2poundsraw jumbo shrimp, thawed(16/20 count per pound or 13/15. See notes.)
2eggs
salt(2 shakes)
black pepper(2 shakes)
¾cupplain bread crumbs
2 ½cupscanola oil (divided use)(Or avocado oil, vegetable oil, etc., You'll need 1 ¼ cups at a time to cover the bottom of a 12-inch frying pan. See notes.)
Start with thawed shrimp. (See notes.) You may wish to wear food-safe gloves to clean the shrimp. Peel the 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 outer black vein and inner blue or white vein by loosening them with a small fork or a shrimp cleaning tool. Pull 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 if you touched the raw shrimp. Beat the eggs in a small bowl. Add the 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 lined with a cooling rack (ideally) or paper towels near the stove. You'll also need 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 (350 degrees F), add a layer of shrimp at a time, without letting them touch. Fry on the first side for two minutes or 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 another two minutes) remove the shrimp with a slotted spoon and place it on the paper cooling rack 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 with paper towels to absorb excess oil. 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 3-4 days.
Notes
Shrimp: You can buy a 2-pound bag of frozen shrimp and thaw it overnight in the refrigerator. Place it in a bowl first in case it leaks. See the article with this recipe for more thawing options.Oil: You need oil with a high smoke point for frying shrimp, so don't use olive oil.