Panko-Fried Shrimp with Creamy Cocktail Sauce and Lime Cilantro Tartar Sauce

Fried foods are irresistibly addictive when done right (i.e., simply seasoned and not overly coated with breading), and this recipe for fried shrimp totally fits the bill. I adapted this recipe from Matthew Fairman's on America's Test Kitchen's website Crispy Fried Shrimp | America's Test Kitchen . The Panko bread crumbs lend a very light texture to the shrimp and the creamy cocktail dipping sauce is simply divine. As a very minor variation, I used kosher salt instead of table salt, included a second dipping sauce (my own Lime & Cilantro Tartar Sauce), and squeezed some fresh lemon juice over the shrimp just before digging in.

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 lbs. large shrimp, shelled & deveined

SPICE MIXTURE:

1 tsp. granulated garlic

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper 

3/4 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

BATTER:

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup water

2 large eggs

1/2 tsp. kosher salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

2 cups Panko bread crumbs

Creamy Cocktail Sauce The Grub Files: Cooking with Camissonia: Creamy Cocktail Sauce with Mayonnaise

Lime & Cilantro Tartar Sauce The Grub Files: Cooking with Camissonia: Lime & Cilantro Tartar Sauce

Lemon Wedges

1. Prepare the creamy cocktail sauce and lime tartar sauce (can be made the day before and refrigerated until ready to use).

2. Combine the spice mixture ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

3. Shell, devein and clean the shrimp; place in a bowl and pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle 3/4 of the spice mixture over the shrimp and toss to combine (reserve the remaining spice mix to season the shrimp after frying); set aside.

4. Place all the batter ingredients into a medium bowl and whisk until well combined and there are no lumps from the flour). 

5. Place the Panko in an even layer in a shallow casserole dish. Grab each shrimp by the tail using your hands or tongs, dip into the batter to thoroughly coat, then transfer to the Panko to coat with the bread crumbs on all sides. Repeat with the remaining shrimp. Breaded shrimp can be refrigerated up to 2 hours before frying. 

6. Heat 1 1/2 quarts of vegetable oil in a large pot or Dutch oven (or enough to measure 1" deep) over medium high heat to 350F. 

7. Once the oil comes up to temperature, gently add the breaded shrimp using a slotted spoon or spider. Do not overcrowd the pan, frying in two or three batches as needed. Fry the shrimp for about 1 minute,  swirling occasionally with the slotted spoon, until lightly browned. Remove to a paper towel-lined platter and repeat with remaining shrimp.

8. Place the fried shrimp onto a serving platter or paper-lined basket, season with the remaining spice mixture if desired, and serve immediately with the dipping sauces and lemon wedges on the side.

Batter mixture

Spice mixture

Panko bread crumbs

Dip each shrimp in the batter, then coat with Panko bread crumbs

Breaded shrimp can be refrigerated up to 2 hours before frying.

Fry the shrimp in 2-3 batches.

Drain the fried shrimp on a paper towel-lined platter.

Sprinkle remaining spice mixture over the shrimp and serve with dipping sauces and lemon wedges.

Creamy Cocktail Sauce with Mayonnaise

I adapted this from a recipe on America's Test Kitchen's website as a dipping sauce for fried shrimp. The addition of mayonnaise to an otherwise classic cocktail sauce makes this rendition wonderfully creamy and addictive, kinda like a jacked up Thousand Island dressing. I used lime juice instead of lemon juice (both work equally well), omitted the cayenne pepper, and substituted the Old Bay seasoning with a little celery salt, paprika and black pepper. So good! 

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 cup ketchup

1/4 cup prepared horseradish 

2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce 

1 tsp. lemon or lime juice 

1/4 tsp. celery salt

1/8 tsp. paprika

1/8 tsp. black pepper

Add all ingredients together in a small bowl and stir until thoroughly combined. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Horseradish, mayonnaise, lime, celery salt, ketchup, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, paprika

British Chip Shop Curry Sauce

The first time I tried a chip shop curry sauce was at the Mayfair Chippy in London back in June of 2022. It was a revelation. Before that, I've only had fish & chips paired with the traditional mushy peas, malt vinegar and occasionally tartar sauce. I presumed (wrongly) that the curry sauce was specific to the Mayfair Chippy, but it turns out that this is actually a thing in many a chip shop in the UK - you can even buy bottled versions on Amazon. The Brits love their curry and this is a tasty iteration. The following recipe is an amalgamation of several I found online. Check the curry powder you use for salt content - the Madras curry powder I used for this recipe already had salt in it, so I only had to add a scant 1/4 tsp. of kosher salt to make the sauce balanced. 

