Beer Battered Shrimp
Crunchy, flavorful and fun, Beer Battered Shrimp are delicious as an entrée or appetizer. Serve alone or with fries, cole slaw and tasty dipping sauces! Yum!
Is there anything quite as much fun as Beer Battered Shrimp? With a hint of elegant and a pinch of casual, it’s a dish that can work for so many occasions.
Game day? A sure winner! Friday fish fry? Count me in! Just because it’s dinner time? That’s one of my favorite reasons ever!
And I was impressed with how quickly and easily it comes together. Even if (like me) you don’t own a deep fryer!
Why is Beer Batter Special?
When I got a big bag of really good fresh shrimp recently, I tried them two new ways. Tempura battered (which still needs more work) and beer battered, which was amazing right out of the gate.
Beer batter imparts not only a great flavor, but also a distinctive lightness and crunch. Per Scientific American “The alcohol in the beer plays an important role in moderating the internal temperature and crisping the crust. Alcohol evaporates faster than water, so a beer batter doesn’t have to cook as long as one made only with water or milk.”
Sounds good to me!
Why You’ll Love This!
Tasty. The beer and well, the frying process, create a tasty and crunchy exterior–and then the flavor of the shrimp comes through. Two great tastes in one!
Easy. I was amazed at how easy this was. It worked perfectly the first time and then again when I served it repeatedly since we couldn’t stop eating it, err, I wanted to be sure I had it right. (Happily it was a BIG bag of shrimp!)
Crowd-pleasing. This is a dish that will please young and old alike. Even your teetotaling grandma will be on board.
What You’ll Need
Ingredient Notes
- Salt, black pepper. These enhance flavor.
- Garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, celery salt. These add flavor to the batter, but feel free to take liberties with the spices you add.
- All-purpose flour. This provides the main structure to the batter.
- Beer. This adds flavor to the batter and facilitates lightness and crispness in the final results.
- Cornstarch. This will help the batter adhere and increase crispness in the final product.
- Large to jumbo shrimp. If your shrimp are too small the batter flavor will overwhelm the seafood flavor, so this is one time you don’t want to skimp on size.
- Oil. For frying. You can use any oil good at high temperatures including tallow or lard.
Special Tools
- You’ll need a pan that is deep enough to safely hold the oil, but a standard saucepan can work if you are careful. A deep dryer will work too, of course.
A Note on Sourcing Shrimp
Shrimp a type of seafood that you sometimes find was raised under somewhat questionable circumstances. This may mean they are both contaminated and bad for the environment.
Because of this, I like to buy from a fishmonger I trust and/or check for 3rd party certifications. For more information, see Epicurious.
Step by Step Directions
Since this may go faster than you expect, prepare any sauces you’ll be using, then refrigerate covered until needed.
Add oil to a heavy bottomed pot or deep fryer to about 2 to 3 inches deep. Heat oil to 375 F–I recommend testing with an instant read thermometer
In a medium bowl, mix flour with seasonings, including salt and pepper.
Whisk in beer.
Dredge or dust peeled shrimp in cornstarch, then dip in batter
Place the battered shrimp in the hot oil and turn after a couple minutes when golden on the first side. Sizzling will become less vigorous when shrimp are done (because a lot of moisture has left).
When done, remove shrimp from oil to a cloth or paper towel to absorb any excess oil then move to wire rack. If making a lot of shrimp, you can keep them warm in the oven while finishing the rest.
Sauce Options for Beer Battered Seafood
You’ll probably want to serve these Beer Battered Shrimp with some type of sauce. This could be something as simple as plain catsup, fresh squeezed lemon or malt vinegar. Or you could make a sauce that has a little more complexity.
Now, back in the day I remember eating fried shrimp and scallops for dinner in supper clubs. Yes, then I usually dipped into a flavorful garlic butter sauce, which pushes the formality of the dish a little higher.
An easy tartar sauce or spicy cocktail sauce are other great options. Or really go wild with a garlic aioli or remoulade!
