Buffalo Shrimp

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These healthier, crispy, juicy buffalo shrimp are a simple, crowd-pleasing snack coated in homemade buffalo sauce. Serve with ranch dressing and celery sticks as a snack, or serve over rice to turn it into a meal.

Prep Time20

Cook Time10

Total Time30

Course: Appetizer, Snack

Cuisine: American

Diet: Halal

Skill Level: Intermediate

Servings: servings

Author: Rena

Ingredients

1.5 pounds large shrimp peeled and deveined
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper or chilli powder
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 eggs beaten
2 tablespoons avocado or vegetable oil
1/2 cup hot sauce
2 tablespoons butter melted
2 tablespoons honey

Instructions

Pat dry the 1.5 pounds large shrimp (peeled and deveined) with paper towels and season with Kosher salt and black pepper.
In a shallow plate mix the 3/4 cup all-purpose flour with 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper or chilli powder, 2 teaspoons smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder and 1 teaspoon onion powder. In a second shallow plate, whisk the 2 eggs.
Working one by one, lightly dip the shrimp in the flour mixture, then dunk into the beaten eggs, then again evenly coat with flour. Place the coated shrimp in a sheet pan.
Once all the shrimp are coated, heat the 2 tablespoons avocado or vegetable oil in a large non-stick pan. Fry the shrimp in 2 batches, until golden brown and curled.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk the 1/2 cup hot sauce with 2 tablespoons butter (melted) and 2 tablespoons honey.
Lightly baste the buffalo sauce over the cooked shrimp to coat. Don't overcoat it with the sauce, or they will lose the crispiness. Rather, serve them dipped into the remaining buffalo sauce.
Serve with carrot and celery sticks, and ranch dressing, if desired.

Notes

Ensure the shrimp have been deveined before you start coating them in the egg and flour. If you don't have experience doing this, seek out frozen shrimp that have been deveined already.
These are best served pretty much immediately after frying, so check that your timings are correct, as you can't really prep them ahead of time either.
The shrimp will cook quite quickly (a couple of minutes per side), so watch them closely. You'll know they're cooked when they turn from a translucent grey color to an opaque white and pink.
As the buffalo sauce is quite wet, it's a good idea to only lightly brush the shrimp with some of the sauce and leave the remaining sauce on the side, for dipping. That way, to maintain maximum crispness of the coating.
Make this recipe gluten-free by replacing the flour with a store-bought gluten-free flour blend.
I like to leave the tails on the shrimp if I'm serving this as an appetizer, as it makes them easier to pick up. If serving over rice, I remove the tails before coating.

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