INGREDIENTS: 

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 small red apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped

2 tbsp. flour

2 tbsp. Madras curry powder (or other mild curry powder)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups water

2 tsp. sugar

1-2 tsp. distilled white or apple cider vinegar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1. Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a saucepan or medium skillet over medium heat. 

2. Add the chopped onion and apple and cook until the onion is softened and translucent, about 5-6 minutes. 

3. For the roux: add the flour and stir constantly with a spatula or wooden spoon for about 1 minute to cook out the raw flour taste. Add the curry powder and minced garlic and stir constantly for 15-20 seconds. 

4. Gradually add the water and stir constantly with a wire whisk to remove any lumps and until the sauce has thickened.

5. Serve as a dipping sauce for Fish & Chips.

British Pub Style Fish & Chips

Granted, fried foods probably won't make the top 10 of healthy food recommendations by the USDA, but if I had my druthers and/or if I had to choose a last meal in a looming apocalypse on the horizon, then I'd definitely want to indulge in some kind of comfort food concoction, a la fried chicken, crab cakes, a Philadelphia cheese steak sandwich from Pat's or Geno's (I'm game for either), spring rolls, chicken fried steak, Spanish croquetas, or a really, really good fish & chips. Speaking of fish & chips, the best versions I've tried have, hands down, always been around our coastal locales, e.g., Morro Bay, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Ventura or San Diego, where using the fresh catch of the day is de rigueur. 

So after some trial and error, here's my version of fish and chips, with a lager beer & vodka  batter adapted from a Serious Eats recipe https://www.seriouseats.com/fish-and-chips-recipe-11690853. Vodka and the addition of some rice flour to regular all-purpose flour ensure that you will get the crispiest batter ever! My fish of choice is cod, and my beer of choice for the batter is either Peroni or Stella, but feel free to use whatever lager-style beer you prefer or have on hand. 

It's also best to refrigerate the fish ingredients (flour, batter ingredients, vodka) to keep everything nice and cold before frying (cold ingredients help to enhance the crispiness of the batter) and to prep the potatoes, fish and sauces/condiments the day before so you won't have to spend an inordinate amount of time cooking before serving yourself and/or your guests. 

CONDIMENTS/SIDES (Prep up to a day ahead):

Mushy Peas

HP Sauce

Lime Cilantro Tartar Sauce https://thegrubfiles.blogspot.com/2012/07/fish-chips.html

Kewpie Mayonnaise

Chip Shop Curry Sauce  https://thegrubfiles.blogspot.com/2025/08/british-chip-shop-curry-sauce.html

Cole Slaw

Lemon wedges

FOR THE CHIPS (Prep up to a day ahead):

4 large russets potatoes (about 2 lbs.), peeled and rinsed

4 quarts water

3 tbsp. kosher salt

3 tbsp. distilled white vinegar

3 quarts vegetable oil

1. Fill a large stock pot with 4 quarts of water, 3 tbsp. kosher salt and 3 tbsp. vinegar.

2. Cut each potato in half lengthwise, then each section in half, then into approximately 3" x 1/2" pieces (see photos below) and add to the seasoned water.

3. Turn heat up on high and bring the water to a boil; cook for 10-12 minutes or until the potatoes are just tender. Remove the potatoes with a strainer to a baking sheet lined with wire rack in a single layer. Let the potatoes cool for 10 minutes, then place them on the rack in the freezer. Let freeze for at least 3 hours or overnight, then place them in a Ziploc bag until ready to use.

4. FIRST FRY: Heat 3 quarts of vegetable oil in a Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium heat until temperature reaches 265F. Add 1/3 of the frozen sliced potatoes into the oil, stirring occasionally, until a whitish crust starts to form on the outside (about 3 minutes). Remove the potatoes with a strainer/skimmer to a baking sheet lined with a double layer of paper towels. Repeat with the remaining two batches of potatoes, making sure that the oil temperature is at 265F each time before frying. Let the potatoes cool to room temperature (about 30 minutes). If not using the same day, place the potatoes on a wire rack in a single layer and freeze overnight. Keep the oil in the pan to reuse for the final fry.

5. SECOND/FINAL FRY: Preheat oven to 200F. Heat the reserved 3 quarts of oil over high heat to 400F. Add half of the potatoes, stirring occasionally, for 3 1/2 to 4 minutes, until lightly browned, then remove with a strainer to an aluminum foil and paper towel-lined baking sheet; sprinkle with kosher salt to season. Repeat with the 2nd batch of potatoes. Remove the paper towels from the baking sheet and spread the fries evenly over the foil. Place into the 200F preheated oven to keep warm until ready to serve.

Place the potato wedges into 4 quarts of water seasoned with 3 tbsp. kosher salt and 3 tbsp. distilled white vinegar; bring to a boil and cook 10-12 minutes until just tender.

