Spare Spoons Kitchen
Aunt Betty’s Comfort Kitchen · Entertaining

French Fried Shrimp

Crisp battered shrimp — a light, faintly sweet batter made with ice water and fried golden. The trick is cold batter, hot oil, and small batches. A party platter that empties fast.

20 min prep 375°F fry
Effort ●●○○ Time ●○○○ Some Doing
Servingsamounts scale to match
6
Units

Ingredients

Cold batter, hot oil, small batches. Ice-cold batter hitting 375°F oil is what makes the coating puff and crisp; dry the shrimp first so it clings. Fry only a handful at a time so the oil temperature holds steady.

Easier, if you like

  • Pre-cleaned, deveined shrimp saves the fiddly prep.
  • Bottled cocktail sauce if you'd rather not mix your own.

Method

    Cook's notes

    Keep the batter cold — make it with ice water and don't let it sit warm; the temperature contrast is what crisps it.

    The little bit of sugar helps the batter brown to a light, almost tempura color.

    Betty's dipping sauce: stir together ketchup and a dash of Worcestershire.

    Small batches, hot oil — crowding the pot drops the temperature and the coating goes greasy.

    Easy to make gluten-free

    Gluten-free: use a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend for the batter.

    Lighter: the same batter works for a mix of shrimp and vegetables (zucchini, onion rings) for a fritto misto.