Our family’s Jumbo Fried Shrimp are the best! We enjoy them for our Italian seafood feast on Christmas Eve, but they’re perfect for Lenten fish Fridays too!
I’ve mentioned before that I rarely eat fried food, but there is a time and a place for everything. On Christmas Eve, I want jumbo fried shrimp. It’s part of our Italian seafood feast that includes octopus and calamari, and spaghetti with the best tomato-fish sauce on earth.
Although I make shrimp often, I had never fried it. It was time for Mom to come over and show me how it’s done. (She also happened to have bought some beautiful Gulf shrimp and offered to make it for us.)
Of course, she made enough for an army, so we could have leftovers. It’s good to be Italian.
If you’re used to frying, this recipe will be a breeze for you. For everyone else, it’s actually pretty straightforward.
1. Peel and devein the shrimp. (I use this shrimp cleaner [affiliate link], but a paring knife works too.)
2. Rinse and pat dry.
3. Dip the shrimp in beaten eggs seasoned with salt and pepper.
4. Dredge the shrimp in plain bread crumbs.
5. Fry in heated oil until browned on both sides.
6. Drain on paper towels.
We serve the crispy shrimp with fresh lemon to squeeze on top, and cocktail sauce on the side for dipping. Nothing fancy, but this jumbo fried shrimp beats any I’ve tasted in a restaurant.
Is it Christmas Eve yet? How about Lent?
Enjoy!
P.S. If you love shrimp like I do, don’t miss my Baked Parmesan Shrimp with Garlic Butter, 15-Minute Cilantro-Lime Shrimp (so easy!) or this New Orleans-style Shrimp Stew with Bacon!
(Recipe Source: My Mom, who makes the best Jumbo Fried Shrimp ever)
- 3 pounds raw jumbo shrimp (16/20 count per pound)
- 3 jumbo eggs
- salt (3 shakes)
- black pepper (3 shakes)
- 2 cups plain dry bread crumbs
- canola oil (or corn oil, enough to cover the bottom of your frying pan; you will need this up to three times)
- 1 lemon for serving
- cocktail sauce for serving
- Peel shrimp but leave the tails on. (Use a small paring knife to make a tiny cut just above the tail to make it easier to start peeling.) Remove the inner and outer black veins (really the digestive tract -- gross) by loosening them with the knife or the pointy tip of a metal skewer, then pulling them out in one piece with your fingers. Discard the veins. Rinse the shrimp in cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
- Wash your hands well and beat the eggs in a small bowl. Add salt and pepper. Place the bread crumbs in a dinner plate. Set up an assembly line from left to right with the shrimp, the eggs, the bread crumbs, and a sheet pan with sides.
- Grasping the tail of the shrimp, dip each one in the eggs, then dredge in the bread crumbs, patting the crumbs onto the shrimp. Line up the shrimp on the sheet pan, using wax paper to separate the layers of shrimp if you need to stack them.
- Wash your hands again and set a clean sheet pan or platter lined with paper towels near the stove, along with tongs (or a fork) and a slotted spoon. Pour enough oil in your frying pan to cover the bottom. Heat the oil on medium high. When the oil is hot enough to sizzle, add a layer of shrimp at a time, without letting them touch. Fry on the first side until the bottom is browned, then carefully flip over the shrimp, using tongs or a fork. When the shrimp is browned on the second side (it should take up to 5 minutes total for the shrimp to cook) remove the shrimp with a slotted spoon and place it on the paper towel-lined pan to drain.
- Continue frying all of the shrimp in batches. After your second batch, discard the oil in the pan (place it in a disposable container rather than dumping it down your drain to prevent problems) and replenish the pan with fresh oil, enough to cover the bottom of the pan. (It's necessary to change the oil after every couple of batches, because once it gets dark, it will burn the shrimp on the outside without cooking it all the way.)
- Blot the cooked shrimp and serve with the lemon cut in half or wedges so it can be squeezed on top, and cocktail sauce on the side. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to three days.
This recipe is for a large batch (3 pounds), so the preparation time will be much less if making a smaller batch. If you are making a different amount, use one jumbo egg per pound of shrimp.
Tekesha
Woah, woah, woah! You can’t just toss out the words “best tomato-fish sauce on Earth” and not even hint at the recipe! I googled it and there were about a billion recipes. I need to know what is in Mamma’s sauce! 😀
Mamma C
Hahaha! I’m sorry to be a tease. I’m going to learn how to make the sauce, but I can’t promise it will appear on the blog. I’m pretty sure it’s what I call a “vault recipe,” and I may not get the security clearance to publish it unless it’s in a cookbook. 🙂
Denise | Sweet Peas & Saffron
I’m not big on fried food, but shrimp is great fried! I find that it really gets rid of the ‘shrimpiness’…these look delicious! I have a shrimp recipe that I’m posting later this week, great minds must think alike 😉
Mamma C
I’m all about the shrimpiness, Denise! 🙂 But I know what you mean, and that’s why fried shrimp is so popular with kids. And there is always room for another shrimp recipe, as far as I’m concerned. I can’t wait to see your post.
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I’ll be adding this to my Christmas Eve repertoire, this year! The family will love it! Thank you!
Mamma C
Excellent! That Christmas Eve meal is my favorite of the year. 🙂