Remove the potatoes to wire racks to drain and let cool for 10 minutes. Place the rack of potatoes in the freezer and let freeze for at least 3 hours or overnight. 

Place the frozen potato wedges into a ziplock bag, squeeze out excess air and seal; place in the freezer until ready to use.

FIRST FRY: Fry the frozen potato wedges in 3 batches in 3 quarts of oil (heated each time to 265F); fry for about 3 minutes or until a light skin starts to form and remove to a paper towel-lined baking sheet with a strainer.

Let potatoes cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. If not using right away, place into a Ziploc bag and freeze until ready to use.

SECOND FRY: Reheat the oil to 400F; fry the potatoes in 2 batches, about 3 1/2 to 4 minutes until golden brown.

Remove the potatoes to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain & season immediately with a generous sprinkling of kosher salt. Remove the paper towel lining from the baking sheet, spread the potato wedges out into a single layer and place into a 200F preheated oven to keep warm until ready to serve.

FOR THE FISH (Prep 4 hours or up to a day ahead):

3 lbs. cod or haddock fish filets, cut into approximately 3"x5" pieces

Kosher salt

Dredge:

1 cup flour

Batter:

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup rice flour

1 tsp. kosher salt

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. paprika

1 cup lager-style beer (e.g., Peroni, Stella Artois)

1/4 cup vodka

3 quarts vegetable oil (ok to use the oil from frying the fries/chips)

1. Rinse the fish filets then pat dry with paper towels; cut them into 3"x5" pieces (best to cut cod lengthwise first across the middle then into sections). Place the cod pieces on a wire rack over a baking sheet and season each lightly on both sides with kosher salt. Refrigerate, uncovered, for a minimum of 4 hours up to overnight to draw out the moisture from the fish.

2. Measure out 1 cup of flour for the dredge and place into a container; cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

3. Combine the dry ingredients for the batter into a container; cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

4. Measure out 1/4 cup of vodka into a small container; cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

5. Place the 1 cup of dredging flour into a shallow casserole/plate.

6. Pour the dry batter mixture into a bowl; add the beer and vodka and whisk until combined.

7. Lightly coat the fish pieces in the flour and set aside.

8. Bring the 3 quarts of oil used for the fries/chips up to 360F over medium high heat. 

9. Using your hand, coat the floured fish pieces in the batter, letting excess batter drip off, and slide into the hot oil. Do not overcrowd the pan, frying about 3-4 pieces at a time. Fry for 2 minutes, then turn each piece over with tongs, and fry an additional 3 minutes until lightly golden; remove to a rack. Repeat with remaining fish pieces. 

10. Serve immediately with chips, mushy peas, curry sauce, HP sauce, and/or tartar sauce. 

I pre-measure the dredging and batter ingredients for the fish and refrigerate them until ready to use.

Dredge the fish pieces in flour, then coat in the batter, letting excess drip off before frying.

Fry the battered fish two batches (about 4 pieces per batch) 2 minutes, then gently flip over with tongs and fry another 3 minutes until golden; remove to wire racks to let drain. Repeat with remaining fish.

Serve with potato wedges ("chips"), malt vinegar, tartar sauce, chip shop curry sauce, mushy peas, or whatever your heart desires!

Spanish Padron Peppers with Olive Oil and Sea Salt

This year I was able to successfully grow Padron peppers in my garden without critters munching them down by covering them with plant cages until they reached about 12" in height. I've never eaten these peppers before but know that they are a popular tapas staple in Spain. From everything I've read, Padron peppers are generally medium spicy with an occasional hot one (similar to Japanese Shishito peppers). So I cooked our first batch assuming that the spice level would be totally tolerable. NOT!!! Our lips and mouths were burning, burning, burning, even though the flavors were great. Maybe we had some errant pepper plants that were happenstance outliers from the norm. Anyhoo, this is a simple and delicious tapas dish, but I think I'll scrape out the seeds next time just in case to tame down the heat level.

INGREDIENTS:

12 Padron Peppers (about 2 cups)

1/4 cup olive oil

Sea salt (e.g., Maldon or Fleur de Sel)

1. If you're spice averse, cut a slit lengthwise along each pepper and scrape out the seeds (otherwise, leave them whole); set aside.

2. Heat 1/4 cup of olive oil in a cast iron or heavy skillet over high heat until almost smoking. Add the peppers. Turn occasionally with tongs until the skins are slightly browned/blistered on all sides. 

3. Remove the peppers and any oil in the pan to a serving dish. Season with a generous amount of sea salt. 

Padron pepper plant in the garden.

Use good quality olive oil.