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.