My husband opened a new restaurant in Naples, Florida last November. Since then he has rarely come home for dinner, so I have cooked large meals much less frequently. I prepare a few dishes one day a week and then enjoy the leftovers for a few more days. Cooking for one is not as enjoyable as having others to cook with!
I recently got a craving for fried shrimp. I don’t know why, since I rarely eat fried foods, but after thinking about it for a few days, I went to the store and bought a pound of large shrimp and got busy. I like a lighter batter for frying fish or shellfish, so I used the same batter to fry the courgette flowers. To serve my shrimp, I made a vibrant Meyer lemon aioli using lemons from our backyard tree.
These prawns are best enjoyed hot, as they soften as they cool. I leave the tails on, but you could remove them before dipping the shrimp in the batter. Although I used fresh shrimp, frozen ones work just as well.
Debora Mele
ingredients
For the shrimp:
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1 cup all-purpose flour
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1/2 teaspoon baking powder
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1/2 teaspoon salt
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1 cup club soda
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1 pound shrimp, peeled and shelled
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Vegetable Oil For Frying
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Lemon Slices For Serving
For the Meyer lemon aioli:
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3/4 cup neutral oil such as canola
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1 Whole Egg
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1 egg yolk
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Grated zest of 1 Meyer lemon
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1 tablespoon freshly squeezed Meyer lemon juice
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1 peeled clove of garlic
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Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place the egg, egg yolk, lemon zest, juice, garlic, salt and pepper in a blender.
- Blend the egg mixture on medium speed for about 15 seconds.
- Increase the speed to high and begin pouring the oil into the blender in a slow, steady stream.
- Continue blending until all the oil is incorporated and the mixture thickens.
- Taste for seasoning and add more lemon or salt if preferred.
- Heat 2 inches of vegetable oil in a medium Dutch oven to 375 degrees.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Whisk the club soda to make a smooth batter. (The batter should be thick like cream; if it’s too thick, add a little more soda.)
- Spread some flour on a plate. Lightly coat the prawns in the flour, tapping out the excess.
- Dip the shrimp into the batter in batches, so that they are not touching in the pan, and fry until crisp and golden, about 3 to 4 minutes per batch.
- Season everything with salt and serve immediately with aioli and lemon slices.
Nutritional information:
Product: 4
Portions: 1
Quantity per serving:
Calories: 723Totally fat: 50 gSaturated fats: 4 gTrans fats: 0 gUnsaturated fats: 43 gCholesterol: 332 mgSodium: 1531mgCarbohydrates: 37 gFiber: 2 daysSugar: 8 gProtein: 32 g
