Shrimp brine…

(Also posted on the fishing side)

Next time you get your oil out to fry up some fish, do yourself a favor and pick up some big UNCOOKED shrimp at the store. (The bigger ones — Somewhere in the 16-20 or 21-25 count range — the pre-packaged frozen ones are fine)… Shell and BRINE THEM prior to breading and frying them… (I Linked Alton’s brine recipe below as part of his cocktail shrimp recipe)

The bigger the shrimp, the longer you should brine them… But don’t leave them in too long or else the meat will get quite salty. If you do it right, you will get very plump, well seasoned shrimp. A half hour to 45 minutes is plenty of time to brine large sized shrimp. I’d start with about a half hour for big shrimp, and definitely don’t go past 45 minutes.

Then bread and fry them like you normally would. I would recommend:

1) Patting the shrimp near dry
2) Dusting with flour/cornstarch/dry shorelunch mix, whatever…
3) Dredge in liquid beer batter mixture
4) Roll in Panko bread crumbs
5) Fry until done/light brown.

Very crunchy, VERY tasty. Well worth a few extra bucks and a half-hour of brine time the next time you fry up some fish.

Alton Brown Brine Recipe

Alton Brown is the man, and I look closely at any of his smoker recipes before attempting about anything. His honey brined smoked turkey recipe is my favorite way to do a bird, wild or domestic.

Thanks for the recipe!

Joel

I have yet to brine a turkey, but it’s on my list. Sounds waaay to good to pass up.

And yes, anything that Alton says, I generally listen to.

(BTW, try his baby back rib recipe – they get braised in the oven at low temps…. AWESOME.. And don’t forget his prime rib recipe – another low and slow method — OK, I’ll stop now.. I’m making myself hungry… )