Friday Is Fryday. Rosie Makes Coconut Fried Shrimp And Fried Asparagus.

I don't each much fried food,

so whenever I do, I go all out.

Today, I had a hankerin' for coconut fried shrimp.

And, as you know,

I make THE BEST coconut fried shrimp.

Ever. 

Then I started thinking about what 

to go along with the shrimp.

In spite of the fact that I'm still wearing

a heavy winter coat

and that we are experiencing

 the 2nd or 3rd nor'easter of the season,

my asparagus is actually coming up in the garden.

For some reason, 

my asparagus thinks it might be spring.

So, asparagus will be accompanying the shrimp today.

And not just any asparagus...

I'm having FRIED asparagus.

Like I said, today is Fryday

and I'm frying everything!

For the asparagus:

 I'm going with the 3-bath system here.

In the first bowl, I have flour with seasonings -

a little kosher salt and some freshly ground pepper.

First break off the asparagus where it normally snaps,

then break the spear in half.

Place spears in a colander, rinse, 

and shake off excess water.

Place dampened spears in flour bath

and roll around so flour sticks to the spears.

Next, drop spears into a beaten egg bath.

Coat well.

The third bowl contains panko breadcrumbs

with about an equal part of torn-up pieces

of my homemade sandwich bread,

all processed in my Magic Bullet.

Coat the spears in the breadcrumbs,

pressing to adhere.

With the spears coated and ready to fry,

I started on the batter for the shrimp.

 Fried Shrimp Batter

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup cornstarch

1 tsp cayenne pepper flakes

1 tsp Old Bay seasoning

1 tsp ground mustard

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup club soda

Mix all together.

Peel shrimp, leaving tails on.

Dredge shrimp through batter,

shaking off excess, then...

... roll shrimp around in coconut flakes.

Asparagus and shrimp are ready to fry.

Heat 2-3 inches of peanut oil in heavy pan to 350°.

Start with the asparagus.

Drop spears in hot oil

without crowding the pan.

You want to maintain the temperature of the oil,

so fry in batches.

 

Fry until golden brown - about 1-2 minutes.

Drain on paper towels.

This is simply deliciously decadent.

Mr. Hawthorne whipped up a quick dipping sauce

for the fried asparagus.

Dipping Sauce

1/4 cup mayonnaise

2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp Thai sweet chili sauce, or to taste

Mix well.

After you've fried all the asparagus,

start on the shrimp, again, in batches.

350°

Fry until golden brown,

about 1-2 minutes.

Drain on paper towels.

Serve the coconut fried shrimp

with my orange marmalade dipping sauce.

Orange Marmalade Dipping Sauce

1/4 cup orange marmalade

juice of 1 lime

1 TB soy sauce

1 TB rice vinegar

1 TB brown sugar

2 tsp coarse stone ground mustard

2 tsp horseradish

1 TB Thai chili sauce

1 tsp cayenne flakes

2 TB chopped red onion

1 TB chopped fresh cilantro

Mix all together.

Enjoy!