Frying 101 - Basic Frying - Fried Shrimp

All-you-can-eat shrimp... Always a money loser for the restaurant when I arrive.  My stomach is a gaping bottomless maw that can only be filled by small crustaceans coated in buckets of cocktail sauce.  The wise table attendant will just start me off with a supersized portion and a couple cups of cocktail sauce.  Don't overload the first plate and... well, between that and refilling my water glass, you're gonna put a few more miles on those comfortable walking shoes, aren't you?

Now if you don't want to allow someone else to determine how many shrimpies you get, you can make them yourself.  Many people are afraid of frying, because of the mess, or the fear of a burn, or the fear of the oil smoking or catching fire, or you saw the Mythbusters episode where they demonstrated how an oil fireball can be created if a bunch of water is poured into hot oil.

Don't fear frying!  Taking a few precautions will prevent any of this from happening.  If you can buy a deep frying machine, it solves all of the problems by containing the oil, preventing spills, regulating the temperature and reducing the chance of the oil burning you.  But without one, you still can do it with a pan on the stovetop.  First, get a cooking grate.  It's a flat mesh circle that can be placed over the pan.  The oil will not splatter through the grate, but any steam created by the cooking food will slip through.  Second, use a good digital thermometer.  It will help you maintain the oil at a pretty constant temperature so the food cooks properly and doesn't begin to smoke.  Third, never fill the container more than 1/2 full of oil. When you add the food, the oil will bubble and rise, partially due to the cooking, but the food has to take up some room as well.  Keeping the container less than half full of oil will prevent spillage and any potential flames.

There's a lot of different coatings to use to fry things.  You can make a batter out of flour and a liquid, like water or beer, or you can create a tempura coating, or just coat them in flour. I have recipes for each, and I'll post each of the methods as part of the entire frying series.  As for the most successful and tasty method for shrimp, I've found using a three station setup works best, the same way I make the Stuffed Chicken Parmesan (find that recipe on this site).  I credit the method I use to Alton Brown.  Find his cookbook, I'm Just Here For The Food and read it.  Yes there are great recipes in there, but he also explains the science of it all extremely well.

Each stage has a purpose.  The first stage is a cornstarch coating.  It's not only the first level of protection for the food so it doesn't burn under the high heat of the oil, but it prepares the food for the next section, the wetworks.  I use an egg wash, which is part milk and part eggs beaten together, much like a french toast dredge.  It sticks to the food thanks to the cornstarch and prepares the surface of the food to hold onto the final layer. The third layer can be all sorts of starch or crumbly material.  In this recipe, I use bread crumbs.  If you want it to be more like fried chicken or breaded buffalo wings, (both coming soon), you can use flour with some spices and baking powder added.  Or even try crushed corn flakes or Rice Krispies for a different texture.  After coating it, you need to let the food rest a bit on a cooling rack.  Why?  Well, if you give it about 5 minutes, the egg wash will soak into the bread crumbs, which will seal the coating so it doesn't fall apart while it fries.  The coating of the food isn't just for taste, it's to protect the food from being scorched and mangled by the hot oil.  Nothing's worse than watching the batter floating in the oil and then biting into crispy meat that had no protection as it cooked.

Fried Shrimp

Serves 4

1 1/2 lbs uncooked shrimp, shells off and deveined
1/3 cup cornstarch
3 eggs
2 cups milk
2 cups breadcrumbs
1/4 teaspoon salt
Bottle of Oil, either Canola, Vegetable, or Olive Oil

Rinse all of the shrimp under cold water.  If you want, you can butterfly the shrimp by slicing them down the deveined area from tail to head.  Do not slice completely through the shrimp, just enough so the meat will spread out.   Pour enough oil into either a large wide saucepan or a high sided saute pan  or large saucepan until it is a little less than 1/2 the way up the sides.  Begin to heat it up to 350 degrees.  Place the cornstarch on a plate.  Pour the milk into a bowl, add the eggs and scramble the two together until combined.  Place the flour and salt on another plate and mix well. 

One at a time, complete all three stages of the battering process.  Coat the shrimp in cornstartch,shaking off the excess, then dunk the shrimp into the egg wash quickly until completely covered.  Next, cover the shrimp in the bread crumbs and then place it on the cooling rack. Let the shrimp rest on the rack for at least 5 minutes.  When the oil is hot and the shrimp has rested, begin cooking them in batches, being careful not to add too many shrimp that they are crowded in the pan.  Let them cook for 2-3 minutes until they begin to float and turn golden brown, then remove them to a cooling rack with paper towels and/or a cookie sheet underneath so the excess oil can drip off.  Serve with some cocktail sauce, sweet and sour sauce or hot mustard.

These shrimp can be eaten as a main course, or presented as a side dish or co-main dish to steak, chicken, or even Chinese food.

Make them, lots of them, eat as many as you can in the comfort of your own home.  That way, you do not rely on the wait staff to make sure always have enough, and you can slip into that overstuffed shrimp coma without having to drive home.