Chicken-fried tenderloin steak was a top seller at Rebecca’s Table, but I have my bartender to thank for the idea that led to this variation. One night, a couple sat down to eat dinner at the bar, and the husband ordered chicken-fried steak. His wife liked the idea, just not the red meat part of it. So the bartender says, “Why don’t we do some shrimp for you?” She was thrilled. Served with chipotle ketchup, adapted from a recipe by Texas chef and author Terry Thompson-Anderson, chicken-fried shrimp became a best-selling appetizer. It’s also a natural for informal entertaining. Once guests arrive, fire up the skillet, and enlist a helper to dip the buttermilk-soaked shrimp in the seasoned flour mixture. Other guests would be well advised to stay nearby. Chicken-fried anything is best fresh from the frying pan. Set the shrimp on a communal platter accompanied with a big bowl of chipotle ketchup and let guests serve themselves. I guarantee the shrimp won’t last long.

　　

Ingredients

serves 8 as an appetizer

　　3 large eggs, lightly beaten

　　2 cups buttermilk, or enough to cover the shrimp

　　2 teaspoons kosher salt

　　1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

　　1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

　　24 extra-large (16/20 count) shrimp (about

　　1 1/4 pounds), peeled and deveined

　　2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

　　1 teaspoon Cajun seasoning (such as Paul Prudhomme’s Seafood Magic)

　　1/4 cup canola oil, or more as needed, for frying

　　Chipotle Ketchup (page 254), for accompaniment

　　

Step 1

Combine the eggs, buttermilk, 1 teaspoon of the salt, cayenne, and 1/2 teaspoon of the black pepper in a large bowl. Add the shrimp and stir so it is completely submerged (add more buttermilk, if needed). Marinate the shrimp at room temperature for at least 15 minutes.

　　

Step 2

Combine the flour, Cajun seasoning, the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt, and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper in a large bowl.

　　

Step 3

Have a baking pan or sheet of parchment paper ready near the stove top. Dip the shrimp, 1 at a time, in the flour mixture, coating evenly. Set the floured shrimp in the pan. Pour 1/4 cup of the oil into a large skillet set over medium-high heat.

　　

Step 4

Once all the shrimp have been coated and the oil is shimmering with heat, add as many shrimp to the pan as will fit in a single layer without crowding. Cook the shrimp until golden brown and crisp, 1 to 2 minutes per side (flip with tongs). Serve immediately with ketchup. Continue until all the shrimp is cooked, adding more oil to the skillet if necessary.

　　

do it early

Step 5

The shrimp can sit in the buttermilk mixture, covered and refrigerated, for up to 4 hours before cooking. The seasoned flour mixture can be prepared in advance and held at room temperature. Prepare the ketchup ahead, up to 2 weeks, and store in a covered container.

　　Pastry Queen Parties by Rebecca Rather and Alison Oresman. Copyright © 2009 Rebecca Rather and Alison Oresman. Published by Ten Speed Press. All Rights Reserved.A pastry chef, restaurateur, and cookbook author, native Texan Rebecca Rather has been proprietor of the Rather Sweet Bakery and Café since 1999. Open for breakfast and lunch daily, Rather Sweet has a fiercely loyal cadre of regulars who populate the café’s sunlit tables each day. In 2007, Rebecca opened her eponymous restaurant, serving dinner nightly, just a few blocks from the café.  Rebecca is the author of THE PASTRY QUEEN, and has been featured in Texas Monthly, Gourmet, Ladies Home Journal, Food & Wine, Southern Living, Chocolatier, Saveur, and O, The Oprah Magazine. When she isn’t in the bakery or on horseback, Rebecca enjoys the sweet life in Fredericksburg, where she tends to her beloved backyard garden and menagerie, and eagerly awaits visits from her college-age daughter, Frances.Alison Oresman has worked as a journalist for more than twenty years. She has written and edited for newspapers in Wyoming, Florida, and Washington State. As an entertainment editor for the Miami Herald, she oversaw the paper’s restaurant coverage and wrote a weekly column as a restaurant critic. After settling in Washington State, she also covered restaurants in the greater Seattle area as a critic with a weekly column. A dedicated home baker, Alison is often in the kitchen when she isn't writing. Alison lives in Bellevue, Washington, with her husband, Warren, and their children, Danny and Callie.