Saturday, April 25, 2015

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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19 comments:

  1. YUM! They make a great party appetizer and I love even that homemade ketchup.

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  2. I could use a book like that... :) Counting calories is not my strongest point either but I should be watching calories a bit so a book such as is would help!

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  3. I like any kind of shrimp and this shrimp looks especially good :D

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  4. I don't count calories either. And I'm with you - I'm not big on reduced fat or low-cal substitutes that simply don't taste good or are full of additives. Having said that, the shrimp sounds excellent, and the homemade ketchup is a great idea.

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  5. Exquisite, light and festive! What more could you ask.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

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  6. WOW! I love shrimps so much! Thank you so much for the recipe! Just bought them!

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  7. three things my boyfriend LOVES are beer, batter, and shrimp, so i'm definitely filing this one away!

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  8. I also don't count calories but as my husband is trying to lose weight, I probably should. A book like this would be handy. He also likes beer-battered anything so this prawn dish would be a winner xx

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  9. I adore shrimp! What a fabulous recipe that is full of flavor without extra calories. Virginia's recipes are always excellent!

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  10. Sounds like a really interesting book. I've never made ketchup, but think about it from time to time. But then, we go through one bottle a year, two at the most. So I do wonder if it's worth it. Probably fun to do sometime, though. ;-)

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  11. That's such a great idea! We love Southern food but it can be quite sweet and with a lot of oils and fats.

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  12. Simply damn delicious!!!
    Dedy@Dentist Chef

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  13. Ooh, I love the look of these shrimp! And the spicy ketchup sounds way better than the bottled stuff :)

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  14. Ooh, I love the look of these shrimp! And the spicy ketchup sounds way better than the bottled stuff :)

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  15. I love Shrimps and this way to prepare them sounds fantastic.

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  16. I feel like there is very little that that beer batter wouldn't make delicious!!

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  17. I'm intrigued by that ketchup too. I think because my great aunt and her friends got together and made a fabulous chili sauce every summer...I adored it. Will definitely try it, Lisa. The shrimp looks great too, I already have one shrimp recipe ahead of this one...Blogger Susan's (Savoring Time in the Kitchen) recipe is next on my list. Can't think of anything better...two awesome shrimp recipes to try!

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  18. Hi Lisa! These crispy shrimps look soooooo good! I am with too, certain things require "real" stuff.
    I remember my mom used to make these crispy shrimps in batter (now I kinda wonder if she added beer in it). haha As soon as those shrimps hit the pan... the whole house smelt sooo good!

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  19. I simply love shrimp and would be excited to try these. Very nice, well put together blog.

    I would love it if you would check out my cooking blog too. We cooks should stand together! www.recipesfromacountrycook.blogspot.com

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