Oh, how I do love perfectly battered, perfectly fried shrimp. As soon as I took my first bite of this copycat Outback Steakhouse Bloomin’ Fried Shrimp I knew I should’ve made more. And I should’ve doubled the sauce recipe, too. The shrimp are seasoned just right. They’re tender. The batter stays on and that’s a major plus. The dipping sauce is different. Kind of cocktail sauce-like, but mayonnaise-based. It’s quite good and would be great with fried fish or even on a fish sandwich. These are great shrimp.
The Perfect Combination
The key to making these copycat Outback Steakhouse Bloomin’ fried shrimp is to not over-cook them. For me, that means about 90 seconds. I use 16-20 count (large) shrimp. If you’re new to frying shrimp, I recommend starting with just one little ole shrimp. Fry it, and keep an eye on the time. When you think it’s done pull it out and try it (after cooling of course). If it’s too done, knock 15 seconds off the cook time and try another test shrimp. Not done enough? Add 15 seconds and try again.
If I’m cooking for a crowd, I’ll break out my big deep fryer. But, if it’s just the two of us, I’ll fire up my Fry Daddy fryer. It’s the perfect size for both of us. It fries everything perfectly. And as an added bonus, it doesn’t use a lot of oil, which saves me money.
The Presto Fry Daddy is perfect for making smaller batches of food. It only uses a few cups of oil and comes to temperature quickly. Clean-up is easy too!
Copycat Outback Steakhouse Bloomin’ Fried Shrimp
Ingredients
For the Bloomin' Sauce
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- 2 teaspoons ketchup
- 2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 pinch ground black pepper
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper
For the shrimp
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ½ cup water
- 1 pound shrimp medium or large, peeled, deveined
- vegetable oil for frying
Instructions
For the Bloomin' Sauce
- Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl.
- Refrigerate until ready to use.
For the shrimp
- Heat 3" of oil to 350 F in a deep fryer or Dutch oven.
- In a pie plate or shallow bowl, combine the flour, paprika, garlic powder, salt, pepper and cayenne.
- In another pie plate or shallow bowl, stir together the buttermilk and water.
- Place a wire rack over a cookie sheet.
- Coat the shrimp in the flour mixture and shake off any excess.
- Roll the shrimp in the buttermilk and shake off any excess.
- Return the shrimp to the flour mixture and coat again. Shake off any excess and transfer to the wire rack.
- Working in batches if needed, fry the shrimp for 1-2 minutes (I prefer 1 minute and 30 seconds), turning once, until golden brown. Remove the another wire rack or a paper towel-lined plate.
- Serve with the Bloomin' sauce for dipping.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are approximate.
