CookEat Recipe
Fried Mantis Shrimp in Egg and Flour
Poached mantis shrimp meat cut into short pieces, coated in flour and salted egg, then fried in olive oil.
Method
Steps
Step 1
Gather the ingredients: 1 kg whole Mediterranean mantis shrimp (Squilla mantis), freshly prepared by a fishmonger; Water for poaching, about 1 litre in a snug pan; 80 g plain flour; 2 eggs; Salt; Olive oil for frying, about 400 ml in a small pan.
Step 2
Rinse the shells briefly under cold potable water if needed. Put the mantis shrimp into a snug saucepan with just enough water to cover them. Hold them gently beneath the surface with a clean heatproof food-safe plate, without sealing the pan. Bring to a gentle boil and cook for about 12–15 minutes, adjusting for size and checking that the thickest tail flesh reaches 74°C.
Step 3
Drain and cool only enough to handle. Using kitchen shears, remove the sharp shells, heads, gut and soft digestive tissues. Keep the clean firm tail meat and any firm orange roe attached to it. Cut each peeled tail crosswise into two pieces and pat dry.
Step 4
Beat the eggs with a little salt. Heat a shallow layer of olive oil to about 170–175°C. Dust the shrimp pieces in flour, shake off excess, dip into the salted beaten egg and place directly into the hot oil. Do not add a second flour or breadcrumb coating.
Step 5
Fry in small batches for about 1–2 minutes per side until the thin egg coating is golden and the centre reaches 74°C. Drain and serve immediately. These are four small portions; the shell-on weight gives much less peeled meat.
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