Air Fryer Southern Style Shrimp

Air Fryer Southern Style Shrimp — Do you love shrimp? If so, then this recipe is for you. Read on to learn how to make air fryer southern-style shrimp that are crispy and delicious!

Air Fryer Southern Style Shrimp is a lightly battered shrimp with a crispy coating, and it’s fantastic! My kid’s loved Paula Deen’s Fried Shrimp Recipe, so when I got my air fryer, I knew I had to make my own version!

Air Fryer Fried Shimp is so crispy and delicious, and you don’t even need any of the oil you would have with traditional deep frying.

This is a great and healthy recipe for popcorn shrimp, which is fantastic. This is so quick you can prepare this with ease for any weeknight dinner, and your entire family will enjoy it. And thank you!

But you get the same results. In less than 10 minutes from start to finish, you have a delicious plate of fried shrimp with fewer oils and calories–do I dare say healthy?

Are you looking for more Air Fryer Seafood Recipes? Some of my favorites include AIR FRYER BACON WRAPPED SHRIMP, AIR FRYER FISH & CHIPS, AIR FRYER LOBSTER CAKES, and AIR FRYER HONEY MUSTARD CRUSTED SALMON.

Air Fryer Southern Style Shrimp

Being from New England, I have always loved seafood. We had it in abundance when I was growing up. And shrimp is genuinely so easy to prepare. When I started having my own family, I adapted many of my mom’s and grandmother’s recipes.

But deep-fried shrimp is something I never got into. It’s messy and unhealthy, so I avoided it until I started using an air fryer. Then entered the air fryer, and it was shrimp and life-changing!

These fried shrimp are amazing, the coating is light and airy, and my kids love it. There is something great (and don’t forget healthy) about a snack or appetizer of shrimp!

Ingredients Needed For Air Fryer Southern Style Shrimp

• Frozen Shrimp (Thawed)
• All-Purpose Flour
• Corn Muffin Mix
• Cornstarch
• Water
• Pickle Juice
• Egg
• Bread Crumbs
• Smoked Paprika
• Butter

How To Cook Breaded Shrimp In Air Fryer

Thaw shrimp. Preheat the air fryer to 400 degrees F, Air Fryer Setting. Combine flour, corn muffin mix, cornstarch, water, pickle juice, and the egg in a large bowl. Mix well. This will be your batter bowl. 

In a smaller bowl, combine the bread crumbs and smoked paprika. Mix and set aside. Hold it by the tail, dip each shrimp into the batter, and let any excess batter drip off. And then dip it into the bread crumb bowl. 

How To Air Fry Breaded Shrimp

Place each shrimp in the air fryer basket, ensuring they don’t touch or overlap.  Melt about one tablespoon of butter in the microwave. Then drizzle a tiny bit of melted butter on the top of each shrimp.

How Long To Cook Breaded Shrimp In Air Fryer

Place the air fryer basket in the air fryer and cook the shrimp for about 6-8 minutes or until golden brown. 

Some Notes About This Recipe:

These delicious shrimp have a southern crunch that’s irresistible. Pair them with a  traditional comeback sauce or even a remoulade!

The butter step is optional, but I find it helps give the golden brown crunchy shrimp. 

Since the shrimp is done by weight, your shrimp bag may have about 20-25 shrimp, depending on the pounds. Hence the variation in serving size. This will be enough batter. Just make sure to throw out any unused batter & bread crumbs you may have leftover. Once the raw egg is involved, it’s not safe to save!

I used Frozen Shrimp because you can get them at just about any grocery store, and they taste great! You can also use fresh shrimp if those are available to you locally. The important thing is to make sure the shrimp are uncooked, peeled,  and preferably have the tail on still. Having the tail on makes it easier to batter and cook them! Remember, shrimp shrink while being cooked, so I say the bigger, the better!

The shrimp are best eaten right away! You can store them in the fridge for no more than a day if you have to. When reheating: use the oven. They will not be as good as when they first came out of the Air Fryer. The breading won’t be quite as crisp! I recommend making sure you have any dipping sauces and sides (fries, etc.) ready before you air fry the shrimp!

FAQ’s:

Fresh vs. Frozen Shrimp

The only reason that I used thawed shrimp is that it is so much easier to bread thawed shrimp than frozen.

If you purchase fresh shrimp for this recipe, go ahead and get peeled and deveined. This way, you do not have to do it yourself.

If you purchase frozen shrimp, make sure that it’s thawed to get the breading on it. The easiest way to thaw shrimp is to put it from the freezer into a bowl of cold water. It will take less than 30 minutes to soften the shrimp. Just blot them with a paper towel to dry before you start breading them.

Crowding The Basket

The primary advice I can give you is not to crowd the basket, and it’s best to place shrimp in a single layer in the air fryer basket.

Otherwise, the hot air will not circulate in the air fryer basket, which will cause your shrimp not to crisp up. To get crunchy shrimp, leave space around the shrimp so they all get crispy!

How long do you cook breaded shrimp in an air fryer?

Spray your basket with cooking spray, add the shrimp to the air fryer basket, then place the shrimp in the basket. Set the fryer to 370 degrees F, air fryer setting, shaking halfway through for 7 to 10 minutes.

Serve immediately.

How do you air fry frozen battered shrimp?

Place the frozen shrimp into the basket in a single layer. 

Then air fry the shrimp or prawns at 390° F or 199° C (air fryer setting) for 5 minutes. Shake the air fryer basket, cook for an additional 5 minutes, or use a pair of tongs and flip the shrimp if you have an air fryer basket.

If the shrimp/prawns are not brown/crispy enough for your liking, add 2 to 3 minutes.

Some Other Great & Easy Air Fryer Recipes-

• AIR FRYER BEET CHIPS
• AIR FRYER PHILLY CHEESESTEAK CALZONES
• EASY AIR FRYER GREEN PEAS RECIPE
• AIR FRYER GINGER PORK DUMPLINGS
• AIR FRYER 2 INGREDIENT OREO MUG CAKE

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