- oil is very HOT). They will need to fry for about 4 minutes, flipping them over halfway through the cooking time.
If you are doubling recipe or cooking a large amount of fried shrimp, cook them in batches, BUT remember to bring oil back to 350 degrees after each batch!
Once done, the fried shrimp should be golden brown and crunchy on all sides. I placed the fried shrimp on a wire rack (with a paper towel underneath the rack to catch any drips).
By placing the paper towel UNDER the rack, the shrimp won’t stick to the paper towel. Great tip!
Serve The Fried Shrimp
These fried shrimp taste wonderful when served with seafood cocktail sauce on the side for dipping. We also paired them with a green salad and fresh fruit… and we LOVED them! Crunch, Crunch, Crunch!
This was an easy way to make great tasting fried shrimp… like you would pay big bucks for at a nice restaurant. The only catch was that I had to do the dishes, but it was still worth it for this easy, quick, great tasting dinner at home!
I sure hope you will consider trying this great tasting recipe, and as always, I really do hope you and those you love will enjoy it! Thanks for stopping by, and come back soon! Have a GREAT day.
Looking for More SHRIMP Recipes?
You can find all of my recipes in the Recipe Index, located at the top of the page. I have quite a few recipes using shrimp you’ll enjoy, including:
- Shrimp and Noodles in Spicy Garlic Sauce
- Coconut Shrimp and Orange Sauce
- Shrimp and Penne Pasta Alfredo
- Mushroom Risotto with Pan-Seared Shrimp
- Szechuan Shrimp Stir-Fry
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↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓
- 1/2 pound large (or medium) shrimp
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 cup self-rising flour (see Notes section for substitution tip)
- 1/4 teaspoon Creole or Cajun seasoning (optional, but good)
- Salt (approx. 1/4 teaspoon)
- Black pepper (approx. 1/8 teaspoon)
- Vegetable oil for frying (at least 2 inches deep in pan or skillet)
- Clean, shell and de-vein shrimp before beginning.
- Whisk together egg and milk in a medium sized bowl. Add shrimp, stirring to coat all sides. Set aside.
- Place self-rising flour and seasonings onto a dinner sized plate. Stir with a fork to mix together. Dredge shrimp, one at a time, in flour mixture, coating all sides. Set shrimp on a baking sheet or foil. Repeat process until all shrimp have been dredged in flour. Once all have been coated in flour, DO IT AGAIN. Coat all shrimp in flour mixture for the second time. Set aside.
- Heat oil (at least 2 inches deep) until it reaches a temperature of 350 degrees. Once it reaches temperature, carefully add shrimp, one at a time (oil is HOT). Cook shrimp for about 4 minutes, turning over shrimp halfway through cooking time. When done, shrimp should be golden brown and crispy on the outside.
- Remove shrimp to a wire rack for just a second (with a paper towel underneath rack to catch drips).
- While hot, serve fried shrimp with a side of seafood cocktail sauce, and enjoy!
Substitute for self-rising flour: 1 cup all purpose flour, 1+ 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt. Directions: Measure 1 cup all purpose flour. Take OUT 2 teaspoons of that flour and discard. Add baking powder and salt, Stir to combine. This equals 1 cup total of self-rising flour!
Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!