West Coast Fried Shrimp

So when my husbands travels, he always brings me something usually in the form of something to work with in the kitchen.  Bring me a t-shirt from Florida, not having it.  Send me a box of goodies can't find here like all those Caribbean spices and cans of Callaloo from Jamaica... meeez a happy wifey for lifey!

On a trek to Seattle he brought me a spice rub from the 'Pike Place Fish Market'.  If you ever visit Seattle you have to visit the Pike Place Market, or it's just not a visit to Seattle!  And probably a Grunge Tour if when you think of Chris Cornell, you think of Temple of the Dog and not a James Bond movie.  So my pantry has a lot of spice rubs/mixes from various states that I need to start using.  Pike Place Fish Rub is a mix of brown sugar, paprika, cilantro, garlic, pepper, onion, salt and other spices.  Decided to try this baby out on some Gulf of Mexico beauties.  

Recipe is super simple.  One of those Southern techniques meets West Coast Local!!

• One pound of shrimp, peeled and cleaned.
• One cup of corn meal.
• 3/4 cup of all purpose flour or whatever you have on hand.  
• 2-3 tablespoons of your favorite spice mix.  
• 2 large or 3 small eggs or use buttermilk if really want to amp that Southern influence.
• Hot sauce of your choice or omit if not a hot sauce fan. 
• Seafood cocktail sauce or tarter sauce.  Your choice.
• Oil like Canola or if a Costco shopper, the Mediterranean oil works well.  An oil that can handle high heat frying.

1. Mix corn meal, floor and spice mix.  Throw in a plastic bag.
2. Mix egg and hot sauce.  Hot sauce with buttermilk if going that route and if using butter milk use about 1.5 cups.  This is up to you as to which direction you want to go.  Goal is just to get the shrimp coated so depending on how your shrimp are, more or less of whatever you decide.
3. Get your oil in the pan to where can almost submerge the shrimp whole.  And begin to heat on medium.  
4. Get shrimp tossed and drained of egg or buttermilk mixture with or without hot sauce.  Then throw into your bag with the cornmeal, flour, spice mixture a few at a time to get coated.  
5. Crank up your oil to high for a few minutes and throw in a few shrimp to test the fry. If at a rolling fry, lower heat to medium high and continue to cook the rest off at about 1 minute per side and flip and another minute for smaller shrimp or up to two minutes per side if have some jumbo shrimp.  Drain on a paper towel.

There are some fries and other products by a company called Alexia.  Voila they are out of Washington state also and a solid product.  Served the Gulf beauties over a bed of garlic fries.

Very much enjoyed this Southern cornmeal direction.

Served up with some lemon and a spicy cocktail sauce.  Of course of my fave local brews 'Full Boar' by 'Devil's Canyon' out of San Carlos.

Remember, life is too short to eat badly!!