Honey Walnut Shrimp

A few years ago, back when we actually had the time and money to go out to dinner, Erich ordered Honey Walnut Shrimp at our favorite Chinese place. It was SO good, deep fried shrimp with a light crispy coating and toasted walnuts drizzled in a creamy, sweet sauce. I made a mental note that I needed to learn how to make it, and... I just got around to that last week. It came out really well, the saltiness of the shrimp and mild onion flavor from the green onions contrast nicely with the sweetness of the sauce and walnuts. This is a great recipe to make if you have kids who like seafood.... and mine do. I doubled this recipe and there was NOTHING left.

1 Tbs butter
1/2 cup walnuts
1 tsp brown sugar
pinch of salt

Melt the butter over medium heat in a small saute pan. Add the walnuts and saute for 1 minute. Sprinkle brown sugar and salt over nuts and stir to coat. Continue cooking 1 more minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and set aside.

2/3 cup rice flour (if you can't find rice flour, cornstarch will work)
3 eggs, beaten
salt and pepper to taste
1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbs honey
2 Tbs sweetened condensed milk
1 Tbs rice vinegar
3 green onions, chopped
oil for frying

Heat 2 inches of oil in a heavy skillet or electric skillet to 350ºF. Mix beaten egg, rice flour and salt and pepper in a medium mixing bowl. Toss shrimp in batter mixture and deep fry a few pieces at a time until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

Mix together mayonnaise, honey, condensed milk and rice vinegar.

To serve, place shrimp on a plate, sprinkle with walnuts and drizzle with the sauce. Top with green onions to taste.