Shrimp Fritters!

When it comes to fried food, I normally eat it at a restaurant. I have never truly “fried” anything in my own kitchen. So last night I found a pound of shrimp in the freezer and decided to make some “Shrimp Fritters”. This was my first attempt, so I will be the first to say that it wasn’t perfect (in appearance), but it tasted very good. There are a few things I would do differently the next time around, which I will point out at the end of this post.

Here is what you will need:

• 1 pound of shrimp, peeled and deveined. (raw or cooked, prefer raw)
• 1/2 a large onion, diced.
• 3 cups of flour
• 2 cups of milk
• 3 eggs
• 1 clove of garlic, chopped. (use 2 or 3 cloves if you want more garlic flavor)
• Vegetable Oil
• Butter
• Baking powder

As for the spices, add them in to a small bowl…I don’t rely on specific measurements since I like to season things to cater to my own taste, so you may need to do the same.

• Dried Parsley
• Paprika
• Salt
• Pepper
• Onion powder
• Dried Oregano
• Dried Thyme

Making the shrimp mixture:

Depending on the size of the shrimp you are using, you may want to cut them into smaller pieces. I cut mine into 2 since “the wife” likes them chunky. Mix shrimp with the spices. Dice the onions. Melt about 2 to 3 tablespoons of butter in a pan. Sauteed the onions til they are tender (but not caramelized), then add shrimp mixture and garlic into pan and mix well with onions. Cook in medium heat, until your shrimp turns pink (just for a few minutes, being careful not to burn anything), then set aside.

Making the batter:

Mix eggs, baking powder, tablespoon of salt and milk in a large bowl/mixer. Slowly add flour, making sure the batter doesn’t clump. Once the batter is mixed and smooth, add in the shrimp mixture and mix evenly.

Frying the fritters:

Fill your 1/3 to 1/2 of your frying pan with vegetable oil and heat it (you can deep fry these guys if you like, but I chose not to use so much oil on mine). Once the oil is hot, set your stove to medium and drop the batter, using a tablespoon full of the mixture each time. Arrange them so that they don’t touch each other. Fry each side for couple of minutes or until one side is golden brown and then flip and repeat. Remove and place them on paper towel to drain. I got about 15 fritters or so from this batch.

What I would have done differently:

• During the “batter creation process”, I should have mixed in more of the spices to give the batter more flavor.
• Change the oil after the 6th fritter for cosmetic purposes. The longer you use the same oil, the darker your fritters get.
• Try deep frying or even baking next time.
• Patience. I got a bit impatient towards the end so I was using “more than a tablespoon” worth of batter each time (I got kind of hungry).
• Try using saffron, turmeric or even curry to switch it up a bit.