RECIPE: Ultimate Shrimp Appetizer

When I lived in Kentucky, there was a restaurant there that my kids and I loved called "The Bone Fish Grill."

Every time we went there, they had interesting dishes that I had never tried before, and everything was the best of the best. Even the salads! There were a few different things there that I really miss. One was called Monk Fish, and it tasted like the Filet Mignon of Fish; sort of a lobster treat but not lobster.

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The other favorite, which I've tried to make in the past, is a recipe called "Bang Bang Shrimp."  I have NEVER been able to capture this tasty appetizer successfully, until this weekend. I want to share it with you, and need to let you know that any substitutions you make and you're NOT going to get the same delicious appetizer that I experienced at Bone Fish Grill.  Here's the recipe.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pound bag of frozen shrimp (the bigger the better). I bought a frozen 2 pound bag at Costco and there were 31-40 shrimp in the bag, and they ended up being just the right size. You'll need to make sure the shrimp are deveined and all shell and tail are removed.
• 1 cup of mayo. Now; my boyfriend likes Miracle Whip, but I'm telling you; it will change the recipe, so stick to real mayo. I used Hellman's.
• 1/2 cut of Thai Sweet Chili Sauce.  The Thai brand is very important. This is the key to the whole recipe, so don't cut corners.
• 1/2 teaspoon of Sriracha. I found this at Walmart in the Mexican food section, thanks to someone else who has purchased it before. (Thank you, kind stranger).
• 1 cup of buttermilk
• 2 cups of cornstarch
• Chopped Green Onion (Just the green part)
• Oil for frying.  Canola was recommended

DIRECTIONS

This would have worked in a deep fryer, but I used a Dutch Oven.

• Rinse and de shell shrimp in colander.
• Mix Mayo, Chili Sauce, Sriracha together in a bowl.
• Pour 2-3 inches of oil in your deep sauce pan and heat to 375.
• In a separate bowl, place shrimp, and cover with buttermilk.
• Once thoroughly soaked, dump out the buttermilk, and cover the shrimp with the cornstarch, and mix well.
• Fry the shrimp until lightly brown, which takes about 2-3 minutes. It truly is 'lightly' brown...it probably won't get dark brown, and won't have a ton of crispy coating on it. Don't worry. That's fine.
• While the shrimp is frying, chop up the green onion.
• Once the shrimp is ready, removed from oil onto a paper towel lined plate, to let the excess oil soak up.
• Once the shrimp has all been removed, add the shrimp to the chili sauce mixture, and cover well. Then dump in a strainer, to remove excess.
• Pour shrimp onto plates, and sprinkle with green onions.
• Serve immediately and enjoy.

Let me know if you make this recipe. Send your photo and let me know if you like it! Send pictures and comments to kelly@minnesotasnewcountry.com.