So after our New Year’s Eve fried chicken feast we were left with some leftover Buffalo Blue Cheese Sauce . And as I’m paging through an issue of Cooking Light, I notice a recipe for a quick, pan fried Sesame Shrimp. And it hits me – yes, let’s pan fry some shrimp because it’s the perfect time for me to start coming up with some Lent recipe. Except I’m not going to follow their recipe with sesame, I’m going to flavor it with ranch because besides blue cheese, ranch is the other traditional flavor paired with buffalo. So thank you Cooking Light for the inspiration!
The shrimp turned out crispy and the ranch seasoning really stood out. And the Buffalo Blue Cheese Sauce proved to be a great dipping sauce for more than just chicken strips and fries. I did have a little trouble with the breading falling off as I ate the shrimp, I think because I shallow fried in just enough oil to coat the bottom of the pan instead of deep frying or baking the shrimp –a deep fry would have helped me seal the coating all the way around. I don’t deep fry often and haven’t tested my theory yet, and the shrimp was still tasty but I wanted to share that warning.
Here’s what you need:
Let’s start by getting some ranch seasoning in both the flour and panko we’ll use to coat the shrimp. I really wanted to drive the flavor home.
Now set up your breading station. First the ranch seasoned flour, then whisk an egg and splash of milk, and finally the ranch seasoned panko.
As you move on to breading, I like to use my hands and not tongs but your hands can get really clumpy with breading really quick. To limit this use one hand in the dry and another hand in the wet.
For the shrimp, I used 31-40 shrimp (that means 31 to 40 in a pound) that was peeled and deveined but still had the tail on. The tail is a great handle not only for eating but also for breading.
First dip the shrimp in the flour mixture and shake off excess.
Then dunk it in the egg wash.
And finally coat the shrimp in the panko mixture. Using your fingers to press it on to the shrimp.
Place the breaded shrimp on a plate or cutting board as you go so it’s ready and easy to drop in the pan all at once.
Heat a tablespoon or so of oil in a large skillet – enough to lightly coat the bottom. I’m going for the crunch of the oil not a deep fry here. When the oil shimmers add the shrimp.
The shrimp will cook pretty quickly about 2 minutes per side on medium to medium-high heat. Flip when the breading is nice and golden.
Cook the shrimp on the other side until it’s golden –and cooked through. Remove to a paper towel lined plate.
Serve the shrimp with buffalo blue cheese sauce.
- ¼ c flour
- 2 T powdered ranch seasoning
- 1 egg
- Splash milk or cream
- 1 c panko
- 1 T powdered ranch seasoning
- 20 shrimp, 31-40 per lb size
- Buffalo Blue Cheese Dip (see link to recipe in post)
- Prepare your breading station. In one bowl, mix together flour and 2 T of ranch seasoning. In the second, whisk egg and cream. In the final bowl mix together panko and remaining tablespoon of ranch.
- Bread the shrimp by first dipping in the flour mixture and shaking off the extra. Then dip in egg wash and allow excess to drip off. Finally, coat in the panko, pressing onto the shrimp if needed. Place breaded shrimp on a plate or cutting board.
- In a large skillet, heat a tablespoon or so of oil over medium to medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add shrimp to the pan and cook for about 2 minutes per side until the breading is golden and the shrimp are cooked.
- Remove to a paper towel lined plate.
- Serve with Buffalo Blue Cheese Dip
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