Easy Fried Shrimp Tacos

I previously put in a fried shrimp taco recipe, but I have been refining it for some time. On Sunday nights, I have over some friends and we sit on the front porch. We have some bourbon and cigars and enjoy fellowship. I cook. Usually, I do wings. But occasionally I make fried shrimp tacos. I have been streamlining the process while wanting a really flavorful shrimp with some spice and crunch. I got it. I hope you like it. This has become a Sunday night front porch tradition.

Easy Fried Shrimp Tacos

Author
Erick Erickson
Prep time
20 Min
Cook time
10 Min
Inactive time
4 Hour
Total time
4 H & 30 M
I have a more complicated recipe. I wanted to simplify it -- cut it down to the basic and necessary essentials. I have managed to do that with this one, hence the "easy" label.

Ingredients

Fried Shrimp
  • 1 bag of raw, frozen, peeled, deveined shrimp with tails off.  Medium-sized.
  • 1 qt. buttermilk
  • 3 tbs hot sauce (Louisiana or Texas Pete)
  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup Lanes Chili-Lime Rub
  • 2 tbs baking powder
  • Peanut or Vegetable Oil
  • Street sized flour tortillas
  • Shredded Lettuce
  • Drizzle Sauce
Drizzle Sauce
  • 2 heaping tbs mayonnaise
  • 1/2 cup sweet chili sauce (I prefer Maggi brand)

Instructions

Frying the Shrimp
  1. Rinse the frozen shrimp in the sink under cold water to wash off the ice and begin their thaw.
  2. Place in a gallon zip-lock bag.
  3. Add the buttermilk and hot sauce.
  4. Zip the bag, squeezing out as much air as possible.
  5. Massage with your hands to blend the milk and hot sauce.
  6. Refrigerate for 4 to 8 hours.
  7. Place a sifter in a gallon zip-lock bag.  Add flour, seasoning and baking powder.  Sift into the bag.
  8. After soaking, scoop out the shrimp by hand or with a spider making sure to let excess milk drain off.  You want the shrimp covered, but not all the excess milk.  Add them to the bag of flour.  Do not squeeze out the air from the bag.  You want the bag full of air.  Seal it shut tight.
  9. Now pushing in to inflate, shake the bag vigorously and then in a circular motion to fully and completely toss the shrimp and cover them.  The circular motion should not be horizontal, but vertical -- lunge the bag forward, up, backward, and down in a circle very rapidly, tossing the shrimp.  Do it repeatedly.  Then let them rest while you go to the next step.
  10. Heat a dutch oven half full of oil to 375ºF.  Shake the bag in a circular motion a couple more times. Add the shrimp, in batches.  I usually add about 20 shrimp at a time.  The oil temp will drop to about 325º or so.  When the shrimp are done they'll smell, but more specifically, the temperature will start rising again. I always keep them in the oil till the temperature gets back to 340ºF.
  11. Remove with a spider or slotted spoon to a baking sheet lined with lots of paper towels.  Let the oil get back to 375ºF and add the rest.
  12. Serve on a flour tortilla onto which shredded lettuce is placed.  Drizzle the drizzle sauce, fold, and enjoy.
Drizzle Sauce
  1. Mix the mayonnaise and chili sauce with a whisk.  Keep covered and refrigerated until time to serve.  Drizzle over the shrimp or allow people to dip the shrimp in the sauce if not making tacos.
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Erick Erickson