Fried butterfly shrimp make a beautiful presentation, and this pan fried butterfly shrimp recipe tastes just as scrumptious as it looks. Seasoned flour, panko and regular breadcrumbs come together to give this breaded butterfly shrimp a crispy coating that’s begging to be dipped in cocktail or tarter sauce. Turn jumbo shrimp into an Instagram-worthy appetizer or main dish in under 30 minutes.
This pan fried butterfly shrimp recipe can be cooked in a skillet in about 15 minutes. The shrimp cook quickly because they are thin, so you just need enough time to brown the breading. The result is tender, succulent, golden, breaded butterfly shrimp with a great crunch. The coating is simple and won’t overwhelm the sweet flavor of the shrimp.
If you love crunchy shrimp, try my Air Fryer Coconut Shrimp or Air Fryer Popcorn Shrimp.
Why You’ll Love This Fried Butterfly Shrimp
- It’s so crunchy. The combination of panko and regular breadcrumbs makes this shrimp crunchy.
- It’s quick. While it takes a few moments to butter the shrimp, they cook quickly and evenly.
- It’s delicious. Whether you are serving these shrimp as an appetizer or a main dish, they are tasty and succulent; everyone will love them.
Butterfly Shrimp Recipe Ingredients
- Shrimp: look for large or jumbo raw shrimp that has been peeled and deveined but has the tails ON. Shrimp can be fresh or frozen.
- Flour: dredge with all-purpose flour
- Eggs: lightly beat two room temperature eggs
- Seasonings: combine red chili powder or paprika, salt and black pepper
- Breading: a combination of panko breadcrumbs and regular breadcrumbs create a crunchy coating
- Oil: use your preferred oil for frying
- Chopped Parsley: to garnish
- Lemon Wedges: to serve
How To Make Butterfly Shrimp Recipe
- Butterfly the shrimp. Pat dry the shrimp with a kitchen towel and use a sharp knife to slice the shrimp along the back but leaving the tail end. Flatten the shrimp like a butterfly and set it aside.
- Prepare the breading station. Place the flour in the first bowl; in the second bowl, whisk the eggs, red chili powder, salt, and pepper; in the third bowl, combine panko and regular bread crumbs. Set it aside.
- Bread the shrimp. First, hold the shrimp tail, coat them in the flour, dip the shrimp in the egg mixture, dredge the shrimp in the breadcrumbs mixture, and gently press it until evenly coated. Repeat the same with the remaining shrimps.
- Fry the shrimp. Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan and fry the shrimp until crispy and golden in batches.
- Garnish and serve. Garnish the butterfly shrimp with parsley and serve it with tartar sauce and lemon wedges on the sides.
Tips To Make Breaded Butterfly Shrimp
- Select larger shrimp as they are easier to butterfly.
- Rinse the shrimp and pat dry with paper towels.
- You can use fresh or frozen shrimp; just be sure to defrost the shrimp before cooking.
- When butterflying the shrimp, be careful not to cut all the way through the shrimp.
- Don’t overcook the shrimp. Cook until just opaque.
- Allow the shrimp to rest on a baking rack or paper towels before serving to maintain a crispy crust.
Frequently Asked Questions
Clean and peel the shrimp, leaving the tails intact. Use a sharp knife to slice through the back of the shrimp along the vein. Be careful to cut only some of the way through. Gently press the shrimp to flatten and butterfly it before dredging in the breading.
Shrimp freezes well, so keeping a bag or two in the freezer is easy. Frozen shrimp should be defrosted before cooking. Defrost overnight in the fridge or in a bowl of cold water for about 20 minutes.
Yes, it is easy to make adjustments to make this recipe gluten free. Replace the all purpose flour with gluten free flour or cornstarch and use gluten free bread crumbs.
Shrimp will keep for up to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat in the air fryer or a baking sheet in a 300 degrees F oven until warm and crispy.
Cooked shrimp can be frozen for up to 3 months, but the coating will become mushy. Therefore, freezing fried shrimp is not recommended. You can coat the shrimp and flash-freeze them before cooking. When ready to eat, toss them in hot oil while frozen, adding about a minute to the cooking time.
Serve butterfly shrimp with your favorite dipping sauce like cocktail sauce or tarter suace. Make it a complete meal by adding Crispy Air Fryer French Fries, Easy Mashed Sweet Potatoes or Spicy Baked Zucchini Fries.
More Shrimp Recipes
- Thai Coconut Shrimp Curry
- Grilled Garlic Shrimp Skewers
- Shrimp Orzo Salad
- Shrimp Sushi Stack
- Chili Lime Shrimp
- Grilled Garlic Shrimp Kabobs
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Butterfly Shrimp
Ingredients
- 20 large/jumbo raw shrimp peeled, deveined, and tails ON
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder or paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 1 cup regular breadcrumbs
- Oil for frying
- Chopped parsley to garnish
- Lemon wedges to serve
Instructions
- Pat dry the shrimp with a kitchen towel and use a sharp knife to slice the shrimp along the back but leaving the tail end. Flatten the shrimp like a butterfly and set it aside.
- Prepare the breading station: In the first bowl, place the flour; in the second bowl, whisk the eggs, red chili powder, salt, and pepper; in the third bowl, combine panko and regular bread crumbs. Set it aside.
- First, hold the shrimp tail, coat them in the flour, dip the shrimp in the egg mixture, dredge the shrimp in the breadcrumbs mixture, and gently press it until evenly coated. Repeat the same with the remaining shrimps.
- Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan and fry the shrimp until crispy and golden in batches.
- Garnish the butterfly shrimp with parsley and serve it with tartar sauce and lemon wedges on the sides.
Notes
- Select larger shrimp as they are easier to butterfly.
- Rinse the shrimp and pat dry with paper towels.
- You can use fresh or frozen shrimp; just be sure to defrost the shrimp before cooking.
- Adjust the seasonings as desired.
- When butterflying the shrimp, be careful not to cut all the way through the shrimp.
- Don’t overcook the shrimp. Cook until just opaque.
- Allow the shrimp to rest on a baking rack or paper towels before serving to maintain a crispy crust.
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