Louisiana Recipe: Black-Eyed Pea-Battered Shrimp

Chef John Folse is known for sharing “a taste of Louisiana” with the rest of the world through his television series, cookbooks, and line of Cajun and Creole products. No doubt fried shrimp, a Louisiana favorite, is a dish he cooks up frequently. This recipe, from Folse’s “Encyclopedia of Cajun and Creole Cuisine,” gives an unexpected twist to the traditional shrimp batter.

Ingredients:

36 (16 to 20 count per pound) shrimp, head-on
3/4 cup black-eyed peas, cooked
1/4cup diced onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1/8teaspoon ground ginger
Creole seasoning to taste
salt and black pepper to taste
granulated garlic to taste
2 large eggs
1/4cup olive oil
1-1/14cups beer
Louisiana hot sauce to taste
2 cups flour
1 quart vegetable oil

Method of preparation:

Peel shells from tail of shrimp, being careful not to remove head. Devein shrimp and set aside. In a food processor, combine black-eyed peas, onion, minced garlic, ginger, Creole seasoning, salt, pepper and granulated garlic. Blend on high speed 2 to 3 minutes or until peas are coarsely chopped. Add eggs, olive oil, beer and hot sauce. Blend 1 to 2 minutes or until puréed. Add flour and blend 1 to 2 minutes. Pour black-eyed pea batter into a ceramic bowl and set aside. In an electric fryer or large cast-iron pot, heat 3 inches of oil to 350°. Dip only shrimp tails into batter and allow all excess to drain. Gently place shrimp into deep fryer and cook until golden brown and partially floating. Remove from oil and drain. Serve hot with your favorite dipping sauce.

Recipe courtesy of Louisiana Culinary Trails.