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Embracing my Mexican heritage and sharing all the wonderful flavors, colors and foods I grew up with. Join me on this journey as I also learn new foods and cooking techniques. Dedicated to my parents Ramiro and Blanca.

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Home » Mariscos~Seafood » Beer Battered Shrimp

Beer Battered Shrimp

June 23, 20222 Comments

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Beer battered shrimp! Can’t visit Baja? Bring a little bit of Baja to your kitchen with this recipe for beer battered shrimp tacos! I am no authority on Baja style food, that’s for sure. But, I do know what I like! In the past, I have struggled with getting the beer batter just right. After some trial and error and lots of testing, I am happy with this recipe.

shrimp taco close up

Trouble Shooting and Testing Recipes!

I have lost count on how many times I have prepared recipes using some form of batter for frying. Not always successful, this is why it’s called testing, lol! It sometimes feels like the story of Goldilocks. This porridge is too cold, this one is too hot! Oh, but this one is just right! That’s how it feels when you finally get the recipe just the way you like it. I’m a curious cook and constantly thinking of variations of recipes in my head. Always trying to improve upon techniques and cooking methods so the recipes flow and are not too intimidating.

beer battered shrimp up close on plate

The Biggest Hurdle Was Achieving A Crunchy Batter!

Two very important things I learned along the way were key! The first was not to over mix the batter. The more you mix, the more gluten is developing! You don’t want that! It will yield a gummy batter that will absorb more oil and not be crispy. The second thing was that the beer should be very cold when you prepare the batter. I would suggest having everything ready to go before you prepare your batter. The oil should be hot, shrimp should be seasoned and ready. The secret is to go from very cold to very hot to achieve the crunch! It’s a reaction!

https://animoto.com/play/eaRT1Cem7PqFLaTt034Utw
shrimp tacos plated

Red Argentine Shrimp!

I really enjoy preparing recipes with this shrimp! Even when it’s uncooked, it’s red! Looks cooked, but it’s not. Of course covering it with batter doesn’t allow you to see the beautiful red color once it’s cooked. I have another recipe I am currently working on that will be colorful and tasty as well! The red Argentine shrimp is readily available in most large markets. Regular shrimp will be fine too, of course.

uncooked Argentine Red Shrimp in a bowl

Is Frozen Shrimp Good For Your Recipes?

I get this type of question all of the time. I use frozen shrimp in all of my recipes. If I lived in a city that had fresh, fresh shrimp, I would opt for fresh not frozen. But that’s not the case. When I go to my local grocery store, I really have no idea how long the shrimp at the seafood counter has been sitting in there. If you can’t wait for the shrimp to defrost and need it in a hurry, then buy it at the seafood counter. I typically am not in a hurry or plan a day ahead and let it defrost in the refrigerator. I confess that fresh shrimp makes the best ceviche and aguachile, but I do use frozen shrimp as well. It’s really up to you and what you like.

seasoned, uncooked shrimp in bowl
spices going into bowl with flour

Get creative with your favorite spices!

beer batter in large bowl

If you are not in a hurry, you can cover and refrigerate the batter for a few hours until you are ready to use it.

fresh ingredients for cabbage slaw

I enjoy this quick and simple cabbage slaw for seafood tacos!

cabbage slaw all mixed
Crema in small bowl with spoon

I typically will use chipotles in adobo in the crema, but I had my Salsa Ranchera leftover and decided to use that! It was delicious!

crema up close with spoon
This would be delicious for potato salad too!
seasoned shrimp ready to go into the batter
shrimp frying in hot oil

Drop It Like It’s Hot! Lol!

I cannot stress enough that the oil has to be at the perfect temperature for frying or else that batter is going to absorb oil. That would not be good at all! Drop in a small spoonful of batter to test the oil’s temperature. It should sizzle loud and fast!

fried shrimp on metal rack
shrimp tacos plated

Taqueria Style Corn Tortillas!

