Fried Shrimp with nano cucumber salad

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This month, Pure Flavor sent over Uno Bites™ Nano Cucumbers. I was so excited about these cucumbers, mainly because I thought of my kids! They both love cucumbers already, but you can’t really pack a cucumber around when you’re on the run.

These little Uno Bites™ Nano Cucumbers are perfect for that. Finding healthy, convenient snacks is hard, am I right?! You can easily pack these into a bag and take them with you.

They are so little, but they pack a punch of flavor. They are crisp, crunchy and one hydrating little cucumber!

Let me share some ways my family has enjoyed these.

Hummus snack board. This was definitely a favorite. I made a hummus spread that my kids enjoyed, and added this to the dippers.

A kid friendly charcuterie board. Don’t forget the Cloud 9® Bite-Sized Fruity Tomatoes from the last Pure Flavor® post. I made a spread with the tomatoes, cucumbers, ranch dip, celery and carrots along with sliced deli meats.

Now, I have enjoyed them like this as well, but I wanted to make something the entire family could enjoy and incorporate it into a meal.

This is where my Fried Shrimp and Cucumber Salad comes in. I take The Uno Bites™ Nano Cucumbers and slice them thinly, then add spice to them even though they are already flavorful and sweet. Slicing them thin gives them a gorgeous appearance for a dinner that can be casual or formal. It is also another recipe that can be an appetizer or a meal. Which will you choose?

Cucumber Salad:

Ingredients:

1 package Uno Bites™ Nano Cucumbers (1.75lb)

1/2-1 tbsp red pepper flakes

2 tbsp sugar

4 cloves of garlic (grated- it gives it more flavor and gets it really small too)

2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

2 tsp toasted sesame oil

4 tsp olive oil

1/8 cup thinly sliced red onion

Directions:

With a mandolin or a chef knife, cut the ends of your cucumbers and discard

Thinly slice cucumbers into the sizes you would like to for your salad

In a small mixing bowl or cup, add red pepper flakes, sugar, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, olive oil and mix well

Using a grater, grate the garlic cloves into the mixture

I enjoy grating my garlic; as it is tastier when eating it raw, it releases its juices and has a stronger flavor.

Again using the mandolin or a chef knife, slice the red onion into thin strings

Add to the oil mixture

In a medium bowl, toss oil mixture with sliced cucumbers

Allow this to sit while you fry your shrimp

The shrimp are very easy to fry. If you are intimidated, just read the directions a few times before you cook, and know that there are many videos out there as well!

For Shrimp

Ingredients:

1 lb peeled deveined shrimp

2 cups flour

4 tbsp slap ya mama Cajun seasoning

Canola or Peanut Oil, enough to cover the bottom of your pot and fill it about 2 inches

Directions: 

Line a plate or baking sheet with paper towels to set your shrimp on when they are

done frying

Get a heavy bottom pot to fry in

Pour the oil into the pot

Prep your shrimp, if they need it. Peel, devein if they still have the shells on, you can

leave the tails, but don’t eat them! :)

In a medium bowl, place the 2 cups of flour

Mix in the Slap Ya Mama seasoning and stir around

Place a few shrimp into the flour at a time, do not over crowd, cooking these in batches are best

Heat the oil on medium high and get the temp to 350

Once your oil is at 350, it is time to fry

Take each shrimp, shake a little flour off, then place it carefully into the oil

Line the shrimp around your pot so they are spaced out, careful not to overcrowd your pot

If you put too many shrimp, they will not get crispy and it will be a mess

Fry each shrimp until golden

Place the shrimp on the paper towels to drain grease off of them

Do not overlap the shrimp (they will get soggy)

Assemble

As Appetizers:

Idea 1:

You can place a few shrimp on the plate and sprinkle some cucumbers on top and around the shrimp.

Idea 2:

Make a small bed of the cucumber salad and place a fried shrimp on top.

Light Meal:

Skewer 3-6 shrimp per person and serve with the cucumber salad.