How to Make Homemade Crunchy Fried Shrimp

Inside: Learn how to make the most delicious and easy homemade crunch fried shrimp recipe. 

It is no secret that I love seafood. I grew up on the eastern coast of Mexico where it is easy to find fresh seafood in many different varieties. One of my favorites of course is shrimp! 

Shrimp is such a versatile protein, and I love to make it in different ways, including with a garlic sauce, a la diabla, and in ceviche! While I have gotten my kids to really like shrimp in different ways, and it has grown on my husband too, the most popular way to make it at my house is as crispy crunchy fried shrimp. 

The combination of fresh shrimp with seasonings like black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and more, which is then fried to golden brown perfection is amazing! This crispy shrimp recipe can be used as a main dish accompanied by french fries, or as a side dish. 

This crispy fried shrimp recipe is also one of our favorites to make on game day when we have a crowd over to watch our favorite teams. It is also perfect for other special occasions like birthdays. I always like to serve it with a good dipping sauce as well, which you can make yourself or buy at the store. Just regular hot sauce makes for a great dipping sauce as well if you want to add a little bit of heat. 

This recipe is perfect for seafood lovers and people that don’t love seafood and makes for an easy dinner any day of the week.  

​How Do You Make Crunchy Fried Shrimp?

This is such an easy recipe to make and won’t take you long at all. The good thing is that you can use whatever kind of shrimp you have on hand. I personal like to use larger shrimp, like jumbo shrimp or extra-large shrimp, but you can use smaller ones as well if that is what you have. My preference is to use wild caught shrimp, but again, that is up to your personal preference. 

To make this recipe, you will start by gathering the following simple ingredients:

• 1 pound of raw shrimp
• 1 cup of flour
• 1 1/2 cups of bread crumbs (you can use pank bread crumbs if you prefer)
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon of onion powder
• Black pepper
• Salt to taste
• Oil for frying (vegetable oil, canola oil, or avocado oil all work well)

To make this recipe, you will want to clean and devein the shrimp, season with a little bit of salt and set aside in a medium bowl. 

Next, add the flour to another bowl and put it next to the bowl with the Shrimp. Add the eggs to a third bowl with the black pepper, and beat to form the egg mixture. Finally, in a fourth bowl, add the rest of the dry ingredients and combine. 

At this point, you will want to heat enough oil in a large pot over medium-high heat to fry the shrimp. You need hot oil for this recipe to make sure you have a very crispy texture. You can use a deep fryer as well if you have one and that may make it easier.  

When the oil is hot, coat the shrimp in the flour, and then dredge it in the egg wash, before coating with the breadcrumb mixture. Immediately place shrimp in the hot oil and let the shrimp cook for approximately 2-3 minutes, flipping over half way through if needed to ensure an even cook. 

You will want to monitor the temperature of the oil so it doesn’t get too hot, but so that it is still hot enough to fry the shrimp. Once cooked through, place each fried shrimp on a plate lined with paper towels to get rid of the excess grease. You can also put the paper towels under a wire rack and place the shrimp on that to let the grease drain and to allow the shrimp to cool down more quickly. 

In no time at all, you will have a plate full of delicious crunchy shrimp to share with your friends and family. You can now serve it with cocktail sauce, tartar sauce, a sour cream based sauce, and also with lemon wedges. This recipe has never failed to please my family and friends and I hope you enjoy it as well. You can store leftover fried shrimp in an airtight container, but it is always best when recently cooked. 

Let me know in the comments below how this turns out!