Beer Battered Shrimp with Chipotle Lime Dip

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These Beer Battered Shrimp are crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. The shrimp are coated in a lightly seasoned beer batter, then fried to golden brown. Pair the fried shrimp with our homemade, creamy chipotle lime sauce for dipping.

Don’t skip the baking powder in the flour coating. It creates an airy, crisp texture on the outside.

About this beer batter shrimp recipe:

I’ll be honest. I’m not a huge fan of shrimp. I can eat it and enjoy the flavors, but I don’t love the texture.

Matt on the other hand? He’s the taste tester of my shrimp recipes. Firecracker shrimp, smoked shrimp, shrimp pasta, shrimp alfredo, and even shrimp pizza, he’ll eat it all.

When we’re visiting Anna Maria Island in Florida, we get our fill of beer battered fried fish and shrimp. And one of my favorite restaurants has a chipotle dipping sauce that I adore. This recipe combines my husband’s love of shrimp and my love of the sauce.

This beer-battered shrimp is excellent served as shrimp tacos in a flour tortilla with Mexican slaw on top.

Enjoy! -Julie

a hand dipping fried shrimp in a chipotle lime sauce

Key Ingredients

beer battered shrimp ingredients on a table

Shrimp. Colossal shrimp or extra large shrimp work best for this recipe. I buy deveined shrimp with tails, but you can buy tail-off shrimp, too.
Beer. I don’t drink beer, but I do love beer cheese and beer battered fish. Buy a light beer for the best flavor.
Flour, cornstarch and baking soda. All of these combine to make an ultra light coating. Need gluten free? Use all-purpose gluten free flour.
Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce. Buy a can of these where the Mexican food is in your grocery store. I also use them in our chipotle chicken pasta and vegetarian burritos.

For full ingredients and amounts, see the recipe card below.

a plate of beer battered shrimp with dipping sauce

Beer Battered Shrimp with Chipotle Lime Sauce

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Servings 6

Prep Time 12

Cook Time 20

Total Time 32

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Ingredients

For the Chipotle Lime Sauce:

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce finely minced
1 teaspoon adobo sauce from the can
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon honey
salt to taste

For the Shrimp:

24 ounces colossal shrimp peeled and deveined
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour divided
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon Old Bay
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup cold lager beer
vegetable oil for frying (about 2 inches deep)

Instructions

Make the sauce by mixing together the mayonnaise, chipotle peppers, adobo sauce, lime juice, honey and salt. Taste the sauce and adjust the amount of chipotle peppers and salt to your liking. Cover and refrigerate until the shrimp are ready to be served. ½ cup mayonnaise, 1-2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, 1 teaspoon adobo sauce, 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, ½ teaspoon honey, salt
Use paper towels to pat the thawed shrimp dry. Remove as much moisture as possible. Set aside. 24 ounces colossal shrimp
Whisk together 1 cup of flour, cornstarch, baking powder, Old Bay, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Pour the beer into the flour mixture and whisk so that it is just combined. Don’t over-mix, some lumps are okay. 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup cornstarch, 1 teaspoon baking powder, 1 teaspoon Old Bay, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, 1 cup cold lager beer
Take the remaining ¼ cup of flour and lightly coat the shrimps.
Pour 2 inches of vegetable oil into a Dutch oven or deep pot and heat over medium-high until the oil reaches a temperature of 360°F.
Gently take a shrimp by the tail with cooking tongs and dip into the batter, allowing any excess to drip off. Place the test shrimp into the oil and allow it to brown on both sides, about 20-30 seconds per side. When the exterior is golden brown, remove from oil and place on a wire rack set in a baking sheet. Dip and fry each remaining shrimp, cooking in batches of 3-5. Try not to overcrowd the pot so that the shrimp don’t stick together.
Serve right away with the chipotle lime dipping sauce and some lime and lemon wedges.

Notes

Refer to the article above for more tips and tricks.

The calories shown are based on the recipe serving 6, with 1 serving being ⅙ of the shrimp and sauce. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. **

Nutrition

Author Julie Clark

Course Main Dish

Cuisine American

Calories 289

Keyword 30 minute dinner, fried shrimp, seafood recipe

How to Make Beer Battered Shrimp: Step by Step Photos

Make the batter. Whisk together 1 cup of flour, cornstarch, baking powder, Old Bay, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Pour the beer into the flour mixture and whisk so that it is just combined. Don’t over-mix, some lumps are okay.
Coat the shrimp. Take the remaining ¼ cup of flour and lightly coat the shrimps.

shrimp coated in flour and baking powder

Heat the oil. Pour 2 inches of vegetable oil into a Dutch oven or deep pot and heat over medium-high until the oil reaches a temperature of 360°F.
Dip the shrimp & fry. Gently take a shrimp by the tail with cooking tongs and dip into the batter, allowing any excess batter to drip off. Place the test shrimp into the oil and allow it to brown on both sides, about 20-30 seconds per side. Dip and fry each remaining shrimp, cooking in batches of 3-5. Try not to overcrowd the pot so that the shrimp don’t stick together.

Cool the beer battered shrimp. When the exterior is golden brown, remove from oil and place on a wire rack set in a baking sheet. Placing them on a wire rack instead of a solid plate or pan keep the fried shrimp from getting soggy. Use this same method with our buttermilk chicken breasts and crispy fried drumsticks.