This Shrimp Fritters recipe was inspired by a trip to the Bahamas to celebrate my sister’s bachelorette weekend. There were about 9 of us ladies and we had a really great time. One of my favorite things about the about the trip was the fact that everywhere I turned there were Conch Fritters (one of my best memories on the trip involved food, go figure). When I first saw them I was skeptical, thinking that I would be biting into a mouthful of greasy, bread-y batter. Nope, not at all! They were light, crisp and filled with chopped conch (think humungous clam of sorts, in more of a “snaily” type shell). I think I had a fritter with every meal while I was there, super good!
I made my own little version of these conch fritters, using shrimp because it’s a lot more common and well, I love shrimp :) These fritters really are light and crisp on the outside and rich and savory on the inside. We’ve paired them with our spicy honey drizzle, which we’ve used before for our hush puppies…the super simple, sweet and spicy sauce goes really well with these bites. You should make them for your next cocktail party, game night or even just as a nice little snack anytime. Enjoy! xx, Jenny
Pan Frying Alternative
Instead of deep frying these, you can pan fry them with less oil. Pan fry them in about 2 inches of oil and just flip them after about 3-4 minutes!
How to make our Shrimp Fritters without a stand mixer
This dough is a very thick, pasty dough and can get a little difficult to stir by hand, but you totally can. Keep the mixture in the saucepan and stir vigorously as you add the eggs using a wooden spoon until fully incorporated. Alternatively you can also use a hand mixer.
Make Ahead
The Shrimp Fritters are best served fresh and hot. The best method to make ahead is to make the batter ahead of time and cover the surface of the dough directly with plastic wrap and chill until you’re ready to use.
We don’t recommend re-heating the shrimp fritters because they will loose their crispy outer texture.
Tips and Tricks for making Shrimp Fritters
- The mixture turns dough like when the flour is added, then it breaks apart when the eggs are added and it may seem to you like you’re making a mistake but you’re not! Once you keep beating, the mixture will become very thick and sticky.
- When you drop the fritters into the oil, be sure to not overcrowd the pan. You want to make sure to leave space around the fritters so you can easily flip them, and so they won’t stick together.
- We love this Tablespoon scoop. It makes dropping dough into the oil super easy, and it also makes all the shrimp fritters the exact same size!
- We also love our Elote Fritters!
You might also love our:
Shrimp Fritters
INGREDIENTS
- ¾ pound raw tiger shrimp, peeled and cut into chunks
- 2 green onions, thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 ½ cups water
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 eggs
- spicy honey drizzle recipe
- vegetable oil for frying
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oil to 350°F.
- Place shrimp, green onions and garlic into a large mixing bowl and toss together. Set Aside.
- Pour water into medium pot and add butter and salt and bring to a boil.
- Once mixture has come to a boil, add flour and quickly stir with a wooden spoon, until dough forms. Continue to stir over medium heat, for about 3 minutes.
- Place dough into a stand mixer fixed with a paddle attachment and run on medium speed, allowing steam to escape.
- Once most of the steam has disappeared add the egg, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
- Fold pepper into the pate a choux (the doughy/battery mixture).
- Fold the shrimp mixture into the pate a choux until fully incorporated.
- Once oil is hot, add tablespoon sized balls of the shrimp mixture into the oil (you’ll have to do this in batches); make sure not to crowd the pan/fryer.
- Fry each fritter for 4 to 6 minutes, flipping halfway if necessary. Drain on a paper towel and season lightly with salt. Serve immediately with spicy honey drizzle.