Fried Shrimp
Southern Fried Shrimp is crunchy and delicious and so easy to make! Try this recipe restaurant favorite that you can make at home in just minutes!
This crispy shrimp batter is made with a buttermilk and Old Bay seasoned flour for a flavorful and delicious coating. A favorite dinner or easy appetizer for any gathering.
How to Make Southern Fried Shrimp
- Peel and devein shrimp.
- Pour buttermilk into a bowl.
- Mix flour and Old Bay Seasoning in a gallon zip top baggie or a bowl.
- Dip shrimp in buttermilk and shake off excess.
- Drop 4 or 5 shrimp into seasoned flour. Zip bag and shake to coat shrimp, or dredge through flour coating all sides.
- Shake off additional flour and place battered shrimp on a clean baking sheet.
- Heat oil into a dutch oven or heavy bottom pan over high heat until it reaches 350°.
- Fry shrimp, a few at a time for 1-2 minutes or until golden brown and reaches at least 145° internal temperature.
- Use a spider strainer or slotted spoon to remove shrimp from hot oil.
- Drain on paper towels lining a wire rack placed over a baking sheet.
Serve crispy fried shrimp with delicious Cocktail Sauce, Tartar Sauce or White Barbecue Sauce. Garnish with lemon wedges and parsley.
Since we built our outdoor kitchen off of the pool area last summer, we have been doing most of our deep frying outside. Best idea ever! All of the mess and the smell of the grease from frying is outside instead of in my kitchen.
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What’s the Best Pan for Deep Frying?
- We have a propane burner – like for a turkey fryer and use our Dutch Oven for deep frying. The cast iron is perfect for deep frying, maintaining the oil temperature perfectly.
- A deep-fry thermometer is super handy to make sure your oil stays at the proper temperature. You can also use a deep fryer for this shrimp recipe.
Cooking Temperature and how Long to Fry Shrimp
Shrimp cook really quickly. The oil temperature should be 350-375° and the shrimp will cook in 1-2 minutes.
What Kind of Oil is Best for Fried Shrimp?
- Peanut Oil is the best. It has a high smoke point and provides great flavor for deep frying.
- Vegetable Oil or canola oil also works well. It is less expensive and also has a good smoke point for deep frying.
Best Side Dishes for Fried Shrimp
More Shrimp Recipes to Try
- Shrimp is one of our favorite meals and this Easy Barbecue Grilled Shrimp is always a hit and this Jambalaya never fails to please.
- We love make this grilled pineapple shrimp has become one of our favorites and Shrimp and Grits is on the must-try list.
Why You Will Love this Fried Shrimp Recipe
- The crispy coating takes the shrimp to the next level of delicious.
- A quick and easy recipe for any night of the week or a great addition to fish fries.
- Classic fried shrimp makes a great bite-sized appetizer and can be made with frozen or fresh shrimp.
If you are looking for the best shrimp batter for crispy fried shrimp, give this recipe a try. It is a tried and true favorite.
If you love this recipe as much as we do, please leave a comment and a five star review. Help us share on Pinterest, Instagram and Facebook!
Southern Fried Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 pound jumbo shrimp 21/25 count peeled and deveined
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning
- 4 cups vegetable oil for frying
- Cocktail Sauce for Serving
- White Barbecue Sauce for dipping
Instructions
- Pour buttermilk in a bowl.
- Mix flour and Old Bay Seasoning together in a shallow dish.
- Dip shrimp in buttermilk and dredge in flour mixture. Shake off excess flour and place on a lined baking sheet.
- Place oil in a Dutch oven or heavy pan and heat to 350°.
- Fry shrimp a few at a time, 1-2 minutes or until golden brown. Use a digital thermometer to test shrimp is at least 145° internal temperature.
- Remove to a paper towel lined wire rack over a baking sheet to drain.
- Serve with cocktail sauce or white barbecue sauce for dipping.
These add shrimp look perfect! I need an outdoor kitchen now….frying outside is genius.
Southerners don’t use old bay seasoning, and there is no such thing as fresh frozen shrimp right off the boat. They don’t freeze them on the boat. There either fresh or frozen.
Hi Trey,
You are right, they don’t freeze them on the boat but they are frozen and thawed three times by the time I get them. My main point is that I really like knowing right where my food comes from. As far as southerners not using Old Bay, if they don’t they are missing out! Southern Living Magazine seems to agree https://www.southernliving.com/seasonings/spices/old-bay-seasoning.
~Miss
I’m from the South, I use Old Bay and I love it.
Me too!
