Fried Shrimp, Coleslaw & North Carolina Shrimp Burgers

13 Posted on July 13, 2011 - by Jules Shepard

Categories: All, Main Dishes, Recipes, Sides

Tags: , Allergen Friendly, Allergy Friendly, Dairy Free, Main Dish, North Carolina Seafood, Sandwich, Seafood Meal, Shrimp Recipes

Driving down to visit my family last week, I made a passing comment that the only food I truly missed since living gluten free, was a Shrimp Burger.

Although similar to a “Po-Boy,” a real NC Shrimp Burger is a tasty tradition made up of small crispy-fried shrimp, sweet coleslaw, tartar sauce and ketchup. Sounds odd, I realize, but this yummy concoction sandwiched in a super-soft bun — for me — is the embodiment of being at the beach. The local drive-ins serving them near my parents’ house haven’t changed in over 50 years – even some of the waitresses seem to be the same!

Although I grew up enjoying these local favorites every summer, I haven’t had a Shrimp Burger since 1999, and I’ll admit to periodic pangs of self-pity that I can no longer enjoy this poor-man’s delicacy.

So it was that I happened again to comment with a heavy sigh that I still longed for a Shrimp Burger. My sweetie responded that I should just make one myself, and thereby stop pouting about them. “I bet yours will be even better than the ones at the the drive-ins,” he challenged. That stopped me in my tracks. Why couldn’t I make my own? & why hadn’t I thought of that years ago???

Let me just tell you that after trying my hand at a gluten-free Shrimp Burger, my longing for the drive-in versions has totally waned. I can make this yummy sandwich anytime I want – I don’t have to wait for the beach or even wait for summer! And I can tailor it to my needs, making it gluten and dairy-free, not deep-fried, and of course, totally delicious. And now, so can you!

Enjoy a taste of summer anytime … on a bun or not, with or without the fixins!

Fried Shrimp

1 1/2 cups milk, dairy or non-dairy (Earth Balance Soy Milk or So Delicious Coconut Milk)
2 Tbs. lemon juice
2 cups Jules Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
1/8 cup gluten-free cornmeal
1/2 Tbs. black pepper
1 Tbs. sea salt
2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
Canola oil, for frying (or choose another high heat oil)

Pour just enough oil into electric skillet or frying pan and preheat oil to 375 F (medium-high heat).

Line a tray with parchment or paper towels and set aside.

Prepare 2 bowls: in one, combine the milk and lemon juice; in the other, whisk together the Jules Gluten Free All Purpose Flour, cornmeal, pepper and salt. Dredge in the flour mixture first, then the milk, then the flour mixture again.

Lay battered shrimp into hot oil and fry on each side for 2 – 4 minutes, or until light golden brown (the shrimp will appear pink if cut in two). After frying on each side, remove from oil and drain on the lined baking tray.

Coleslaw

1 lb. shredded green and red cabbage & carrots (optional)
½ cup mayonnaise, dairy or non-dairy (Earth Balance Mindful Mayo)
2 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
2 Tbs. milk, dairy or non-dairy (Earth Balance Soy Milk or So Delicious Coconut Milk)
1 ½ Tbs. sugar (to taste)
½ Tbs. celery seed

Stir all ingredients together in a large bowl, adding sugar to suit your taste. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Shrimp Burger

Take your favorite gluten-free hamburger buns and slather with tartar sauce and/or ketchup. Spoon a generous amount of slaw onto the bun and top with fried shrimp. Place the top bun over the shrimp to complete the sandwich and enjoy!

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 13th, 2011 at 9:00 am and is filed under All, Main Dishes, Recipes, Sides. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

17 Comments

We'd love to hear yours!

Toby said: on July 13, 2011

Mmmm… looks yummy and munchable I love munchable food: texture is so important to the eating experience.

Really clearly laid out directions too – well done! Great post!

Toby (@tobysartbazaar)
My Little Shop ‘The Language Emporium’: http://bit.ly/langemp
Reply
- Jules said: on July 13, 2011
  
  Thanks Toby!! Hope you can try the recipes sometime soon! Happy summer!
  Reply
Shirley @ gfe said: on July 14, 2011

Shrimpburgers totally rule! I haven’t had one in years either (not since going gf). Can’t wait to surprise Mr. GFE with this recipe soon and enjoy it myself–thanks, dear!

xo,
Shirley
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- Jules said: on July 14, 2011
  
  You bet, Shirley! It’s a winner, all around! We even ate the leftover shrimp cold the next day, and it still rocked! I’m so thrilled to have this recipe back in my summer recipe arsenal!
  Reply
Alli said: on July 14, 2011

Hi Jules! Just want to say I just got your newest cookbook “Free for All” and it looks fabulous!

I have 2 book questions that I hoped you could help me with.

a) In addition to recently being diagnosed with Celiac disease, I am also allergic to corn and rice which is why I unfortunately cannot use your
pre-made mix. For convenience sake and for $$$ savings sake, I have purchased a bag of Bob’s Red Mill All Purpose GF Flour to use for my attempts at GF baking.

Will this work ok in your recipes as a successful ingredient swap out, both in taste and texture and cooking times?

And can you please tell me how can I know how much Xanthan gum to use for your “Free for All” recipes if I swap out Bob’s flour for your flour mix…? Do I use the ratio of mixing in 1 tsp gum per 8 oz of flour, and just sift 4 tsp of Xanthan gum into the 2 lb bag of Bob’s GF Flour and store untill ready to use? Or do you have another suggestion…?