How to Serve
To serve Beer Battered Shrimp as an appetizer, just pick your favorite dipping sauce or sauces and you are good to go!
They will also make a nice entrée for dinner. In that case, fries and cole slaw are probably the perfect sides, or perhaps some buttered marbled rye bread.
Finally, for variety you can serve beer battered shrimp in taco shells or on slider buns. You might consider using some coleslaw and a tasty sauce to top these. Wouldn’t that make your Super Bowl party!
Variations and Special Diets
Fresh out of shrimp or looking for something similar but a little lighter? Then my Pan-fried perch may be perfect. They’re a Friday Fish Fry favorite!
Looking for a lighter shrimp dish? My flavorful Cajun Blackened Shrimp are equally versatile going from appetizer to entree but with a few less calories.
Tips & FAQs
To keep the shrimp as crisp and hot as possible, I make sure to have everything else ready ahead time. I pull the cooked shrimp out of the fryer onto a washable kitchen rag for a minute, then set out a wire rack, so that they’re crisp and less oily.
Skim out any burnt bits from the oil periodically. And keep the oil deep enough. If the oil is too shallow, the shrimp won’t float and any dark bits on the bottom may stick. When you add more oil, make sure you get it up to temperature again before adding more shrimp. I don’t own a deep fryer but simply used a small saucepan that was deep enough to hold the oil I needed.
Should I devein my shrimp? Since this is cooked, crunchy and casual, I personally wouldn’t devein my shrimp. But if this bothers you, go ahead and devein them when you peel them. For more discussion on this topic, see FitDay.
My shrimp isn’t browning, what’s wrong? Most likely the temperature is too low. Try turning up the heat or frying fewer pieces at a time so the temperature doesn’t drop too much. If the temperature is right, they should sizzle pretty vigorously when lowered into the oil.
Enjoy!
Cooking with Beer
- Beer Battered Shrimp from Art of Natural Living
- Beer Cheese Fondue from Jen Around the World
- Beer Mustard from That Recipe
- Cheddar Beer Bread from Hezzi-D’s Recipe Box
- Irish Nachos with Beer Cheese Sauce from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Sourdough Beer Bread from Karen’s Kitchen Stories
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Beer Battered Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
- 1 cup beer light flavorful beer like a wheat beer or lager
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 pound shrimp large to jumbo size, peeled, and deveined if desired
- oil for frying about 2-3 cups for a small saucepan
Instructions
- Since this may go faster than you expect, prepare any sauces you’ll be using, then refrigerate covered until needed.
- Add oil to a heavy bottomed pot or deep fryer to about 2 to 3 inches deep. Heat oil to 375 F--I recommend testing with an instant read thermometer
- In a medium bowl, mix flour with seasonings, including salt and pepper.
- Whisk in beer.
- Dredge or dust peeled shrimp in cornstarch, then dip in batter
- Place the battered shrimp into the hot oil and turn after a couple minutes when golden on the first side. Be sure not to overload the pan. Shrimp will cook about 2-3 minutes per side and sizzling will become less vigorous when shrimp are done (because a lot of moisture has left).
- When done, remove from oil to a cloth or paper towel to absorb any excess oil then move to wire rack. If making a lot of shrimp, you can keep them warm in the oven while finishing the rest.
We used to go to an all you can eat crab leg restaurant, but I was so picky I wouldn’t eat them. I would eat popcorn shrimp! These are total comfort food to me.
I chuckled. I wouldn’t eat strawberries growing up–go figure!
Tallow is getting so popular for frying — I have never used it. These shrimp look perfect Inger!
My beef is grass fed and finished and the pork is organic and never fed corn or soy. So I figure that fat has got to be about as good as it gets!
The idea of turning these into tacos or sliders for a party is brilliant! Can’t wait to give it a try!
Tacos are great that way, aren’t they!
Beer Battered Shrimp is great for appetizers or a meal!
I agree!
These look just perfect. I love how puffy they are!
I was so excited when they came out nicely with so little work!
Your fried shrimp certainly do look nice and crispy…they sound terrific.
I was so excited when they crisped right up!