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Home » Recipe Index » Southern

Southern-Fried Shrimp with Homemade Cocktail Sauce

Published: Sep 23, 2018 · Modified: Apr 25, 2025 by Kris Longwell · This post may contain affiliate links

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Southern-Fried Shrimp is irresistibly crunchy on the outside, providing a satisfying texture that perfectly contrasts with the tender, juicy shrimp within. This delicious dish is best enjoyed with a homemade tartar sauce or easy cocktail sauce, enhancing the flavors and adding a zesty kick to every bite.

A basket lined with red and white checkered wax paper and filled with Southern-fried shrimp along with a lemon wedge and small bowl of cocktail sauce.
Jump to:
  • 🍤 The Ingredients
  • 🍶 Variations and Substituions
  • 👩🏼‍🍳 How To Make Southern-Fried Shrimp
  • 🍽️ How To Serve
  • 🙋🏽‍♂️ Frequently Asked Questions
  • 🔥 Other Fried Fish Recipes
  • Southern-Fried Shrimp with Homemade Cocktail Sauce

🍤 The Ingredients

The ingredients for Southern-fried shrimp may be simple and familiar, but together they create an unforgettable taste sensation that is both comforting and delicious. Find ingredient notes (including substitutions and variations) below.

The ingredients for Southern-fried shrimp arranged on a white background, including raw shrimp, flour, buttermilk, seasonings, and vegetable oil, all neatly organized for easy preparation.

🍶 Variations and Substituions

  • Protein – We recommend extra-large shrimp that have been deveined. You’ll need to remove the shells and the tails. This recipe is also excellent for fried oysters or chicken tenders.
  • Cream – We find that buttermilk creates a thick, crunchy breading. However, heavy cream, whole milk, or half and half can be substituted. For a texture similar to traditional fish and chips, you can use beer in place of the cream.
  • Flavor enhancers – Cayenne pepper and whole grain mustard add a depth of flavor that is traditional. Increase the cayenne for extra heat. Regular yellow mustard or Dijon mustard can be substituted for the whole grain.
  • Garnishes – Freshly squeezed lemon will brighten the taste of the fried shrimp, but it is optional. For a pop of color, sprinkle chopped parsley or snipped chives on the shrimp just before serving.

See the recipe card (with video) below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

Expert Tip

You don’t need to soak the shrimp in the buttermilk for long. Just for about as long as it brings the oil to temperature. If you marinate them too long, they could begin to break down and be mushy.

👩🏼‍🍳 How To Make Southern-Fried Shrimp

A glass bowl filled with uncooked cleaned shrimp that have been seasoned with salt and pepper.
  1. Step 1: Place the shrimp in a bowl and toss them with salt and pepper.
A person pouring buttermilk from a glass measuring cup into a bowl filled with seasoned uncooked shrimp.
  1. Step 2: Pour the buttermilk over the shrimp and toss to coat.
Uncooked shrimp that has been soaked in buttermilk being tossed in a platter filled with seasoned flour.
  1. Step 3: Let excess buttermilk drip from the shrimp and then toss in the seasoned flour.
A person frying Southern shrimp in hot oil in a cast-iron skillet using a pair of metal tongs to turn the shrimp.
  1. Step 4: Fry in hot oil until golden.
Three crispy Southern-fried shrimp sitting in a metal spider above a cast-iron skillet filled with hot oi.
  1. Step 5: Carefully remove from the oil when crispy and drain on paper towels.
A person plunging a Southern-fried shrimp into a small bowl of homemade cocktail sauce.
  1. Step 6: Serve at once with homemade cocktail sauce!

🍽️ How To Serve

  • We love to serve them how they do in fried fish shacks all around the country: In plastic food baskets lined with checkered wax paper!
  • These make a wonderful appetizer before the main course, or as an appetizer at a party or gathering of friends.
  • To make it a spectacular meal, serve with homemade French fries and plenty of homemade cocktail sauce and tartar sauce.

Expert Tip

Fry the shrimp until they are a deep golden color. They only take about 4 minutes. Be sure not to overcrowd the pan and allow the oil to get back to frying temperature (350°F) before frying the next batch.

🙋🏽‍♂️ Frequently Asked Questions

Can Southern-Fried Shrimp be made in advance?

We don’t recommend frying the shrimp in advance because they will lose their crunchy exterior after about 30 to 45 minutes. You can batter them several hours before frying (refrigerated). Remember, they only take a few minutes to fry up perfectly.

What size of shrimp for Southern-Fried Shrimp?

The bigger the better. Go with extra-large, or even colossal. You can use smaller shrimp, but don’t make them overly coated with the batter, because you don’t want the batter to overpower the shrimp.

Is Southern-fried shrimp fishy tasting?

No. Be sure to look for clean, fresh fish, preferably not frozen, if possible. Frozen is fine (and common), just go with a quality brand from Wild Fork or Waterfront.

Person using his fingers to raise a Southern-fried shrimp out of a small vessel filled with homemade cocktail sauce.

🔥 Other Fried Fish Recipes

  • A fried fish sandwich sitting on a black plate next a lemon wedge and potato chips with a glass of beer and another plate of a fish sandwich in the background.
    Best Fried Fish Sandwich
  • A pile of fried calamari sitting next to a small white bowl filled with marinara sauce.
    Fried Calamari
  • A turned-over bucket with fried oysters and clams paling out of the pale.
    Fried Oysters and Littleneck Clams
  • A straight-on view of two New England-style crab cakes that are on a black dinner plate both with a strip of tartar sauce on them and sitting next to lemon wedges.
    New England-Style Crab Cakes

Ready to make the best fried shrimp this side of New Orleans? Go for it!

