This has been on my hit list to make for a long time now and finally, success!!! If you are looking for a great appetizer or party food, look no further. These Beer Battered Shrimp with Chili Lime Sauce will have you heading back for seconds, thirds and more!
Yes, I really have been thinking about these for ages and ages. Somehow, I just didn’t get around to making them until now. And they were totally worth the wait. Much like the Spiced Honey Lime Shrimp, the Chili Lime Shrimp & Avocado Bites or my Lemon Garlic Shrimp, these are an absolute keeper! Oh, and not to forget my Fried Calamari, yum!
Let’s talk chilies for a second
When choosing your peppers, remember that the hotter the chill you choose, the hotter the sauce will be.
I used a mild chili in this dish, and it took three chilies to give the flavour and heat that I thought was pretty tasty and not hospital admitting material. I probably wouldn’t go for, say, Habanero!
What Chilies Did I Use
Pimentos Picantes
- They have a medium heat to them with a little bit of sweetness. I live in Spain and they are literally called which translates to hot peppers. And that is all the information I got. There was a scale on the back of package giving them a heat rating in comparison to other peppers. Well this rated as a 7 with the hottest being a Haberno at number 10. Let me just say, the package was wrong! There was nothing overly hot about these peppers in any way. Just a nice bit of heat and flavour.
Tips For Using Peppers & Chilies. Add a bit at a time until you get the heat you like. For this recipe, I used three of these chilies and it gave the perfect amount of heat and sweetness for my taste buds.
This sauce, in fact this entire dish, has been on my “To Make” list since forever. In fact, I have had few attempts at the sauce with limited success. Just too much of this or that, and it never tasted like I wanted or expected it should taste.
This time, success. Let’s give credit to the delusional inspiring heat. Maybe the wine…ha!
Notes about the dish Beer Battered Shrimp with Chili Lime Sauce
- Okay, I already covered the sauce a few paragraphs back so, I won’t go into that again. However, if you want more sauce, just double the batch.
- I used large shrimp for this recipe, but it would work with smaller ones as well. If you are using smaller shrimp, the cooking time will be just a touch less. As well, I always buy shrimp that I have to peel and clean myself. They are far better tasting. However, if you can find good cleaned ones at your supermarket, use those. Less work.
- The batter is really easy and it’s so good, light and crispy. Just make sure you coat the shrimp completely in the batter before frying. Not the tails though.
- I used just regular sun flower oil for frying these and it worked great. Just avoid olive oil for best results.
- These are best served immediately for the freshest taste and crispy batter. However, if you do have to make them before hand and reheat, you can. I recommend laying them all out on a baking tray and reheating them in a very hot oven, 400 degrees C, for about 3 minutes or so. Still not as great as fresh, but great nonetheless.
Happy cooking friends and watch out for the chilies.
Beer Battered Shrimp with a Chili Lime Sauce
Ingredients
For the shrimp:
- 24 Shrimp raw, peeled and de veined with tails in tact
- 2 Cups flour
- 1 Teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 Teaspoon onion powder
- 1 Teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 Teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 Teaspoon salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon black pepper
- 1 Egg beaten
- 1 Can beer
- Vegetable oil for frying
For the chili lime sauce:
- Juice of one lime
- 2-3 Chilies de seeded and roughly chopped
- 1/4 Cup olive oil
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 Inch piece ginger root peeled and grated
- 2 Garlic cloves crushed
- Small bunch fresh cilantro leaves roughly torn
- 1 Tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 Tablespoons chili paste
- 1 Teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Make the Chili Lime Sauce. Put all the ingredients in a food processor. Pulse for a few seconds and check. You want a slightly chunky texture. Pulse again if necessary. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, oregano, salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Add the beaten egg and beer. Whisk until smooth.
- Heat about 2 inches of vegetable oil in a large deep sided skillet. Dip one shrimp in the batter, coating completely, and test the oil. If it sizzles immediately, it’s ready. Coat shrimp in batter and drop one by one into the hot oil. Fry each side for about 2 minutes or until golden. Remove from oil with a large slotted spoon and place on paper towels. Repeat for all shrimp.
- Best served immediately with the dipping sauce.
*A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
Notes
Thanks For Stopping By And Hope To See You Soon!
