Fried Shrimp Tacos

There was a restaurant by my office in Atlanta that has closed down because of the virus. I used to go in after my show and order their fried shrimp tacos. They were terrific and a perfect way to unwind after the end of the day. Without the restaurant, I decided I needed to come up with my own recipe. After much testing, here you go — a crispy fried shrimp taco.

Fried Shrimp Tacos

Fried Shrimp Tacos

Yield
6
Prep time
1 Hour
Cook time
10 Min
Inactive time
50 Min
Total time
2 Hour
A delicious blend of Asian and Mexican themes with a spicy, citrus kick.

Ingredients

Asian Slaw
  • Bag of Asian or Thai cabbage slaw
  • 1/4 cup mayo
  • 4oz sour cream
  • Juice of one lime
Spicy Sauce
  • 1/4 cup mayo
  • 3 tbs sweet chili sauce
  • 1tbs honey
  • 1tbs hot sauce
Fried Shrimp Tacos
  • 24 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • 2 tbs hot sauce
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/4 corn starch
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1tsp black pepper
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne
  • Street sized flour or corn tortillas

Instructions

Up to 3 hours before
  1. Make the slaw by combining all ingredients and mixing well.  Cover and sit in the fridge till ready.
  2. Make the sauce by combining all the ingredients.  Cover and sit in the fridge.
Fried Shrimp
  1. Place the shrimp in a large bowl and mix with the buttermilk and hot sauce.  Leave for 30 minutes.
  2. After 30 minutes, heat a dutch oven with enough oil to fill 1/2 the pot.  Bring to 375ºF using a fry thermometer.
  3. While the oil is heating, using a sifter, combine the flour and seasonings and sift into a gallon ziplock bag.
  4. Scoop the shrimp from the liquid into the bag of flour.   Don't shake off the liquid. Seal the ziplock bag.  Shake generously to thoroughly coat the shrimp.
  5. When the oil comes to temperature, add the shrimp to the oil, shaking off loose flour while removing from the bag.  You should be able to add all the shrimp at one time without the oil temperature falling below 320º.  When the oil temperature begins rising again above 340º or after the shrimp are golden brown, remove and drain on a paper towel.
  6. Heat the sauce in the microwave for 1 minute and then whisk well if it separates.
  7. Layer a taco with the cold slaw, then the shrimp, and drizzle the warm sauce on top.
Tacos, Seafood, DinnerErick Erickson