Who doesn’t love a crunchy fried shrimp? This version takes virtually fat-free shrimp out of the deep fryer and pan-fries them in a little bit of oil instead. With 9 grams of total fat and 213 calories per serving, you can feel good about enjoying them.

Makes 4 servings

ACTIVE TIME: 20 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 20 minutes

EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy

1 cup pale ale or other light-colored beer
1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour (see Ingredient Note) or all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
1 pound raw shrimp (13-15 per pound; see Ingredient Note), peeled and deveined, tails left on
Freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Whisk beer, flour, mustard and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl until smooth.
2. You’ll need to cook the shrimp in two batches. Wait to batter the second batch until the first is cooked. For the first batch, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Hold shrimp by the tail and dip in the batter one at a time. Let any excess batter drip off, then add the shrimp to the hot oil, making sure they aren’t touching. Cook, turning once and adjusting the heat as necessary to prevent burning, until golden brown on the outside and curled, 3 to 4 minutes total. Transfer to a platter.
3. Wipe out the pan. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the pan and heat over medium-high. Batter and fry the remaining shrimp. Season all the shrimp with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper and serve immediately.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 213 calories; 9 g fat (1 g sat, 5 g mono); 172 mg cholesterol; 7 g carbohydrate; 24 g protein; 1 g fiber; 351 mg sodium; 210 mg potassium.
Nutrition bonus: Selenium (61% daily value), Iron (15% dv).
1/2 Carbohydrate Serving
Exchanges: 1/2 starch, 3 lean meat, 1 1/2 fat

TIP: Ingredient notes: Whole-wheat pastry flour, lower in protein than regular whole-wheat flour, has less gluten-forming potential, making it a better choice for tender baked goods. You can find it in the natural-foods section of large super markets and natural-foods stores. Store in the freezer.

Shrimp is usually sold by the number needed to make one pound. For example, “21-25 count” means there will be 21 to 25 shrimp in a pound. Size names, such as “large” or “extra large,” are not standardized, so to be sure you’re getting the size you want, order by the count (or number) per pound. Both wild-caught and farm-raised shrimp can damage the surrounding ecosystems when not managed properly. Fortunately, it is possible to buy shrimp that have been raised or caught with sound environmental practices. Look for fresh or frozen shrimp certified by an independent agency, such as Wild American Shrimp or Marine Stewardship Council. If you can’t find certified shrimp, choose wild-caught shrimp from North America—it’s more likely to be sustainably caught.

The dish had no taste whatsoever, and I ended up with fat blobs of dough on my shrimp. Face it, fried shrimp is fried shrimp & it just isn't tasty without the fatty oil. I'd avoid this dish.

Steve Petro, Irvington, NY

These were awesome. The great indulgent taste of fry without all that heavy grease.

Shelby, Santa Ana, CA

I have to say, after I made the first batch with the recommended amount of oil and the shrimp came out looking like weird little pancakes, I ramped up the oil amount and made some absolutely delicious fried shrimp. Not very Eating Well of me, was it?...

Barbara, Chicago, IL

Excellent. Used frozen shrimp from Whole Foods and brined them first.

Tipatina, MA

These are very tasty if you add Old Bay Seasoning, cayenne or something like that to the batter. I also used about twice as much liquid in the batter - it was way too thick otherwise - just enough to still coat the shrimp, but not to be a sticky mess. Once thinned down it worked very well and they browned nicely in the small amount of oil.

kbct, Coventry, CT

These were great! I thought the batter was really tasty! We used honey mustard instead of dijon. The batter was so good, I dipped some broccoli in it and made those too!

Jay, Derry, NH

This was just great! Used Trader Joe's frozen shelled uncooked jumbo shrimp for ease. Tail shell on. Following another reader's suggestion, I added 1 tsp honey to the batter to create a honey mustard taste. I also added the whole wheat flour a quarter cup at a time, whisking after each addition to avoid lumps, until the batter looked sufficiently thick (I think I ended up using 3/4 cup instead of 1 cup). The oil was sufficient and the shrimp nice and crispy. Served with a low fat coleslaw. I'm planning to try this with sea scallops next time. Thanks for a wonderful recipe!

Jeana, New York, NY

I grew up in New England, caught shrimp, plus shrimp in Florida, but, never ate anything as great as New England fried shrimp. My wife and I loved the jumbo shrimp. Maybe, the ones who didn't like them used krill.

don bolton, Whittier, NC

The batter was tasty and so were the shrimp. However, the batter did not want to adhear to the shrimp very well. The first batch just about completely lost all the batter while flipping them. I used a spatula to turn the second batch with slightly better results. They were not quite good enough for me to make them again.

Kathy, Odessa, De