Ritzy Shrimp

When I was little my favorite seafood was fried shrimp.  And I liked it fried any which way.  My mom made fried shrimp using a light tempura-style batter from Recipe Jubilee, the Junior League of Mobile cookbook.  Morrison’s flagship cafeteria at Springdale Plaza in Mobile also put out excellent fried shrimp.  Theirs was golden brown and really crunchy.  They also left the tails, on–so fancy!  I don’t often fry shrimp at home anymore, mostly because it’s messy.  Instead I’ve come up with a number of really good shrimp recipes I do here on repeat, but when I’m craving a plateful of fat shrimp with a crispy, crunchy coating, I make oven “fried” Ritzy Shrimp.

This method is loosely based on Williams Sonoma’s Oven-Fried Shrimp recipe, but I made it a little quicker and skewed the flavor profile decidedly toward the Gulf Coast.  (Also, I noticed their cocktail sauce didn’t have any Worcestershire sauce.  I can only assume that’s a typo.  Bless them.)

I use a dash of Zatarian’s concentrated liquid crab boil* instead of regular hot sauce plus salt and pepper in the buttermilk mixture before dredging the shrimp.  You can substitute a teaspoon or so of Creole seasoning or Old Bay for the crab boil.  Note that if you’re using Creole seasoning or Old Bay, you may not need to add any salt and pepper.  Read the label to avoid over-salting.  You can also use any hot sauce you prefer instead.

You don’t have to use Ritz crackers, but do try to use a buttery-flavored cracker, even a store-brand one.  Captain’s wafers or clubweather crackers will do fine.  Otherwise flavor and texture won’t be the same.

Finally, don’t expect Ritzy Shrimp to be perfectly coated like battered fried shrimp.  It won’t be.  But you will have delicious, perfectly cooked shrimp, with yummy crispy bits clinging to it all over, and more tasty crispy bits to sprinkle over your shrimp when plating.

We like Ritzy Shrimp with cocktail sauce, of course.  Remoulade or tarter sauce will work, too. So will bang bang sauce.  As always, you do you!

*Available throughout the South (and a bit beyond) at large supermarkets.  Easy to order if you can’t find it locally.

Print Recipe

Ritzy Shrimp

Your new favorite oven-baked shrimp!

Servings: 2 generous main dish servings

Ingredients

• 1 lb. extra large or jumbo raw shrimp
• ½ cup full fat buttermilk
• a few shakes of hot sauce, OR a teaspoon of Old Bay or Creole seasoning, OR a dash of Zatarain's Liquid Crab and Shrimp Boil
• 1 sleeve Ritz® or other buttery crackers, finely crushed
• cooking spray

Instructions

• Peel and devein shrimp if needed. Leave tails on or remove them as you prefer.
• Preheat the oven to 400°. Spray a sheet pan with cooking spray. In a medium bowl combine buttermilk and hot sauce. Add shrimp. Pour half of the cracker crumbs in another bowl. Working with a few shrimp at a time, allow any extra buttermilk to drip off then roll the shrimp in the cracker crumbs. When the crumbs are gone--and you still have naked shrimp--repeat with the other half of the crumbs.
• Place shrimp in a single layer on the sheet pan with some space between. Spray the breaded shrimp lightly with cooking spray. Bake 10-12 minutes until the crumbs are brown and crispy.
• Serve shrimp hot with your favorite dipping sauce.