Sautéed Beer Batter Shrimp with Asian Dipping Sauce

Makes 4 to 6 Servings
Hands-On Time: 25 Minutes
Total Preparation Time: 25 Minutes

Ingredients
One 12 ounce bottle beer
1 c plus 1/3 c Wondra or unbleached all-purpose flour
1 t Dijon Mustard
Kosher Salt
Asian Dipping Sauce (see recipe below) or soy sauce
1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions
Preheat the oven to 300° F. Whisk together 1 cup beer, 1 cup flour, the mustard, and 1/4 teaspoon salt until just smooth. Strain the batter in to another bowl and let stand for 10 minutes. Reserve the extra beer.

Put 1/3 cup flour into a pie plate lined with wax paper or parchment. Check the batter; it should have the consistency of a thick pancake batter. If it seems too thick, whisk in up to 1/4 cup more beer.

Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large stick resistant or nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working with half the shrimp at a time, toss them in the flour, lifting the wax paper on both sides to move them around. Transfer the shrimp to a strainer and shake off the excess flour. Coat the shrimp with the batter, letting the excess drip off, and add them to the skillet. Cook them, turning once, for 1 to 2 minutes per side, or until they are golden. (Most of the batter will stay on the side you first put down in the skillet.)

Sprinkle the cooked shrimp with salt, transfer them to a baking sheet, and keep them warm in the oven while you cook the remaining shrimp in the remaining oil. Serve Asian Dipping Sauce or soy sauce for dipping.

Asian Dipping Sauce
Stir together ¼ cup unseasoned rice vinegar, 6 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 teaspoons sugar and 2 teaspoons sesame seeds.

Cook’s Notes
Another tasty dipping sauce for the shrimp is:
Homemade Tartar Sauce
Whisk together ¾ cup mayonnaise, ¼ cup finely chopped dill pickle, 1 trimmed and chopped medium scallion (about 2 tablespoons), 1 tablespoon drained capers, 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, and ¼ teaspoon hot sauce.

How many shrimp are in a pound? Now that is a question that does not have a short answer. Shrimp are marketed in many forms. You can get them in the shell, shelled except for the tail, fully shelled and ready to eat, to name a few. Although the price of shrimp on the wholesale market is set by the number of shrimp per pound, in retail the categories vary from market to market. A rule of thumb for shrimp is that you will get about 10 colossal, 11 to 15 jumbo, 16 to 20 extra large, 21 to 30 large, 31 to 35 medium, or 36 to 45 small raw shrimp in their shells per pound. If the shrimp are partially or fully shelled, you will get up to 20 percent more shrimp in the pound, but they will be more expensive.