Fried Georgia Shrimp-More Than A Great Recipe

“I once loved a woman,

better than any I'd ever seen

Treated me like I was a king

and she was a doggone queen.”

Statesboro Blues~by Blind Willie McTell

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Statesboro’s Beaver House Restaurant is one of Georgia’s most popular largely because it offers a unique boarding house family-style experience in the tradition of Mrs. Wilkes restaurant in Savannah and Rabun County’s legendary Dilllard House. Serving two meals each day in downtown Statesboro, the lovely landmark restaurant is on the national register of historic places and a popular tourist attraction.

The menu is reminiscent of Sunday dinner prepared by great Southern cooks like my mother. Lunch and dinner at Beaver House is served in bowls and platters at private tables throughout the old family home. The Beaver family maintains a friendly, casual atmosphere in this beaufiful mansion that inspires nostalgia and calls for second helpings.

My late sister-in-law, Anna Ruth Godbee, was a Georgia Southern alum who loved Statesboro, home to Georgia Southern Univeristy, and all the wonders in South Georgia. She was among the greatest cooks I’ve ever known. Her fried shrimp reminded me of this dish I enjoyed at the Beaver House.

ANNA RUTH’S STATESBORO FRIED SHRIMP

3 lbs. medium-size wild-caught Georgia shrimp

Tony Chachere’s seasoning, to taste

2 large fresh eggs, beaten

1 cup whole milk

2 cups White Lily self-rising flour

2½ cups vegetable oil, plus more as needed

PREPARATION

Peel, devein, and rinse shrimp. Leaving the tails. Drain and pat dry the shrimp

Season shrimp with seasoning and place in a bowl.

In a separate bowl, mix the eggs and milk and coat the shrimp.

Pour the flour in a paper bag and take enough shrimp for the first batch of frying and place in bag. Be sure to flour the shrimp as they are cooked, not all at once.

Shake the bag until the shrimp are coated.

Using a cast-iron skillet, heat cooking oil very high but avoid smoking.

Cook the shrimp in a single layer and fry for 3 to 5 minutes. Avoid overcooking. Drain the shrimp with a paper towels.

Repeat until all the shrimp are fried and serve with favorite cocktail sauce, preferably horseradish-based.

Enjoy with Iced Tea, Coke, beer or white wine like King Estate Chardonnay.