Me too
Ha 🙌🏽
Southern Living knows pretty much nothing about the South. He is right. We don’t use Old Bay in the South. So, you got this recipe from Southern Living. That’s called plagiarism, dear.
Hi Zoey,
I think you misunderstood. I am only quoting Southern Living talking about Old Bay Seasoning’s uses in southern cuisine. The recipe is my own, so no plagiarism here. If you read the comments, there are plenty of us southerners that do use Old Bay, so I don’t think you can speak for all of the south in this instance. You might try Old Bay, it’s pretty delicious even if its origins are not southern.
~ Milisa
Actually, Trey Aubre is incorrect. They do freeze them on the boat. It’s called IQF and a lot, if not most of the shrimp boats use this method. The boats are even referred to as freezer boats. How do I know? Born and raised in Bayou La Batre and have worked and been around shrimp boats my entire life.
Sorry to tell you but I am a southerner and I use old bay. All the fish I cook has old bay in the mix. Old bay is a southern go to when it comes to fish of any kind.
Hi Kathy,
I bet your fish is amazing.
~ Milisa
Trust me. Southerners DO use Old Bay.
Thanks Brad!
Old Bay has no place in a southern recipe. That’s the point I immediately stopped reading.
“True Southerners” know how to spell.
Yes, Trey. Some commercial fishing boats actually freeze their catch on board. And Yes – folks from the South also use Old Bay. Apparently you don’t, which is fine. And last but not least – it would be “They’re” NOT “There”.
The south is considered anywhere below the Mason-Dixon Line. Old Bay is popular closer to the East Coast, while creole and Cajun seasonings are more popular closer to the Gulf of Mexico. You can use Tony Chachere’s or Tony’s Spice and Herb as well.
Yes, Ole Bay has become very popular in the South. Many, many recipes I see even here in Louisiana use Ole Bay. I don’t understand this as there are so many good Canjun/Creole and seafood seasoning to choose from down here.
My Mama was from Alabama and when I was a kid (in the 50s and 60s) She would ask her sister who was in Alabama, send her up some Old Bey because she couldn’t find it in Pittsburgh at that time. So I’m not sure where you got your information.
Shrimp all put in a freezer immediately after pulling from the traps on the boat. So. Yeah
Amen
Do you use raw shrimp?
Hi Lisa,
Yes, use raw shrimp for this recipe, peeled and deveined.
~ Milisa
Trey REPORTED cackling idiotic posts are against tos.
Southerners need to check out Old bay or J.O. Spice . We are kicking it here in Maryland And stop boiling everything, STEAM it
We wouldn’t dream of boiling or steaming or shrimp or oysters here in the South. We like seafood deep fried with hush puppies
Zoey,
Deep fried is our favorite for sure!
~ Milisa
Wow! Trey, you literally have no clue what the hell you’re talking about. I’m as southern as they come, born & bred in south Alabama, and me, my family, and everyone I know has used Old Bay seasoning as far back as I can remember. And I’ve shrimped the gulf out of Bayou La Batre and Dauphin Island, and shrimped Mobile Bay for over 30 years, and we flash freeze about half the shrimp we catch, right at our boat when we dock. This helps us move a higher percentage to market. Don’t post a comment when you clearly don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.
Amen we’ll said I am 71yrs and far back as I can remember been seeing old bay in spice rack.keep telling Southern truth.
Thanks for stopping by Jerry!
It doesn’t get much better than southern fried shrimp!
Those shrimp look so crispy and fried to perfection I’m drooling over here! I love to cook outside and having an outdoor kitchen sounds like a dream. I’ll have to give these a try in the near future.
We don’t have buttermilk in Hawaii. Is it going to be good with milk?
Hi Jacqualine,
You can use milk or you can stir about a tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar into the milk for a buttermilk substitute. I hope you try this shrimp.
~Milisa
How to make buttermilk:
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon baking soda
Combine the 2 ingredients in a bowl and stir. Let sit for about 5 minutes and the milk turns into buttermilk. Enjoy those fried shrimp!
Lol I don’t know where you came up with this…..I’m pretty sure you just made a concoction people use to soften their feet. This comment was in 2019, I hope you have learn how to make buttermilk by now.
Outstanding the tip of making buttermilk. Thanks I will do this
Hi Jerry,
I hope you enjoy it!
~ Milisa
How come you don’t have butter milk in Hawaii??? I’m on the Big Island in Kona and we have plenty of butter milk.
I don’t like to drink buttermilk but love to cook with it. I get powdered buttermilk from the store or on line and keep it in the freezer.