And when you do, be sure to take a photo of it, post it on Instagram, and tag @HowToFeedaLoon and hashtag #HowToFeedaLoon!

A plastic basket lined with a red and white checkered wax paper and filled with Southern-fried shrimp, a couple of lemon wedges, and a small vessel of homemade cocktail sauce.

Southern-Fried Shrimp with Homemade Cocktail Sauce

Southern-Fried Shrimp with Homemade Cocktail Sauce is about as delicious as they come. We love using large (or even extra-large) shrimp here. The buttermilk and whole-grain mustard batter make them extra crunchy and SO amazingly delicious!
4.93 from 13 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Seafood
Cuisine: Seafood
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 8 minutes minutes
Marinating time: 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 38 minutes minutes
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 458kcal
Author: Kris Longwell

Video

Equipment

  • Sturdy skillet for frying
  • Metal spider or slotted spoon

Ingredients

  • 1 lb shrimp large, or extra-large, peeled and deveined
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1½ cup buttermilk well-shaken
  • 2 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
  • 1½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • Oil (for frying) I typically use vegetable, for frying
  • Homemade cocktail sauce for serving
  • Lemon wedges for serving

Instructions

  • Place the shrimp in a medium bowl and season with salt and pepper (about ½ teaspoon each). Toss to coat.
    1 lb shrimp, Salt and pepper
  • Mix the buttermilk and mustard in a bowl (or large measuring cup), and then pour over the seasoned shrimp and stir to combine.
    1½ cup buttermilk, 2 tablespoon whole-grain mustard
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour with 1½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and the cayenne.
    1½ cups all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • Heat the oil in a heavy-duty skillet (about 3 – 4 inches deep, or your deep-fryer to 350°F) – if you don't have a thermometer, test by tossing a pinch of flour into the hot oil…if it sinks and doesn't sizzle, it's not ready. If it browns too quickly, it's too hot. You can also try a small piece of bread, using the same guide).
    Oil (for frying)
  • Working in batches, use a slotted spoon (or your fingers) to remove the shrimp from the buttermilk and transfer them to the seasoned flour. Toss to evenly coat.
  • Carefully slip the battered shrimp into the hot oil and fry until golden brown and crisp, about 4 minutes; drain on paper towels. Do this in batches. Don't overcrowd the pan and let the oil get back to 350°F before frying the next batch.
  • Serve at once with cocktail sauce and lemon wedeges.
    Homemade cocktail sauce, Lemon wedges

Notes

NOTE: Watch the video near the top of the recipe for visual guidance.
Don’t let the shrimp marinate in the buttermilk mustard for more than 1 hour. 
These are best served piping hot, but are still delicious after they’ve cooled down.  They can be reheated in a low-temp oven (275°F) until heated through and somewhat crispy (they will lose the crispiness after a few hours). 
Leftovers can be kept in an air-tight container in the fridge for a couple of days. 

Nutrition

Calories: 458kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 258mg | Potassium: 111mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 316IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this recipe? Take a Picture!Mention @HowToFeedALoon or tag #HowToFeedALoon!

POST UPDATE: This post was originally published in February 2015, but was updated with improved tweaks to the recipe with new tips and photography and a fabulous new video in October, 2024!

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Comments

  1. Sue says

    October 27, 2024 at 3:50 pm

    I’m getting ready to try this recipe tomorrow but I was puzzled by the recipe. It says it makes 6 servings and uses 1 dozen shrimp. That’s only 2 shrimp per person. So I watched the video. I think the recipe should be 1 pound of shrimp like you use in the video.

    Reply
    • Kris Longwell says

      October 29, 2024 at 1:57 pm

      Hi Sue! Sorry for the delayed reply! You are correct! It should be 1 lb of shrimp! We hope you had success with the recipe! Please let us know! and thank you for the heads up! We appreciate that so very much! Best, Kris & Wesley

      Reply
      • Sue says

        October 30, 2024 at 7:25 pm

        5 stars
        The shrimp were very flavorful. Just enough crispy batter so you could taste the shrimp. I will definitely make this recipe again. And I did use 1 lb of shrimp. Hope your correction helps others.

      • Kris Longwell says

        November 02, 2024 at 5:28 pm

        Fantastic! Thank you so so much for letting us know!!! Have a GREAT weekend!

  2. Gina says

    October 06, 2024 at 9:46 pm

    Can I air fry?

    Reply
    • Kris Longwell says

      October 07, 2024 at 4:41 pm

      Hi Gina, we’ve not tried to air fry these, but my hunch is they wouldn’t do great in an air fryer. The batter (though dredged in flour) is still quite wet, and we’ve never had success with any type of wet(ish) batter in our air fryer! You could bake them and they should crisp up! Hope this helps! Let us know if you make the shrimp and how they turn out! Best, Kris & Wesley

      Reply
  3. Lisa says

    October 05, 2023 at 6:43 pm

    5 stars
    Incredibly good. We made a shrimp hoogie with this recipe using their homemade garlic rosemary aoli!

    Reply
    • Kris Longwell says

      October 07, 2023 at 10:56 am

      Hi Lisa! YUM!!!! Shrimp hoagie with the garlic rosemary aioli sounds heavenly! Thank you so so much for sharing and for the wonderful review. That means so much to us! Please stay in touch! Best, Kris & Wesley

      Reply
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