LongHorn Steakhouse Wild West Shrimp Copycat
Crispy fried shrimp are tossed with spicy cherry peppers, bold steakhouse seasoning, and warm garlic butter in this easy Copycat LongHorn Wild West Shrimp recipe. Serve it hot with creamy ranch dressing for dipping.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 appetizer servings 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
For the Shrimp
- 1 pound medium raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, and tails removed
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional
- Vegetable, canola, or peanut oil, for frying
For the Garlic Butter
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1/2 cup sliced hot cherry peppers, drained
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
- Ranch dressing, for serving
- Lemon wedges, optional
Instructions
- Pat the shrimp completely dry with paper towels. Place the shrimp in a medium bowl and pour the buttermilk over them. Let the shrimp soak for 10 minutes.
- In a shallow bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder, kosher salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.
- Pour approximately 2 inches of frying oil into a heavy-bottomed pot or deep skillet. Heat the oil to 350°F.
- Remove several shrimp from the buttermilk and allow the excess to drip off. Coat the shrimp in the seasoned flour mixture, gently pressing the coating onto each piece. Shake off any excess flour.
- Carefully add the breaded shrimp to the hot oil. Fry in small batches for 2 to 3 minutes, turning as needed, until the shrimp are crisp, golden brown, and cooked through.
- Transfer the fried shrimp to a wire rack placed over a sheet pan. Allow the oil to return to 350°F before frying the next batch.
- Melt the butter in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat. Add the minced garlic and cook for approximately 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
- Add the drained cherry peppers and lemon juice. Cook for 1 minute, until the peppers are warmed and the garlic is fragrant.
- Add the fried shrimp to the skillet. Toss quickly and gently until the shrimp are lightly coated with the garlic butter and cherry peppers.
- Remove the skillet from the heat and sprinkle the shrimp with chopped parsley. Serve immediately with ranch dressing and lemon wedges.
Notes
- Keep the frying oil between 340°F and 350°F. Oil that is too cool will make the breading greasy and soggy.
- Fry the shrimp in small batches to prevent the oil temperature from dropping.
- Drain the cherry peppers thoroughly so excess brine does not water down the garlic butter.
- Toss the shrimp in the garlic butter immediately before serving to preserve their crispy coating.
- Sweet cherry peppers can be substituted for hot cherry peppers for a milder appetizer.
- For a shortcut, prepare frozen popcorn shrimp according to the package directions and toss them with the homemade garlic butter and cherry peppers.
- This is a homemade copycat recipe inspired by the LongHorn Steakhouse appetizer and is not the restaurant’s official recipe.
- Nutritional information will vary depending on the amount of frying oil and ranch dressing used.