Fried Shrimp

Yes, Dear Reader, it's another Tuesday. I was in the mood for shrimp. I love shrimp. I love seafood. So I made shrimp. But I hate the mess batters leave. So I didn't batter. Please note, this can be a "true" meal if you add random side dishes, or you can use it as a finger food, or appetizers.. Suit yourself. It was a meal without side dishes for me. But it also means I got the need to eat shrimp out of my system for a bit.


Easy Fried Shrimp

Deveined and peeled shrimp (don't ask amount. I made just under a pound, tailor it to your needs) **NOTE: If you want a 'handle', leave the last joint and the tail when peeling**
1/4 cup corn starch
3/4 cup flour
Your favorite seafood rub or seasoning mix. I used Paul Prudhomme's Seafood Magic, about 3 tablespoons.
Fry sauce or your favorite dipping sauce

Oil.
Now, here's where I'm supposed to say "Heat approximately 1 inch of oil in a heavy skillet until X degrees." Hate to tell you, but you heat it until it's hot. I know. It's a shitty way to measure heat. What I do is I take a 'test shrimp', dip just the tip in (that just caused SO many filthy thoughts through my head. yes. I'm incorrigible. ). Does it bubble? No? Not hot enough. Wait a minute or 2. Dip it in again. Bubble? Good. You're hot. I know. I should measure, I'm sorry. I don't have a thermometer for oil/candies. I've always measured it this way. Mom does too. From what I can find out, it should be 350-375 in a deep pan or dutch oven or fryer. I did a heavy skillet, about 1" of oil and heated until it bubbled the shrimp. My bad.


Mix the corn starch, flour and seasoning together in a dish. Rinse the shrimp, drain. Dredge the shrimp in the flour mixture until well coated. Let rest approximately 5 minutes, dredge again. Drop into hot oil, careful not to splash. Flip using tongs or chopsticks after approximately 2 minutes. Remove after another 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels or newspaper.

Serve with fry sauce.

Some notes:
On the fry sauce: My older sister brought this to my attention. It's really kindof like 1000 Island dressing without the pickle bits and with just the barest hint of chile. I like 'Some Dude's', but there are other brands out there. They may be advertised as a dipping sauce for onion rings or those batter-dipped onions. You should be able to find them with the ketchups and barbecue sauces in your local grocery. A make-it-yourself version would be mix ketchup, mayo and mustard together, add a drop or 2 of tabasco for that hint of pepper. Adequate, but I dig the fry sauce.

On the spice mix: Use what you like. I like Paul Prudhomme's line and have for years. You can also just salt and pepper it if you like. I wanted to get a bit of spice into the coating.