Panko Shrimp
Submitted by me09854
Panko shrimp: Japanese-style deep-fried shrimp in a crisp, shatteringly light breadcrumb coat. Served with lemon wedges and soy sauce for dipping. A hot appetizer that stays crunchy even at room temperature.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
15 minREADY
30 minPanko is the whole point here. Those big, airy Japanese breadcrumbs are made from crustless white bread and shredded coarse, which is why they fry up into a shatter-crisp shell instead of the dense crumb you get from western breadcrumbs.
Rinsing the shrimp in five or six changes of salted water sounds fussy, but it rinses off the iodine-bitter surface liquid that can make cheaper shrimp taste off. When the water runs clear, the shrimp are clean.
Holding the tail gives you a handle for the flour-egg-panko dredge. Keep one hand for dry (flour, panko) and one for wet (egg) so the crumbs stay fluffy and the station does not turn into glue.
Oil temperature is the whole game. Too cool and they soak up grease. Too hot and the panko browns before the shrimp inside cooks through. A thermometer in the oil beats any other method.
Pro Tips
- Heat the oil to 350°F (175°C) and work in small batches. Crowding the pan drops the temperature and gives you soggy, pale shrimp.
- Dredged shrimp can rest on the tray in the fridge for a few hours before frying. The coating sets and sticks better.
- Serve with a squeeze of lemon straight into the soy sauce so the dip turns bright and slightly sour.
- These stay crisp at room temperature for several hours, which is why they make great picnic or bento food.
Variations
- Swap the soy dip for tamari to make it gluten-free (use gluten-free panko too).
- Add a pinch of shichimi togarashi to the flour for a seven-spice kick.
- Serve with Japanese tonkatsu sauce or Kewpie mayo spiked with sriracha instead of soy.
Ingredients
Directions
Peel and devein shrimp, but leave tails attached.
Wash well in salted water until water runs clear.
This will be 5 or 6 changes of water.
Dry on paper towels.
Beat eggs in a bowl.
Pour flour and panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) onto separate pieces of waxed paper.
Holding a shrimp by the tail, roll it in the flour, egg and panko.
Place on cookie sheet.
Repeat with remaining shrimp.
This may be done several hours in advance, but keep them in the refrigerator.
Heat oil in a pan to 350℉ (180℃).
Deep-fry shrimp until they turn light golden brown.
You may need to do this in several batches, because if you crowd out the pan, they will not brown properly.
Drain on paper towels.
Cut lemon in half lengthwise, cut each half in half.
You will have 8 long wedges.
Serve with soy sauce to dip and lemon on side.
You can squeeze the lemon either on the shrimp or in the soy sauce or both.
Note:The Japanese eat a lot of foods at room temperature and fried food coated with panko stays crisp for several hours, hence it is good picnic food.
This dish is served as an appetizer course in a Japanese meal but would also make a good hors d’oeuvre at a Western-style party.
Comments
