Batter Up: How to Make the Crispiest Shrimp Yet

Fresh-from-the-sea shrimp and ice-cold beer are a match made in heaven, if you ask us. Want to take that relationship to the next level? Take the next step by reserving just four ounces of your favorite brew to fold into a light and airy batter à la Beard Award winner Virginia Willis. Winner of our 2016 Book Award for Focus on Health, Willis dips a pound of large shrimp in the batter, dredges them in a layer of rice flour, and gives them a final coating of cilantro-laced panko crumbs. Quickly pan-fried instead of deep-fried, the shrimp end up crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside—and a little healthier, to boot. Served with spicy homemade ketchup, this recipe will have you thinking your beer/shrimp relationship is anything but a fling. Make it tonight.

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Hilary Deutsch is editorial assistant at the James Beard Foundation. Find her on Instagram and Twitter.