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Per serving
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- 1
Set up your breading station
Line up three shallow bowls on the counter. In the first, stir together the flour, paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. In the second, whisk the eggs with the milk until smooth. Put the panko in the third. Short-order cooks always set up before the first shrimp hits the flour -- once you start breading you don't want to be hunting for a bowl.
- 2
Prep and bread the shrimp
Peel and devein the shrimp but leave the tails on -- that little handle is how they've been serving them at the counter forever. Pat them good and dry with a paper towel, especially if they came out of the freezer; wet shrimp won't hold a crust. Dredge each one in the seasoned flour and shake off the extra, dip it in the egg and milk, then press it into the panko so the crumbs stick all the way around. Set the breaded shrimp on a plate as you go.
- 3
Heat the oil
Pour a couple inches of oil into an electric skillet or a deep pot and bring it up to 375 degrees. Use a thermometer and mean it -- too cool and the shrimp drink up grease, too hot and the panko burns before the shrimp cook through. That 375 is the whole ballgame.
- 4
Fry in batches
Lower the shrimp into the oil a handful at a time so you don't crowd the pan and drop the temperature. Fry 3 to 4 minutes, turning once, until they're golden brown and curled. Don't walk away -- shrimp go from perfect to rubber in about a minute.
- 5
Drain and serve hot
Pull the shrimp out and drain them on a plate lined with paper towels. Serve them right away while they're still crackling, with cocktail sauce and a wedge of lemon on the side. A basket of these with fries and a pile of napkins is about as good as the counter gets.
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Diner-Style Fried Shrimp Basket
Created by: DinerStyleDave
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 lb shrimp
- vegetable oil
- 1 lemon
- seafood cocktail sauce
Instructions
- Set up your breading stationLine up three shallow bowls on the counter. In the first, stir together the flour, paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. In the second, whisk the eggs with the milk until smooth. Put the panko in the third. Short-order cooks always set up before the first shrimp hits the flour -- once you start breading you don't want to be hunting for a bowl.
- Prep and bread the shrimpPeel and devein the shrimp but leave the tails on -- that little handle is how they've been serving them at the counter forever. Pat them good and dry with a paper towel, especially if they came out of the freezer; wet shrimp won't hold a crust. Dredge each one in the seasoned flour and shake off the extra, dip it in the egg and milk, then press it into the panko so the crumbs stick all the way around. Set the breaded shrimp on a plate as you go.
- Heat the oilPour a couple inches of oil into an electric skillet or a deep pot and bring it up to 375 degrees. Use a thermometer and mean it -- too cool and the shrimp drink up grease, too hot and the panko burns before the shrimp cook through. That 375 is the whole ballgame.
- Fry in batchesLower the shrimp into the oil a handful at a time so you don't crowd the pan and drop the temperature. Fry 3 to 4 minutes, turning once, until they're golden brown and curled. Don't walk away -- shrimp go from perfect to rubber in about a minute.
- Drain and serve hotPull the shrimp out and drain them on a plate lined with paper towels. Serve them right away while they're still crackling, with cocktail sauce and a wedge of lemon on the side. A basket of these with fries and a pile of napkins is about as good as the counter gets.