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Don’t order out for popcorn shrimp. Make them at home in your air fryer for a fraction of the cost.
Air Fryer Popcorn Shrimp: Less Fat
Popcorn shrimp has got to be one of the most popular appetizers ever.
I used to buy them pre-made from that well-known frozen food delivery place. They were pricy. However, I liked them so I’d buy them from time to time. They were also impregnated with quite a bit of oil.
Believe it or not, it never once occurred to me that I could make them myself. Go figure, but I did like the convenience.
But then came the air fryer and seeing a recipe for them. That totally changed my mind. This air fryer popcorn shrimp is delicious and has way less fat.
Shrimp Size
The appetizer is generally made with small shrimp which is the least expensive of all sizes sold.
As shrimp goes on sale quite often–at least where I live–you should be able to score a good deal on a package of small ones. Just make sure to get uncooked shrimp as I’m not sure if the cooked ones will be able to hold the coating. If you try this, please let me know if you had any success. I hardly ever buy cooked shrimp so I can’t experiment with it.
In this recipe, I used medium shrimp because I had a bag of that size in my freezer. Actually, I’d recommend making this with the medium (41-50 per pound) since they’re easier to handle. They’re also priced about the same as the small ones so it’s still economical.
Spices
As I said before, I’ve been eating the prepared shrimp for ages and loved the taste.
I was a bit surprised when I saw the ingredients in the original recipe because it contains a spice I’m not overly fond of. That’s cumin–and I have a friend in Texas that kids me that her house reeks of it.
Since I’m not that fond of it, I changed the amounts and made minor additions. I also don’t use cooking spray–and you’re not supposed to use it according to the air-fryer experts in some groups I belong to. I use good old olive oil and you can’t go wrong with that. And if you serve them with these air fried garlic chive fries, it’s perfection.
The Recipe
Air Fryer Popcorn Shrimp
Ingredients
- 1 lb shrimp uncooked, small or medium size
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1/4 cup flour
- oil for spraying
Coating:
- 1 cup dry bread crumbs
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tbs garlic powder
Instructions
- Mix all coating ingredients in a small bowl; set aside.
- In another small bowl, beat the eggs with about 1 teaspoon of water. Place flour in a plastic bag.
- Peel and devein shrimp and dry on paper towels. Place shrimp in the flour bag and toss to coat. Then place the shrimp in the beaten egg and coat well.
- Put half the crumbs in another plastic bag. Remove half the shrimp, draining off excess egg, and place in the bag with the crumbs. Shake to coat.
- Line the basket of an air fryer with a parchment round or spray with some oil. Place the shrimp in the basket, spritz with a bit of oil then air fry at 360F/180C for 8 minutes, shaking basket midway through. Repeat with remaining shrimp.
