Illegal Fried Shrimp

Somethings are so good they oughta be illegal.

Southerners love to tell stories, especially about food. We talk about what we are eating, what we ate yesterday, or what we plan to eat. Those who understand this the most are either Italian or Southern. It’s okay if you are not either; just come on in, ‘sit a bit,’ as we say in South Carolina, and let’s swap stories and recipes. 

My husband, who had, as Pat Conroy used to say, “the delightful Southern name Cloide," and I moved from Atlanta to Beaufort in the 1970s, when the population was mostly shrimpers, crabbers, a few bankers, a handful of lawyers, and retired marines. Some commuted to Savannah, but most found work on the loose-planked, rickety docks crowded with shrimp boats on Beaufort’s waterfront and nearby Port Royal. Smaller boats were stacked high, along with dozens of crab pots. It was not until the mid-1970s that the construction of Beaufort’s Waterfront Park transformed the city’s landscape. It was named for the city's former mayor, Henry C. Chambers.

Several shrimpers were members out at our Lady’s Island golf course, and they liked to head over to the clubhouse for a few beers after their game. It always led to some tall tales that later on made for good campfire storytellin’; sometimes, I could learn a few secrets about cooking the best shrimp ever. They liked to pay their golf course fees in shrimp and sometimes blue crab. That was just fine with me. We bought a large freezer, set it in the kitchen, and filled it with enough shrimp to last through Christmas and beyond. We froze the shrimp in milk cartons filled with just enough water to cover all the shrimp, just like they instructed, and I don’t believe we ever ran out. The blue crab was so plentiful in those days we had to give a lot of it away because we couldn’t use it all. It’s hard to imagine that now, but that was the way it was.

Here’s a recipe for fried shrimp with an amazing sauce - so delicious it should be illegal.

Illegal Fried Shrimp

This easy sauce is so good it should be illegal. It’s perfect for dunking, drizzling, or dressing anything that dares to be delicious and tangy. Watch out—it’s addictive. Serve it on grilled chicken, fries, tacos, or drizzle on poke bowls and salads.

Cook’s Note: To properly fry something, you need to keep the oil temperature between 350 and 375 degrees. It’s best to place a deep fryer thermometer on the side of your pan and keep the proper temperature. You will need oil with a high smoke point, such as coconut oil, canola, avocado oil, or peanut oil. When cooking in batches, be sure the oil temperature gets back up to 350 to 375 before adding more shrimp. Do not crowd the pan.

Serves 4

½ cup peanut or coconut oil

1 cup buttermilk

¾ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup cornstarch

1 large egg

1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce or hot sauce

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 cup Panko

½ teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon dried basil

½ teaspoon dried oregano

1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

For the Illegal sauce:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

¼ cup Thai sweet chili sauce

1 tablespoon honey

1-2 teaspoons Sriracha, to taste

2 teaspoons fresh lime juice ( not bottled, please)

Sauce:

Mix mayonnaise, sweet chili sauce, honey, freshly squeezed lime juice, and Sriracha in a small bowl and set aside. Stir well until all the ingredients are thoroughly mixed and the sauce is smooth.

Transfer the sauce to a jar with an airtight lid. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow flavors to blend. It will keep in the refrigerator for up to one week.

For the shrimp:

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, 350 - 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk together buttermilk, flour, cornstarch, egg, hot sauce, salt, and pepper to taste, and set aside.

In a second large bowl, combine Panko, onion and garlic powder, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper to taste and set aside.

Working one at a time, dip shrimp into buttermilk mixture, then dredge in Panko mixture, pressing to coat.

Working in batches, add shrimp to the skillet and cook until evenly golden and crispy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Do not crowd the pan. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate.

Serve with a drizzle of delicious Illegal Sauce!!! (A generous drizzle, please.)

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