Pan Fried Sesame Seed Shrimp

As I was grocery shopping the other day, I noticed that the corner display was nothing other than sesame seeds. I usually try to avoid all advertisements and displays, but I was intrigued. So, needless to say they ended up in my cart. What was I going to do with them you ask? I had no idea, but I thought they would add a little love to a future dish.

After returning from vacation, I thought it was a good idea to organize my freezer. And behold, what did I find? Frozen raw shrimp!!! Hmmmm. Shrimp + sesame seeds has to = something AMAZING. I did a quick recipe search and found a recipe by the queen herself- Martha Stewart!

Of course, I modified the recipe (just a little bit) and had an exquisite meal!

Pan Fried Sesame Seed Shrimp over Fresh Spring Salad
Time: less than 30 minutes
Serves: 3 people


Ingredients:
18 defrosted/raw uncooked medium sized shrimp
1 large egg yolk
1 tbsp water
<1/2 cup sesame seeds
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp Chinese-five spice
<1/4 cup vegetable oil
salad mixture
vinaigrette

Directions:
1. Prepare your salad as desired. Either wash, chop, dice, and slice fresh vegetables or just use a pre-bagged mixture. Your choice!
2. In a small bowl whisk together egg yolk and water. Set aside.
3. In another small bowl, mix together dry ingredients.
4. Pour oil into frying pan and warm over medium heat.
5. Simultaneously begin dipping each shrimp in the egg mixture first and then the flour mixture. Set on a plate until oil is ready.
6. Cook shrimp on each side for 2-3 minutes until the sesame seeds are light brown and the shrimp is cooked through.
7. Remove from oil/heat immediately and serve.
8. Enjoy!

Of note:
-The original recipe called for 1/2 cup seeds. I ended up having a bit left over, which I had to toss. I think the perfect amount is somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2 cup. Guestimation makes cooking fun!!!

-In all honesty, I had no idea what Chinese five-spice powder was. I did a quick google search and voila. Thank you Wikipedia for your help!! I did not have star anise, fennel seeds or Sichuan pepper. Instead I used 1/4 tsp of the following mixture: ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and ground ginger!! YUM YUM YUM! :)

-The original recipe calls for 3/4 cup oil. I think that even 1/4 cup oil was too much. I'm not an experienced or trained chef by any means, but I definitely think that you can get by with

-The original recipe also calls for noodles. On a hot summer day, noodles is not my go to choice. Since I fried the shrimp I really wanted a healthy side. That's where the salad comes in. The shrimp also has plenty of flavor so a strong dressing is NOT needed. I stuck to my go-to favorite red wine vinegar.

Additional comments:
All in all, I have to say that I was quite impressed with this dish. I never (and I mean never) fry foods. I was completely satisfied with this meal. Also, of note, this recipe serves 3 people because approximately 6 medium shrimp = 3 oz cooked protein = one serving.