Fried Shrimp with nano cucumber salad
This month, Pure Flavor sent over Uno Bites™ Nano Cucumbers. I was so excited about these cucumbers, mainly because I thought of my kids! They both love cucumbers already, but you can’t really pack a cucumber around when you’re on the run.
These little Uno Bites™ Nano Cucumbers are perfect for that. Finding healthy, convenient snacks is hard, am I right?! You can easily pack these into a bag and take them with you.
They are so little, but they pack a punch of flavor. They are crisp, crunchy and one hydrating little cucumber!
Let me share some ways my family has enjoyed these.
Hummus snack board. This was definitely a favorite. I made a hummus spread that my kids enjoyed, and added this to the dippers.
A kid friendly charcuterie board. Don’t forget the Cloud 9® Bite-Sized Fruity Tomatoes from the last Pure Flavor® post. I made a spread with the tomatoes, cucumbers, ranch dip, celery and carrots along with sliced deli meats.
Now, I have enjoyed them like this as well, but I wanted to make something the entire family could enjoy and incorporate it into a meal.
This is where my Fried Shrimp and Cucumber Salad comes in. I take The Uno Bites™ Nano Cucumbers and slice them thinly, then add spice to them even though they are already flavorful and sweet. Slicing them thin gives them a gorgeous appearance for a dinner that can be casual or formal. It is also another recipe that can be an appetizer or a meal. Which will you choose?
Cucumber Salad:
Ingredients:
1 package Uno Bites™ Nano Cucumbers (1.75lb)
1/2-1 tbsp red pepper flakes
2 tbsp sugar
4 cloves of garlic (grated- it gives it more flavor and gets it really small too)
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
4 tsp olive oil
1/8 cup thinly sliced red onion
Directions:
With a mandolin or a chef knife, cut the ends of your cucumbers and discard
Thinly slice cucumbers into the sizes you would like to for your salad
In a small mixing bowl or cup, add red pepper flakes, sugar, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, olive oil and mix well
Using a grater, grate the garlic cloves into the mixture
I enjoy grating my garlic; as it is tastier when eating it raw, it releases its juices and has a stronger flavor.
Again using the mandolin or a chef knife, slice the red onion into thin strings
Add to the oil mixture
In a medium bowl, toss oil mixture with sliced cucumbers
Allow this to sit while you fry your shrimp
The shrimp are very easy to fry. If you are intimidated, just read the directions a few times before you cook, and know that there are many videos out there as well!
For Shrimp
Ingredients:
1 lb peeled deveined shrimp
2 cups flour
4 tbsp slap ya mama Cajun seasoning
Canola or Peanut Oil, enough to cover the bottom of your pot and fill it about 2 inches
Directions:
Line a plate or baking sheet with paper towels to set your shrimp on when they are
done frying
Get a heavy bottom pot to fry in
Pour the oil into the pot
Prep your shrimp, if they need it. Peel, devein if they still have the shells on, you can
leave the tails, but don’t eat them! :)
In a medium bowl, place the 2 cups of flour
Mix in the Slap Ya Mama seasoning and stir around
Place a few shrimp into the flour at a time, do not over crowd, cooking these in batches are best
Heat the oil on medium high and get the temp to 350
Once your oil is at 350, it is time to fry
Take each shrimp, shake a little flour off, then place it carefully into the oil
Line the shrimp around your pot so they are spaced out, careful not to overcrowd your pot
If you put too many shrimp, they will not get crispy and it will be a mess
Fry each shrimp until golden
Place the shrimp on the paper towels to drain grease off of them
Do not overlap the shrimp (they will get soggy)
Assemble
As Appetizers:
Idea 1:
You can place a few shrimp on the plate and sprinkle some cucumbers on top and around the shrimp.
Idea 2:
Make a small bed of the cucumber salad and place a fried shrimp on top.
Light Meal:
Skewer 3-6 shrimp per person and serve with the cucumber salad.