Red Lobster Dragon Shrimp Bold Flavor Dish

Red Lobster Dragon Shrimp  – The rich, spicy Chinese dish called red lobster dragon shrimp has just the right combination of flavours of sweet, spicy and savoury. It can serve as the perfect appetizer, or as it is written; with crispy, fried shrimp dipped in a spicy yet lightly sweet dragon sauce, this is also a highly, crave-worthy dish.” They are lightly coated and then fried until they are golden brown and then covered liberally with a classic dragon mix of chili, garlic and soy that creates deep rich flavor. To add a bit of freshness and color to the grease of every bite sprinkled is chopped fresh green onions and sesame seeds.

The Dragon Shrimp can be accompanied by a side of rice or fresh vegetables, and may be the entire menu, or it can be accompanied by other favorite seafood dishes to make a surf-and-turf treat. The sweet dish is just what it sounds like, it is the perfect dish to have if you love your heat just that little bit of sweetness. The Dragon Shrimp is a delightful meal regardless of whether you are a big seafood enthusiast or are simply in search of any excuse you can find to give a hard-hitting taste to your meal. It is a contemporary take on the traditional recipes of shrimp cooking which is a good example of how Red Lobster keeps transforming itself by sticking to the bright flavors.

Red Lobster Dragon Shrimp Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 pound medium shrimp (peeled, deveined, and tails removed)

• 1 cup buttermilk (for marinating)

• 1 cup all-purpose flour

• ½ cup cornstarch

• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

• 1 teaspoon onion powder

• ½ teaspoon paprika

• ½ teaspoon salt

• ½ teaspoon black pepper

• Vegetable oil (for deep frying)

For the Dragon Sauce:

• ½ cup sweet chili sauce

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

• 2 tablespoons honey

• 1 tablespoon sriracha (adjust based on spice level)

• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar

• 1 teaspoon minced garlic

• ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional, for extra heat)

For Garnish:

• 2 tablespoons chopped green onions

• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Instructions

1. Preparing the Shrimp:

• Put together in a big bowl the cleaned, deveined and peeled shrimp.
• Pour on them buttermilk and cover them well until they are completely covered.
• Cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge at least 30 minutes.
• This makes the shrimp tender before deep frying them so that the coating does not fall off when you fry them.

2. Get Ready for the Dry Coating:

• In a second large bowl whisk together all purpose flour, cornstarch, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and salt, and black pepper until everything is evenly incorporated and there exists a uniform seasoned flour mixture that will help in giving the shrimp that crusty coating that they so desire.

3. Prepare the Dragon Sauce:

• Meanwhile as the shrimp marinades, prepare sauce by adding sweet chili sauce, soy sauce, honey, sriracha, rice vinegar, minced garlic and crushed red pepper flakes on a small saucepan and stir.
• Pour everything into saucepan. Put medium heat and bring the sauce to simmer on it, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens to the desired consistency and the flavors combined well, it takes approximately 3-5 minutes.
• Remove the heat and cool it down a little to enable you to fry the shrimp.

4. Warm the Oil:

• Add the vegetable oil into a deep frying pan or deep fryer (enough to cover the shrimp, about 3 litres), followed by heating it up to 350 o F (175 o C) over a medium to high heat (be sure to keep an eye on the oil temperature and maintain it at the same high level – it is what makes the shrimp extra crunchy).

5. Coating and Frying the Shrimp:

• Take out a handful of the shrimp at a time out of the buttermilk and the extra should then drain off.
• Lay the shrimps in the batter of seasoned flour and shake them down on the shrimp till they are all covered.
• Fry the coated shrimp one small portion at a time in the hot oil so that pan is not heavily loaded.
• Thaw the shrimp in water until fully thawed, and fry on both sides 2-3 minutes and flip once until it is browned and crispy.
• Put fried shrimp on a plate lined with paper towel to drain the excess oil.

6. Toss the Shrimp in Dragon Sauce:

• Transfer the pan-fried shrimps into a big clean mixing bowl, and then pour the hot dragon sauce all over the shrimps.
• Lightly mix with spatula or large spoon to ensure all the shrimp pieces are covered with the spicy/sweet glaze without smashing the wonderfully crispy coating.

7. Garnish and Serve:

• Put the sauced shrimp into smaller pieces and sprinkle over a serving platter.
• Put the green onions that you have chopped as well as toasted sesame seeds to your shrimp and spread them all over the sauced shrimp.
• Dragon Shrimp can be served with a serving of steamed rice, stir fried vegetables or even an easy salad as a main dish.

Tips for Success:

• Here you need to fry the shrimp in small quantities since when you combine all the shrimp they will end up being over cooked and lacking crispy feel.
• Try your dragon sauce first and add more sriracha/ red pepper flakes or any other spice you prefer to taste according to you before you mix it with the shrimp.
• You may wish to taste your shrimp more crispy hence you may dip them again in the buttermilk / flour mixture and fry again.