Several of our favorite cookbooks are from restaurants we like. I just ordered Matt Martinez's "MexTex." Antoine's, Galatoire's, Prudhomme's, Bocuse's, Henry Chung's "Hunan Cookbook," Smith and Wollensky's, are a few we already have. (Chung had a fried chicken place in Houston for many years before opening the first Hunan restaurant in this country in San Francisco in the early '70's.)
One of the best though, even for only one dish, is "Legal Sea Foods Cookbook" from the upscale, East Coast chain by that name that started in Boston. Their fried shrimp, both in the restaurants and from the book, is as good as I have ever had.
For the coating, one cup each white cornmeal (finely ground, maybe even corn flour) and regular flour. One half teaspoon each of dry mustard and salt.
Dip the peeled shrimp in some buttermilk, then in this coating, then shake off the excess. Cook a few at a time in a deep fat fryer of some sort with canola oil at 365 degrees (get a thermometer). Depending on the size of the shrimp, cook for 45 seconds to a minute and a half. Drain and sprinkle on a little salt.
Eat as soon as possible. We normally don't even sit down or leave the kitchen. Have some lemons around and Tartar sauce.
Believe it or not, the following is a serious simplification of their Tartar. A cup of mayo, 2 Tablespoons minced sweet onion, 2T dill relish, 2T sweet relish, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1t lemon juice, 1t Dijon country style mustard, and 1/4 t dry mustard. Maybe a dash or two of Tabasco. Their recipe includes a little white vinegar, green pepper, celery, sweet pepper relish and sweet red pepper relish, etc.
This is good basic stuff. I was raised on really simple Tartar-- Miracle Whip, chopped onion (not finely chopped) and chunky chopped dill pickle. This is much, much better. The shrimp is just great this way, not at all greasy. These Legal Sea Food people are real serious, they do a lot of experimenting. The book even has a method to nuke lobsters.
One of the best though, even for only one dish, is "Legal Sea Foods Cookbook" from the upscale, East Coast chain by that name that started in Boston. Their fried shrimp, both in the restaurants and from the book, is as good as I have ever had.
For the coating, one cup each white cornmeal (finely ground, maybe even corn flour) and regular flour. One half teaspoon each of dry mustard and salt.
Dip the peeled shrimp in some buttermilk, then in this coating, then shake off the excess. Cook a few at a time in a deep fat fryer of some sort with canola oil at 365 degrees (get a thermometer). Depending on the size of the shrimp, cook for 45 seconds to a minute and a half. Drain and sprinkle on a little salt.
Eat as soon as possible. We normally don't even sit down or leave the kitchen. Have some lemons around and Tartar sauce.
Believe it or not, the following is a serious simplification of their Tartar. A cup of mayo, 2 Tablespoons minced sweet onion, 2T dill relish, 2T sweet relish, 1 teaspoon minced garlic, 1t lemon juice, 1t Dijon country style mustard, and 1/4 t dry mustard. Maybe a dash or two of Tabasco. Their recipe includes a little white vinegar, green pepper, celery, sweet pepper relish and sweet red pepper relish, etc.
This is good basic stuff. I was raised on really simple Tartar-- Miracle Whip, chopped onion (not finely chopped) and chunky chopped dill pickle. This is much, much better. The shrimp is just great this way, not at all greasy. These Legal Sea Food people are real serious, they do a lot of experimenting. The book even has a method to nuke lobsters.
