Crispy Fried Shrimp – Southern Restaurant Secrets

Fried Shrimp at it’s Finest!

Oh I love me some Fried Shrimp. Popcorn Shrimp, Jumbo Fried Shrimp or Coconut Shrimp, lay it on me. I won’t complain. And in all honesty I don’t really have a favorite. In fact the worst thing for me is the shell peeling and that’s just because it’s tedious. But, it’s got to be done and it’s really easy to do if you know the technique. But when it comes to Southern Fried Shrimp, you’r going to want to use a larger shrimp, jumbos even, and you’re going to need to leave on the tail for dipping.

This recipe is very simplistic and very easy for anyone to follow, based on very basic seasonings most everyone already has, right in their own kitchen. Sure it can be perverted and spiced up like some kind of secret chicken recipe but it isn’t really necessary, unless you’ve just gotta have more kick. But that’s entirely up to you. Flour, Salt and Pepper, some Paprika and an egg wash with hot sauce will set your pallet off after you’ve fried these crustaceans!

Southern Fried Shrimp Ingredients:

2 lbs pealed Shrimp
2 cups Flour
2 tsp Salt
2 tsp Black Pepper
1 tbsp Paprika

2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
2 tbsp Hot Sauce (Louisiana hot sauce is great)

Oil for Frying (I use Peanut Oil)

Peel and de-vein your shrimp. Mix all the dry ingredients in one bowl and all the wet in another. Place the shrimp in the dry ingredients first, then in the spicy egg wash and back into the flour a second time. Fry at 350 degrees for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Be sure the oil is hot and don’t over crowd the fryer. I eat Southern Fried Shrimp with or without cocktail sauce.

A Low Budget Wonder!

Budget & Find Those Deals

This is what The Poor Man’s Gourmet Kitchen is all about! Eating well and not paying out the A-R-S doing it! I always get comments about the photo’s my wife and I post on all the top sharing sites. It seems that some think my recipes contradict the very idea I preach about; gourmet meals at a low budget wonder. But, I’m telling you folks it can be done very easily, and you don’t have to store up all of your coupons like all of those super moms that Groupon all the time.

Take these crab legs for example. These are called Santolla Reds, and most days they’re cheaper than Jumbo Shrimp. Here’s the really crazy thing… they are the size of King Crab legs! And, they look and taste just like them. To be completely honest, just a little bit saltier is all. So what… use unsalted butter and they are fantastic. I usually buy 4 to 5 lbs of these Santolla Red Crab Legs for under $40 bucks and it feeds my whole family, with left over’s. Try getting ½ a pound of King Crab Legs and a Baked Potato at any restaurant for under $26 dollars!

Budget those Threats

How about these Crawfish? Do you see the Budget price listed on the front of the carts in the pic above? It even got down to 99 cents a lbs shortly after I took this photo. Ironically, some guy on my Crawfish video freaked out on me, the other day, about it. He called me a liar and proclaimed in his well educated text, “no where is america its sold for 99 Cent per pound”. Shortly there after he threatened to come after me and get me evicted from my house when I proved to him they are. See for your self in the comment thread.

Budget and Save

Anyway, if you don’t budget and you’re paying top dollar for everything you are trying to cook at home, then you are either stuck on the wrong website or you are severely trying to learn. So if you haven’t closed out this blog yet and your still reading, and you truly want to know the trade secret to paying less, then whip out your note pad app and write this down: start talking to the chefs, start talking to the butchers, start talking to anybody and everyone that handles the service behind the refrigerated counters, AND(wait for it), MAKE NICE! Get in good with them; shit, flirt a little. It’s not going to hurt you. I’m telling you from experience and matter of factually, if you get in good with them, you’ll get in good with the prices and you will Budget and Save big!

Crawfish Boil Recipe from Scratch

The Easiest Crawfish Boil Recipe

What an experience! Anyone that hasn’t ever had their own Crawfish boil is really missing out. I imagine it could possibly be a nightmare for some if they really don’t know what they’re doing, but that’s why there’s tutorials like these to help the “Not so Common” common folk out! But first, you’ve got to find a good Crawfish Boil Recipe!

My Crawfish Boil

I’ve been eating Crawfish for a while now, and I think I’ve finally had enough boils and etouffee in my life to finally have a real good perspective on how great crawfish should taste. So I figured it was time to see if my seasoned pallet, training and the talent I’ve worked hard to develop over the years has really paid off. I was ready to try my own Crawfish Boil Recipe, from scratch. So I bought this 31 pound of bag of live Crawfish for $46 and this bag of Slap Ya Mama.

Crawfish Boil Seasoning

I didn’t put together any of the actual ingredients in this boil, but you can by a bag of this stuff just about anywhere in the South, or online if you’re trying to find it elsewhere. I previously had never been a part of a Crawfish Boil before this day, and I can honestly say I was relying on instinct and instruction from locals alone before I filmed my first time with my own Crawfish Boil. So what you are witnessing here today is my first time ever dealing with live crawfish in my kitchen. Though I was a little nervous, over all, I think I handled this Crawfish Boil Recipe like a Pro!

Update: I have since done so many Crawfish Boils it’s unbelievable. I’ve even discovered so more secrets to perfecting their flavor. One of the thins I do now is melt in a whole cube of butter. I also dumb down the spice a bit, without the expense of losing flavor, by adding in Tomato bouillon. These too things bring a richer, sweeter flavor to the boil and makes the broth heavenly to suck from the heads, if you know what I mean. Now all you need to do is throw in some Potatoes, Andouille Sausage slices and some half portioned corn on the cob and your well on your way to perfect Crawfish Boil Dinner!