SHRIMP WITH A YUZU DRESSING

Shrimp with a Yuzu Dressing image

Yuzu is an Asian citrus fruit. It resembles an underripe lime and has that same sourness. It has a wonderful light floral note, too. It does great sunken into mayonnaise. This shrimp dish is a knockoff of a Nobu restaurant classic for a reason-it's ethereal. Use rock shrimp or small shrimp for this, so it can be eaten in little bites. A note about substitutions: If yuzu is unavailable, simply sub in lime juice and a few grates of lime zest.

Provided by Alex Guarnaschelli

Categories main-dish

Time 1h

Yield 4 to 6 servings

Number Of Ingredients 17

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Ingredients

8 ounces beer (preferably a pilsner or lager)
2 ounces vodka
1/4 cup soda water, plus a little extra if needed
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus a little extra if needed
1 teaspoon hot paprika
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup yuzu juice
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon paprika
A few grates of zest from 1 lemon
1 quart vegetable oil, for frying
2 heads Bibb lettuce, leaves separated
1 large lemon, cut into VERY thin slices with a mandoline, seeds removed
4 to 6 sprigs fresh basil, slightly stemmed
Kosher salt
1 1/2 pounds small shrimp, such as rock shrimp, peeled and deveined

Steps:

For the batter: Combine the beer, vodka and soda water in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk in the flour, paprika and baking soda. The batter should be fairly thick but also easy to stir. If a little loose, whisk in a little more flour. If too thick, add a splash of soda water. Do not overmix. Set aside on the counter for 15 to 20 minutes.
For the yuzu dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise and yuzu juice. Whisk in the mustard, paprika and lemon zest and set aside.
For the shrimp: Pour the oil into a heavy-bottomed pot. Heat the oil to 320 degrees F, using a deep-frying thermometer to monitor the temperature. Put a wire rack into a rimmed baking sheet.
Arrange the Bibb lettuce in an overlapping circle in a large shallow serving bowl or platter.
Once the oil reaches 320 degrees F, add the lemon slices and fry until crispy and lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer to the rack over the baking sheet with a slotted spoon. Fry the basil (take care as it can splatter when it hits the oil) until crispy, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to the same rack. Season with salt.
Raise the oil temperature to 350 degrees F.
Add the shrimp to the batter to coat. Transfer the shrimp to the oil in batches with a slotted spoon, holding the spoon just over the oil and carefully dropping them in one by one to prevent clumping and splashing. Fry each batch until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer them to the rack; raise the oil temperature back to 350 degrees F between batches.
Drizzle the shrimp with some of the yuzu sauce and immediately spoon the shrimp into the center of the bowl of lettuce. Sprinkle with the fried lemon and basil leaves. Top with the remaining yuzu dressing to taste.