Baby, my Fried Shrimp recipe is it! I dip my shrimp in buttermilk then into a spiced up cornmeal breading before frying them up all crispy. It’s the way the South does it boos! I stopped ordering fried shrimp at restaurants after I developed this recipe, and you will too!
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Ingredient Notes
- Cornmeal: While you won’t get that Southern grit, you can definitely replace with something crisp like panko breadcrumbs, regular breadcrumbs or even crushed cornflakes or crackers.
- Buttermilk: Make your own by adding a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar to 1 cup of milk. Let it sit for about 10 minutes until it starts to curdle then use.
- Eggs: Just add a bit more buttermilk and leave the egg out all together.
- Shrimp: Make sure you grab deveined at the grocery store to cut down on the work. A medium to large size is great for this. Even jumbo works!
How to Make Fried Shrimp
Step 1: Prep the Coating and Buttermilk Mixture
- In a ziploc bag, mix together your flour, cornmeal, and all those zesty spices.
- In a large, shallow dish, whisk up a liquid mix of buttermilk, egg, and hot sauce.
Step 2: Get those Shrimp Breaded
- Dip each shrimp into the buttermilk mix, making sure they get a good soak.
- Next toss those buttermilk-dipped shrimp into your seasoned mix. Shake it up until each shrimp is perfectly coated. Lay them out on a baking sheet to set.
Step 3: Fry To Perfection
- Pour enough oil into your pot to give it a good deep fry. We’re looking for sizzle so make sure you crank the heat to 350 F.
- Add the shrimp in slowly and fry until they’re a gorgeous golden brown. Remember, shrimp fry up fast so don’t let them linger too long.
- Scoop ‘em out, let them drain on wire racks with a paper towel lined baking sheet below or on paper towels. Then serve em up!
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Fried Shrimp Recipe
Classic fried shrimp are made with seasoned cornmeal flour, with all the seasonin', and fried to a crispy, crunchy goodness. This dish is perfect for your next fish fry.
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Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
- 2 teaspoons seasoned salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon lemon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 large egg
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce
- 1 pound deveined shrimp
Instructions
- In a brown bag or ziploc bag, add flour, cornmeal, seasoned salt, pepper, cayenne, lemon pepper, and paprika and shake together.
- In a deep pie plate or large shallow bowl, whisk together buttermilk, egg and hot sauce.
- Dip shrimp in beaten buttermilk mixture then add back into the cornmeal breading and shake liberally to coat well. Place coated shrimp on a baking sheet and let set for at least 15 minutes.
- While coating sets, add 2 – 2 1/2 inches of oil to a deep pot and heat over medium high heat until the temperature reaches at least 350 F.
- Fry shrimp until golden brown but don't fry too long (about 2-3 minutes each side). Shrimp doesn't take too long to cook.
- Drain on wire racks with a paper towel lined baking sheet below and serve.
Notes
How to Store and Reheat
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- Fridge: Make sure the fried shrimp are completely cool before storing. Place the shrimp in an airtight container. If you have to stack them, put a layer of paper towel between each layer to absorb any excess oil and moisture. Store in the fridge. It should last for 3 to 4 days.
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- Freezer: Place them in a single layer on a baking sheet to freeze individually, and then transfer them to a ziplock freezer bag. They can last up to 2 months in the freezer.
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- Reheating: Use an oven or toaster oven better yet an air-fryer at 350 F to restore their crispiness. Bake or air fry for about 5 minutes. Never use the microwave boos!! The breading won’t be crispy at all!
Nutrition
Calories: 186kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 194mg | Sodium: 1440mg | Potassium: 157mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 210IU | Vitamin C: 4.3mg | Calcium: 158mg | Iron: 2.5mg
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Recipe Tips
- Dry Your Shrimp: Use paper towels to remove as much moisture from the shrimp before you start the recipe. This will make sure the cornmeal shrimp batter stays put.
- For Extra Crispy: Double Dredge boos! Dip the shrimp in the dry mix first then into the buttermilk and then back into the dry mix.
- Let Set: Let the shrimp set before you fry them. I like to let the breading sit for at least 15 minutes to really stick like glue.
- Oil Temperature: Keep the temperature of the oil at 350-375. If the oil is too low, the fried shrimp will be soggy. If the temperature is too high, the shrimp will burn.
- Don’t Overcook the Shrimp: Fried shrimp cooks fast y’all. In order to maintain that plump succulent texture, make sure you remove after its cooked about 2-3 minutes per side at most or the shrimp will get rubbery and tough.
- Drain: While you can drain on paper towels, try wire racks above a baking sheet until the oil drips off. It will keep the deep fried shrimp recipe super crispy.
Serving Suggestions
- Dips: Sauce it up with Remoulade or Tartar Sauce
- Fish Fry it Up!: Get super Southern with it and serve this up with fried catfish, catfish nuggets, and hush puppies! It can’t get no better than that!
- Chicago Style: Serve it up with Spaghetti! True Chicagoans know that fish and spaghetti is a whole vibe.
- Sides: Pair these deep fried shrimp with cole slaw and potato salad!
Recipe help
Should I devein the shrimp for this fried shrimp recipe?
Absolutely boos! Either buy it cleaned up already at the grocery store to save some time or do the heavy lifting yourself. Basically you take a small sharp knife and remove the dark vein in the shrimp’s back before you fry them up.
What’s the best oil to use for fried shrimp?
It’s best to select an oil that has a high smoke point and is pretty neutral so it doesn’t affect the flavor of the shrimp. Oils like canola, peanut and vegetable are great options.
My batter is falling off shrimp? What’s wrong?
You gotta make sure that shrimp is totally dried before you start coating them. Grab some paper towels and get rid of all that moisture boos.
Can you use frozen shrimp for this fried shrimp recipe?
Yep absolutely! Grab some frozen but just make sure they are dried completely with paper towels removing all moisture once thawed. Then continue with the recipe as written.
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Sounds delicious! It is possible to air fry the shrimp instead of deep frying?
Hi Ali, I haven’t tried this recipe in the air fryer so it wasn’t tested that way but if you do try it out, please come back and let us know how it worked for you so we can share the tips with everyone else.
I added a bit more spice, but kept most of your recipe intact and HOLY SMOKES!!! I’m over here making better shrimp than you get in even the best fried seafood joints with mediocre frozen shrimp. Thank you so very much.
Awe, thanks boo!!
Made this last night. I never thought of using cornmeal to help the crispy factor! Easy, simple ingredients with banging results!
OMG! Perfect, amazing, divine! Thank you!! About to make your hush puppies now. 😉
Amazing recipe!! I fried in a dutch oven so I didn’t get any splashback
I made this tonight for dinner and the whole family loved it! Best fried shrimp recipe I’ve ever had. I’ll probably make a bigger batch of the flour/cornmeal mixture and keep it on hand for shrimp or fish, absolutely delicious.
Could I use coconut milk can’t do dairy ?
Sure why not!
Hi! Can you recommend a good substitute for cornmeal? (Not a fan, lol) Thanks:)
You can use all flour if you would like.
I loved this recipe! I will not change a thing.
Thank you so so much!
This is going to be my “go to” shrimp recipe. I didn’t change a thing. It’s perfect like it is! Thanks so much.
Thank you so so much!