We tried both your miso honey garlic shrimp recipe and the southern fried shrimp recipe this week. Both were outstanding. The family loved them. Thank you!
Misha,
I am so glad y’all enjoyed them! Shrimp is my favorite for a quick dinner! Thanks for stopping by to let me know. You made my day!
~Milisa
I fried some colossal shrimp. I did not have buttermilk so I put 1bsp of lemon juice in a cup of milk. I also added to the seasoning with some cayenne because I love some spice! I must say this was a delicious recipe! Thank you so much for sharing!
I’ll take a plate full please! Thanks for sharing!
My husband loves shrimp so these were a big hit in our house! We will definitely be making these again!
Absolutely delicious! I got the 16/20 shrimp and they cooked up beautifully! I have been craving fried shrimp all summer. I’ve tried three different restaurants in land locked Albuquerque, but none of them held a candle to your recipe. Thank you!!
I have caught shrimp from Brownsville, TX to Key West, FL. On a freezer boat. Yes we do freeze them on the boat.
Miss You Knocked It Out this Time,
Love all Your Resipies,
Just curious if there would be a way to do this in an air fryer? Maybe spritz it with oil??? The recipe sounds AMAZING!!
Hi Janette,
I haven’t tried it in the air fryer but I think it would work. Definitely with a spritz of oil. Let me know how it does if you try it.
~ Milisa
I used canola oil at 350 for 1 minute 45 sec and a good portion of the breading fried off. These were 20 to 24 per pound shrimp. They were perfectly cooked with little breading. I will try it again with peanut oil next time and do two batches with one at 350 and the other at 375..
BTW: I grew up 45 miles from the GA coast line and 45 miles from the FL state line. Old Bay is a seasoning staple in that area.For a Low Country Boil the liquid Old Bay Crab boil is the way to go.
Make sure your shrimp is dry – easy to pat dry with paper towels before you bread them. That might help the breading stick. Peanut oil is the best if you have it. That’s what my folks always used in our catfish restaurant and it sure makes a difference.
~ Milisa
If you don’t have buttermilk, 1 cup milk + 1 Tbsp white vinegar and let sit in fridge for 10 minutes before using works well. I’m lactose intolerant and used almond milk instead and it worked great!
Hi Leah,
Thanks for the tips!
~ Milisa
Very good we loved it and I’m not a fan of shrimp…I’m a lobster girl but I will make this again yummy
Hi CJ,
So glad you liked it!
~ Milisa
The basic recipe above (buttermilk and flour seasoned with salt and a bit of cayenne) produced the best fried shrimp I have ever had. 2 minutes cooking time for jumbo shrimp was perfect. Brava!
Hi Jim,
So glad you tried it!
Milisa
When Talking Shrimp
OLD BAY FIRST CHOICE
For sure!
Thanks so much for sharing this recipe, Miss! I love fried shrimp but have never made it at home. I always treat myself at seafood restaurants, though. I am going to try this with your oven baked tater tots this weekend. 🙂
Thanks Kim!
Old Bay is made in Baltimore about 30 miles south of the Mason Dixon. Chesapeake Bay area for sure. Ya’ll are welcome south and north alike
Eastern NC girl here( an hour from the coast) everyone uses Old Bay! I was looking for a recipe that didn’t use cornmeal I normally use 1/2 cornmeal 1/2 flour but just realized I am out of cornmeal. Thank you for your delicious recipe! Be kind!
While on the hunt for a Southern fried shrimp recipe that included buttermilk, I stumbled upon this gem, and I must say, it was incredibly easy to follow and the result was absolutely delicious!
So glad y’all enjoyed it Alicia.
~ Milisa
I made this for supper and we are all in love! Even my 9yr old that swears off seafood all together said they were delicious. That’s a win!!
So glad y’all enjoyed it!
~ Milisa
I love fried shrimp and this recipe was fantastic! It cooked up so well. We are already craving it again!
Hi Gina,
So glad y’all enjoyed it!
~ Milisa
These fried shrimp look absolutely mouthwatering! Thanks For Sharing.
Thanks Alexa! I hope you try them.
~ Alexa
Wow, this post has me craving fried shrimp now! Your vivid descriptions made my mouth water. I’d love to hear some recommendations!
Thanks for sharing this recipe!
You are welcome, I hope you get the chance to try it!
~ Milisa
I really appreciate the amazing recipes you share. I’ll definitely be revisiting them in the future. Many thanks! Warm regards from Switzerland.
So glad you stopped by!
~ Milisa
I make my shrimp the same way minus the old bay. I like using garlic pepper.. add a little cornmeal to the flour. Love fried shrimp!!!!