It’s incredibly confusing because so many GF bakers ( including the Bob’s Red Mill Company) insist that each particular type of GF recipe – cookie, bread, muffin, brownie, cupcake, cracker, etc., etc… needs a different ratio of Xanthan gum to flour to properly set the recipe and have a good texture.

I haven’t heard of the general All purpose 1c. flour to 1 tsp xanthan gum idea till now and I just want to make sure I do things right and stuff tastes good! These ingredients are soooo expensive to waste and so tricky to use.

b) Question 2 is do I need a Kitchen Aid or strong standing mixer to make things work well, or can GF baked goods, including breads, be done successfully by hand?

Thanks so much!

Alli
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- Sybil Nassau said: on July 16, 2011
  
  Yes, you do need a stand mixer especially for making bread and if you plan to do a lot of baking. Invest in a KitchenAid and you will never be sorry- it will last forever, best investment you can make! hey- Jules, thanks for posting some great-sounding summer recipes!Hand mixers just don’t do the job. As for the all purpose flours, there are some on the market that don’t contain rice flour; too bad you can’t use Jules as it has the best texture of all. I believe Bob’s RM also contains rice flour and xanthan gum- I threw the bag away and can’t be positive, but Gluten Free Pantry AllPurpose flour is lovely as well as several others — you will have to look at every bad in the store> Try King Arthur’s new gf baking mix, Pamela’s, Namaste, And Ancient Grains, or even the new almond flour ones– you can add your own guar gum as well. Good Luck!
  Reply
- Jules said: on July 16, 2011
  
  Hi Alli, so glad you’re loving my new book!!!
  To answer your questions about using an alternative flour, I would suggest making your own with the substitutions I give you in Free for All Cooking (page 8). Since you have a corn allergy, unless you are certain that the xanthan gum you are using is not corn-based, I would use guar gum instead (this substitution is suggested in the book too). I don’t know if using Bob’s Red Mill AP flour would work in my recipes, to be honest, because I don’t experiment with it due to its bean flour base – it’s a taste and texture I’m generally not fond of.
  As for the need for a stand mixer, I’d agree with Sybil that it is ideal. Lots of folks ask me if they should purchase a stand mixer or a bread maker and I always go with the stand mixer since it’s so versatile and you can use it for all your recipes. When you make breads, it is very difficult, if not impossible with some recipes, to use a hand mixer. At that point, I prefer a wooden spoon and a bowl – you can see a video of how to do that here. I have made nearly every recipe by hand, including pizza, bread, brownies, cookies, etc., and I can tell you that if you are strong (or looking for a workout!), it can be done. However, cookie doughs in particular, benefit from being creamed (sugar with fats) — a process that is much easier and more successfully done with a mixer (although you can usually use a hand mixer for this).
  So, the short answer I suppose is that you should invest in a stand mixer if you can, but don’t feel like you cannot make good food without one. Strong arms and a hand mixer for cookie doughs, will work just fine!
  Reply
Frances D’amato said: on July 16, 2011

I use to make these shrimp burgers
sometimes with other fish. I also use
chopped tomatoes,garlic and herbs.
Happy holidays to you.
Thanks.
Reply
- Jules said: on July 16, 2011
  
  Frances – that sounds lovely! Thanks for the ideas on varying with fish!
  Reply
Alli said: on July 17, 2011

Jules,
Thanks for the tips about using the stand mixer and for the corn free xanthan gum heads-up. Someone I know told me there is a company that makes corn free xanthan gum, I plan to look them up.

But, back to the Bob’s Red Mill GF/AP Flour question…

….If I did want to try experimenting with your recipes using the Bob’s bag I how do you suggest I get the xanthan gum in there? Should I add 1 tsp of gum per 8oz of flour – for a grand total of 4 tsp. of xanthan gum per 2 lbs of flour?

And then do I sift it all together and store in the freezer till ready to use, or will xanthan gum die in the freezer ?

Thank you!! Alli
Reply
Alli said: on July 17, 2011

Sybil,
Thanks for your tips as well. Unfortunately I haven’t found any other flour mix on the market that meets my allergy needs. I may not even be able to eat this corn and rice free Bob’s Red Mill GF flour as it contains Sorghum and I’ve never tried Sorghum before. It is possible I may get very ill from it.

Bob’s GF-AP flour does not contain rice, but as Sorghum is a grass grain like corn and rice, my allergist said it may not be suitable for people with severe rice allergies like me…

Hoping he’s wrong, fingers crossed.

In regards to other companies….Nearly 100% of other pre-made GF flour mixes I’ve seen seen on the market contain rice or corn. If they don’t, they have dairy (or soy or millet) which I’m allergic to as well.

Celiac + allergies = hard stuff. But I’m not quitting yet.

Thank you! Alli
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“Sabra” Jane Hammond said: on July 30, 2012

Jules: I know you generally cook dairy-free. If I use cow or goat milk in this recipe, won’t it curdle when I add the lemon juice?
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- Jules said: on July 30, 2012
  
  The lemon juice will actually work with the milk (dairy or non-dairy) to make buttermilk – yummy! (great question, though!)
  Reply
Tawny said: on November 12, 2012

Is this the Big Oak in Winston-Salem?
If so, I grew up 8 or 9 houses from it. Used to go there all the time.
Now you and I both eat healthier than this.
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- Jules said: on November 13, 2012
  
  Tawny, you’re kidding?! There’s a Big Oak in Winston? This one is on the Bogue Banks in Salter Path – I didn’t know there was another! But yes, you and I both eat much healthier than this, now!
  Reply
Tawny said: on March 25, 2013

Sorry, I hadn’t been back to this site till now. Yes, there is one in Winston-Salem on Hwy. 66.
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