Bangin’ Shrimp & Waffles with Honey, Sriracha and Lime Syrup

By far, one of the lamest party foods, in my books, is the basic shrimp cocktail ring.  When I see one sitting out at a party, I always wonder why someone would waste valuable table real-estate on such a bland and boring dish.  It wasn’t until during the last holiday season that I thought that there must be a way to improve the standard shrimp cocktail recipe to make it more appealing to cocktail party go-ers.

 
I took it to the drawing board and here’s what I came up with: Fried shrimp and waffle with a Honey Sriracha Lime Dipping Sauce.  This one will definitely turn heads.  A crispy shrimp served upon a soft waffle with a perfect topping, a sweet and spicy “syrup”.  I don’t know anyone who would turn down this appetizer.

There you have it – an old, boring dish made new again.  The next time you feel the urge to pick up that shrimp ring at your local grocery store before a party, please consider making one of these re-invented shrimp cocktail recipes.  Your guests will thank you.
With Love,
Julie

Bangin’ Shrimp & Waffles with Honey, Sriracha and Lime Syrup

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• Author: Julie
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 50 pieces 1x

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Ingredients

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• Makes about 50–55 appetizers
• 700g large raw shrimp, peeled, deveined tails removed
• 2½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp Baking Powder
• ½ cup plain yellow cornmeal
• 3½ tsp Old Bay Seasoning, divided
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1½ cup whole buttermilk
• Canola oil for frying
• 12 buttermilk or Belgian-style frozen waffles
• Honey Sriracha Lime Syrup
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• 3 Tbsp Sriracha sauce

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Instructions

1. Toss the shrimp with ½ tsp Old Bay seasoning and set aside.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cornmeal, 3 tsp seafood seasoning, garlic powder, and ground cumin and set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together 2 large eggs and 1½ cups whole buttermilk and set aside.
4. Toss the seasoned shrimp with ⅓ cup of the seasoned flour-cornmeal breading.
5. Prepare a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Dip each piece of shrimp in the buttermilk-egg wash.
6. Toss in the seasoned flour-cornmeal breading shaking off any excess and lay in a single layer on the parchment-lined baking sheet.
7. Heat 4 inches of oil in a dutch oven or heavy bottomed saucepan to 350°F.
8. Fry the shrimp in batches for about 2-3 minutes (depending on the size of the shrimp) until golden and crispy. Adjust the heat periodically to maintain the temperature of the oil while frying.
9. Prepare a paper towel-lined baking sheet.  Use a slotted spoon to remove the crispy golden shrimp to the paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain.  Repeat until all of the shrimp is fried.
10. Toast your waffles until golden brown.  Cut each waffle into 2”x2” squares and use a cocktail pick to secure a shrimp to a waffle square.  Continue until all of the shrimp are secured to a waffle square.  You may have leftover shrimp.
11. Prepare your syrup by mixing the sriracha, honey and lime juice in a bowl.  Whisk until incorporated and then funnel the syrup into a bottle or a bowl with a pour spout.
12. Serve immediately with the honey, sriracha and lime syrup.