Raw shrimp, preferably Wild-caught American, peeled and deveined, passed through a milk and egg mixture, then into a seasoned cracker meal dredge and deep fried to golden brown delicious!

Cracker Meal Deep Fried Shrimp

Growing up, my Mama did not use flour on her fried seafood. She used boxed cracker meal.

If I had to guess, I'd say that once I started cooking for myself, I ventured away from using it because it can be a bit pricey and these days, even hard to find, but flour? Well, I always have that on hand.

I do prefer to use self-rising flour because it contains baking powder, which contains cornstarch, and seems to me to give a more crisp and crunchy texture than plain all-purpose flour does.

I know some folks have disagreed with me, and that's okay, but that's my story and I'm sticking to it y'all!

Fresh Gulf shrimp, marinated in milk, egg and hot sauce, then tossed in a well-seasoned hushpuppy dredge and deep fried to perfection.

Hushpuppy Breaded Fried Shrimp

Some years back, Popeye's Louisiana Kitchen, which by the way makes the most delicious fried chicken evah, introduced seafood to the menu in some areas. Some menu items were offered only on a limited time basis. Hushpuppy Fried Shrimp was one of those.

I was intrigued.

So, for research purposes, I requested that my husband aka here as "The Cajun" swing in and pick up a small order of them on his way home for us to try.

Wild American shrimp are butterflied, highly seasoned, dipped in flour, then blended milk and egg and last in panko breadcrumbs, then deep-fried.

Deep-Fried Butterflied Panko Shrimp

Even though I love fried shrimp all kinds of ways, my number one way to make them is the classic version.

It's the one I crave and make the most.

I also love them batter-dipped or tempura style and if I'm baking them like an oven fry, panko breadcrumbs are likely to be my top choice of breading, just for the added crunch.

This time I thought I'd try the panko breadcrumbs in a deep fry instead, and I'm glad I did. They turned out fantastic!

Shrimp Boulettes - Deep Fried Shrimp Balls or Pan-Fried Patties {Boulette de Crevettes}

Shrimp boulettes, or bullets as my husband affectionately calls them, are a mixture of minced shrimp, potatoes and veggies, formed into patties or balls and fried, are great as a main dish, side dish and a favorite alongside a bowl of beans.

Shrimp Boulettes

Okay. I will admit it. Shrimp boulettes fried up this way is decidedly not the healthiest way to consume shrimp - you can see that just from looking at it! But... you know better than to come here for that anyway, don't ya?

Fresh shrimp dipped in a batter, then in a seasoned flour, and fried to a golden, crispy crunch.

Batter Fried Shrimp

Fried shrimp is a Deep South favorite, no real surprises there. Batter fried shrimp is just another delicious alternative from classic southern fried shrimp that we enjoy in this area.

Gulf Coast Shrimp dusted with a light coating of seasoned flour and deep fried to crunchy perfection.

Classic Southern Fried Shrimp

We love our southern fried shrimp in this part of The Deep South and fried up in a deep fryer is the best way to go when you cook fried shrimp. A hot deep fryer cooks them so quickly, that there is far less absorption of the fat, leaving behind a crispy, crunchy and delicious fried shrimp.

Fresh, extra large shrimp, coated in flour, dipped in an egg wash, then rolled in coconut and fried.

Coconut Shrimp

Coconut shrimp are a favorite down here along the Gulf Coast and these are delicious and not at all hard. The hardest part is dealing with pieces of coconut that come off and then burn in the oil.

The shrimp that I used were extra large ones The Cajun pulled up on the last shrimping trip, so just about 4 or 5 made for a real nice serving and didn't result in much residue of coconut falling off. If you are cooking smaller shrimp, or a larger batch overall, you may find you'll need to strain or change out your oil. That's just the downside of doing coconut shrimp, but I gotta say it really is worth the effort.