I purposely use small 3 inch tortillas so I can enjoy 3 tacos instead of two! Lol! Even though it’s the same quantity if I were eating two larger tortillas. I am kind of crazy like that!

close up of shrimp taco plated
Beer battered shrimp tacos plated

Beer Battered Shrimp Tacos

Can't fly to Baja? Bring a little piece of Baja into your kitchen with these beer battered shrimp tacos!
5 from 2 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican
Prep Time: 35 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes
Total Time: 1 hour hour
Servings: 12 Small Tacos

Ingredients

Beer Battered Shrimp

  • 24 large shrimp cleaned, peeled, I leave the tails on for easy dipping into batter
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon chipotle or arbol powder powder
  • 2 tsps yellow mustard
  • 8 oz cold beer
  • 2-3 cups Oil for frying avocado or vegetable oil

Serrano Slaw

  • 4 cups cabbage thinly sliced
  • 1-2 serrano peppers finely minced or thinly sliced
  • 1/2 small red onion thinly sliced
  • 1/3 cup cilantro finely chopped
  • 3 large radishes sliced small
  • Juice of 1 large lime
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Crema

  • 3/4 c Mayonnaise
  • 3/4 c Mexican crema with salt
  • 1/4 c Smoky salsa or chipotles in adobo finely minced
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

Slaw

  • Mix all of the ingredients listed for the slaw before you prepare the batter. Cover and keep chilled

Crema

  • Mix ingredients. Taste the crema before adding salt. Cover and keep chilled until ready to serve.

Beer Battered Shrimp

  • Pat the clean shrimp dry with paper towels. Lightly season with salt and pepper. keep chilled,
  • In a small fryer or heavy pot, fill it 2/3 of the way with oil. Preheat to medium/high heat for 10 to 12 minutes. Oil temperature should be between 365 to 370 degrees.
  • When the oil is just about to reach the correct temperature, prepare the batter. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, pepper, and chile powder. Add the the egg and mustard. Gently whisk in 1 cup of extra cold beer first until there are no lumps. If it's too thick, slowly whisk in a little more beer. Very important that you only mix until there are no lumps. If you overmix or mix too hard, the batter, it may not get crunchy when fried.
  • Holding onto the tail of shrimp, dip into batter, Gently shake off excess batter. Drop shrimp into batter until evenly coated. Fry for 5-6 minutes or until golden brown. Turn as needed. Transfer the shrimp to the metal rack lined with baking sheet.
  • Serve shrimp on warmed corn tortillas that are topped with cabbage slaw and crema!

Notes

Remember extra cold beer and avoid overmixing batter for best results. If the batter is too thick, it may not get as crunchy and absorb oil. If the batter is too thin, it may not coat shrimp evenly. The reason the beer has to be cold is that you want a cold batter. When the cold batter hits that hot oil, that’s where it will create that crunch factor! We don’t want to overmix the batter because that will create more gluten and we don’t want that!
Tried this recipe?Mention @pinaenlacocina or tag #pinaenlacocina!

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Filed Under: Mariscos~Seafood, Shrimp, Tacos Tagged With: Beer Batter, Mariscos, Shrimp, Tacos

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jenine

    June 24, 2022 at 11:55 am

    Hi Sonia, I can’t wait to try this delicious looking recipe. I’m from Ensenada and nowhere in San Diego can I find a beer battered shrimp or fish taco that compares to the ones I get back home. I know it’s close, but I can’t get there as often as I’d like. I love getting your emails and reading about your family it always puts a smile on my face. Thank you for sharing with us 💕 God bless you and your family 🙏🏼

    Reply
    • Sonia

      June 24, 2022 at 12:08 pm

      Thank you Jenine! I appreciate you taking the time to respond to the recipes I post. I love the recipes, but I honestly don’t think they would truly be from the heart if they didn’t include the stories that inspired them.

      Reply

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Welcome!

Hi, my name is Sonia Mendez Garcia. My parents Ramiro and Blanca Mendez moved to the United States from Monterrey, Mexico in 1963. I am first generation Mexican American born in Los Angeles, California. Cooking has always been one of my passions in life. This is my journey and I can't wait to see what the future holds. Read More…

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