Beer-Battered Shrimp with Spicy Ketchup

I’m really good at being a picky eater. That’s been true my whole life. There are certain foods that I never eat and ingredients I always avoid. But, I’m not good at counting calories. I have no idea at all how many calories I consume in a day. I’m completely in favor of eating on the light side, choosing whole grains over refined flour when possible, and minimizing my sugar intake. So, it’s handy to have a good cookbook for lightened up dishes with lists of how many calories, and specifically what types of calories, are in recipes. Virginia Willis’s latest book, Lighten Up, Y'all, does just that, and I received a review copy. This book takes several classic Southern dishes and reworks them into lighter versions. Every recipe has information about total calories per serving and how many grams of fat, carbohydrates, fiber, and protein there are. Saturated fats have been reduced and at least partially replaced by unsaturated, sodium has been cut, and sugar quantities have been slashed. The tip for keeping the calorie count in check that I’d rather not follow is the one about reduced fat cheeses. Going back to that thing about me being a picky eater, I try to only buy cheeses that are certified organic or that are definitely made with milk from animals never given antibiotics or hormones. In several recipes in the book, either reduced fat cheese or a mix of regular and reduced fat is called for. When I’ve tasted those kinds of cheese, the flavor just isn’t there, and they tend to be made by large companies that don’t guarantee anything about the quality of milks used. For me, I’d rather cut calories elsewhere. What I can’t complain about at all are the Buttermilk Biscuits I baked one Sunday morning for breakfast. They’re made with some whole wheat pastry flour mixed with the all purpose and some unsaturated canola oil mixed with the butter. They were tender and delicious. The Multigrain Pecan Waffles with no sugar in the batter are on my list to try next. There’s a Red Snapper Provencal with Stone-Ground Grits dish and Creamed Corn-Stuffed Tomatoes that doesn’t actually have any cream that I want to make. From Starters through Sweet Indulgences, there are great-looking recipes for every course. 

Beer-Battered Shrimp was an easy choice for the first recipe to make from the book. I always love shrimp, especially when it’s crispy. I have to admit though, the real reason I wanted to make this was because of the homemade spicy ketchup. In my effort to rein in my sugar consumption, I sometimes skip regular ketchup. Here, the homemade version is made with just one tablespoon of honey and no refined sugar. To make it, some olive oil was heated in a saucepan. Grated onion was added and cooked until softened, and minced garlic was added. Next, canned whole tomatoes that had been pureed were added along with tomato paste, sherry vinegar, honey, smoked paprika, and a little salt. The mixture was cooked until thickened, about 45 to 60 minutes. The shrimp were cleaned and deveined. Then, a batter was made with beer, rice flour, all purpose flour, and baking soda. The shrimp were dipped in the batter and then coated with panko breadcrumbs mixed with chopped cilantro. The shrimp were shallow fried in just enough canola oil to coat a skillet, and lemon slices were seared in the hot pan when the shrimp were removed. 

The beer batter and panko crumbs made the shrimp extra crispy. And, the smoky, tangy homemade ketchup was delicious for dunking the shrimp. I put some extra ketchup in the freezer so I can pull it out some time later for oven fries or veggie burgers. I still won’t be any good at counting calories, but this book has given me several new ideas for eating light without sacrificing flavor. 

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