Fried Shrimp with Deviled Egg Sauce

About the recipe

This is a riff on a classical French sauce gribiche, which is basically like a kicked up tartar sauce. The primary difference is that in this emulsion, we’re using cooked egg yolks instead of raw, as you would find in a traditional mayonnaise. Your options to accompany this sauce are limitless, but we love it with chilled meats, vegetables and especially fried seafood.

Serves: 4

Hands On Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

Deviled Egg Sauce

6 large eggs

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons chopped capers

1 tablespoon gherkins or sour pickles, minced

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley

1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

Paprika, for serving

Fried Shrimp

1 pound jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 1/2 cups half and half

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup yellow cornmeal

2 tablespoons kosher salt

1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

Vegetable oil, for frying

Instructions

To make the sauce: In a medium saucepan, arrange the eggs in a single layer and cover with cold water by one inch. Bring the water to a boil then turn off the heat. Allow the eggs to sit in the hot water for 8 minutes, then transfer to a bowl of ice water.

Chill the eggs for 5 minutes, then peel and discard the shells. Cut the eggs lengthwise and carefully scoop out the cooked yolks. Finely chop the egg whites.

In a food processor, combine the yolks with the vinegar, capers, gherkins, salt and pepper. Puree until the mixture is smooth, about 30 seconds. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil to form an emulsion. Transfer to a medium bowl and fold in the chopped egg whites, parsley and tarragon. Refrigerate for at 30 minutes or until ready to serve.

To make the shrimp: In a large cast iron skillet, begin heating 1 inch of vegetable oil to 350 degrees over medium-high heat. Alternatively, heat the vegetable oil to 350 degrees in a deep fryer following the manufacturer’s directions. Line a large plate with paper towels.

While the oil is heating, combine the shrimp and half and half in a large bowl. In a second large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, salt, Old Bay and pepper.

Remove the shrimp from the half and half, shaking off excess, and place in the bowl with the flour mixture. Toss to coat thoroughly.

When the oil is hot, remove half of the shrimp from the flour mixture, shaking off any excess, and carefully to the hot oil. Fry until the shrimp are crisp and cooked through, about 3 minutes. Using a wire strainer or slotted spoon, remove the shrimp from the oil and transfer to the prepared plate. Repeat with the remaining shrimp.

Garnish the deviled egg sauce with paprika and serve with the hot shrimp.