Excerpted from Mosquito Supper Club by Melissa Martin (Artisan Books). Copyright © 2020.
Soft-shell shrimp are a delicacy. Like crabs and crawfish, shrimp molt and shed their shells. After shedding, their new shells are soft, and this is when—to the human palate—they are divine and you can eat the shrimp whole: shells, heads, and all.
You need only egg yolks for this recipe—save the whites for another use, perhaps in your morning omelet or in pecan macaroons for a midday snack. Use freshly stone-milled cornmeal to dredge the shrimp before frying and cornstarch to make the coating extra crispy, too. Serve the shrimp with pickles and rice and beans or a cucumber and tomato salad.
Serves 4 to 6
Peanut oil, for frying
1 pound (455 g) U-15 soft-shell shrimp (see Note)
4 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons hot sauce, preferably Original Louisiana Hot Sauce, plus more for serving
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
2 cups (360 g) cornmeal, preferably freshly milled
1 cup (130 g) cornstarch, preferably organic
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper, plus more as needed
Fill a large heavy-bottomed pot with 4 inches (10 cm) of peanut oil and heat the oil over medium-high heat to 375°F (190°C). Gently rinse the shrimp under cold running water and pat dry.
In a shallow bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, hot sauce, and mustard. In a separate shallow bowl, combine the cornmeal, cornstarch, cayenne, salt, and black pepper.
Now back to the shrimp. To properly dredge the shrimp, designate one hand your wet hand and the other your dry hand. Use your wet hand to dip a shrimp in the egg yolk mixture, being sure to coat it evenly and letting any excess drip off, then place it in the cornmeal mixture. Use your dry hand to coat the shrimp evenly with the cornmeal mixture, then place it on a baking sheet. Repeat to dredge the remaining shrimp.
When the oil is hot, add the shrimp in two rounds (6 to 8 shrimp at a time) and fry until golden brown, about 3 minutes on each side. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the shrimp to paper towels or brown paper bags to absorb excess oil.
Give the shrimp a sprinkling of salt and black pepper, then serve immediately, passing the bottle of hot sauce at the table.
Note: Soft-shell shrimp are hard to come by because shrimpers have to pick them out of their drag by hand and carefully chill them. They are delicate and easily fall apart while the shrimp are being dragged in and iced during trawling. Since getting fresh soft-shell shrimp means being right at the source, you will probably have to buy them frozen. Put frozen shrimp in a bowl of cool water and thaw in the refrigerator. Use immediately once they’re thawed, or add ice to the bowl to keep the shrimp extra cold. Handle defrosted soft-shell shrimp gently, as the heads sometimes want to slip off after thawing.
