Louisiana Soft-Shell Shrimp with Sweet Chile Sauce

By norsegal8

I love fried soft-shelled anything, and this light batter can be used to fry just about anything. As kids, if we caught soft shells or sorted them from the picking box, we'd save them for frying. Nowadays, I've got shrimping friends who'll do the sorting for me. I love the Vietnamese idea of wrapping fried shrimp in fresh herbs - Thai basil, mint and/or cilantro, and then lettuce leaves - and then dipping them into the sauce; it's like fireworks for the palate.

Ingredients

• FOR THE SWEET CHILE SAUCE:
• 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup Vietnamese fish sauce
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 2-3 teaspoons sambal chile paste
• FOR THE SHRIMP:
• 1 egg
• 1 cup cold club soda
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 18 jumbo soft-shelled shrimp
• 1 quart canola oil

Details

Servings 6

Preparation

Step 1

1. For the sweet chile sauce, puree the vinegar, fish sauce, sugar, lime juice, garlic, chile paste and 1/2 cup water in a blender or food processor. Don't worry about straining the sauce; just pour it into a cup and set it aside until you are ready to serve it.

2. For the shrimp, beat the egg with a whisk in a large mixing bowl. Add the ice-cold soda water (cold is important because it helps the batter adhere to the shrimp). Whisk together the flour, salt and cayenne in a small bowl, then slowly whisk the seasoned flour into the egg and water mixture until just combined. Don't overmix, or the batter will be tough.

3. Season the soft-shelled shrimp with salt and pepper, then toss into the batter.

4. Heat the oil in a medium deep, heavy pot over high heat until it reaches 350 degrees. Use tongsto lift each shrimp carefully out of the batter and into the hot oil. Cook in batches of 6, so as not to crowd the pot, until the shrimp are golden brown; drain on paper towels. Serve with the sweet chile sauce.