Best Basic Deep Fried Shrimp Recipes

BASIC DEEP-FRIED SHRIMP BALLS

Steps:

• 1. Shell and devein shrimp. Then mince or grind with water chestnuts. 2. Beat egg lightly mince scallion and ginger root then add to shrimp mixture along with cornstarch, sherry and salt. Blend to a smooth paste. 3· Shape mixture into walnut-size balls. (To prevent sticking, wet 2 teaspoons in a bowl of cold water then spoon up a teaspoon of the mixture and toss it between the 2 spoons to form a round, smooth ball.) 4. Meanwhile heat enough oil to float shrimp balls. Add them a few at a time. (Don't crowd: allow room for stirring and for even browning.) Reduce heat to medium and deep-fry, turning shrimp balls occasionally, until golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper toweling. 5. Repeat process until mixture is used up, reheating oil each time. 6. Serve shrimp balls hot, sprinkled with nutmeg and lemon juice and garnished with Chinese parsley or accompanied by a sweet-and-pungent sauce. VARIATIONS: * For the shrimp, substitute fresh crabmeat. * For the water chestnuts, substitute either 1/2 cup bamboo shoots or 1/4 cup celery, minced. * Omit the whole egg. Substitute 1 egg white in step 2 or else dip shrimp balls in the egg white to coat after step 3. * Omit the cornstarch in step 2. After step 3, dredge shrimp balls lightly in flour then dip in whole egg, beaten. * In step 2, add 2 bacon strips, minced or 1 or 2 tablespoons unrendered leaf lard, minced or 1/4 pound pork, with some fat, minced. * In step 2, add any or all of the following: 1/2 garlic clove, minced a few sprigs of Chinese parsley, chopped 1 tablespoon soy sauce 1/2 teaspoon sugar a few drops of sesame oil. * At the end of step 3, roll each shrimp ball in minced smoked ham (about 2 ounces for 1 pound of shrimp) to coat. * Omit step 3. Instead of shaping into balls, drop shrimp mixture directly into the hot oil from a teaspoon. (Dip teaspoon in cold water each time to prevent sticking.)The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook. ©1994 by Gloria Bley Miller.

BASIC DEEP-FRIED SHRIMP

Steps:

• 1. Shell and devein shrimp, leaving tail segments intact. 2. Prepare any of the batters (see Deep-Fried Shrimp Batter:). Then holding each shrimp by the tail, dip in batter to coat. 3. Meanwhile heat oil. Add shrimp one by one (if dropped in all at once, they'll form a solid mass), or place in a wire basket and lower into oil. 4. Reduce heat to medium and deep-fry until shrimp float and are golden on both sides. (Depending on size, this will take 3 to 5 minutes.) Drain on paper toweling. 5. Serve hot, garnished with lettuce strips and Chinese parsley, and accompanied by plum sauce, hot mustard, catsup or a pepper-salt mix. (For additional dips, see Seasonings and Sauces, Deep-Fried Dip...) Or serve with a sweet-and-pungent sauce (see Seasonings and Sauces, Sweet-and-Pungent Sauce...). NOTE: If the heat of the oil is not reduced right after the shrimp are added, they will burn on the outside and be raw inside. VARIATIONS: * In step 1, strip off legs and devein, but leave the shells intact or else butterfly the shrimp. (See HOW-TO, _Shrimp: To butterfly.) * After step 1, marinate the shrimp in a mixture of 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 3 tablespoons sherry, 1 teaspoon ginger root, minced and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes, turning occasionally. Drain, discarding marinade. Then coat with batter as in step 2, or dredge lightly in flour. * In the above variation, add to the marinade any or all of the following: 1 scallion, minced 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder a few drops of sesame oil. The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook. ©1994 by Gloria Bley Miller.