Gambari Maklee (Egyptian Fried Shrimp) Recipe
Gambari Maklee (Egyptian fried shrimp) is a delectable dish featuring succulent shrimp coated in seasoned flour and deep-fried to golden, crispy perfection. The exterior is crunchy and savory, while the interior remains tender and juicy. It is best served with a squeeze of lemon and a drizzle of Tahini sauce and stuffed into the pocket of a warm Aish Baladi (Egyptian bread).
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Equipment
Ingredients
1 kg Shrimp, deveined, shelled, and tail off
For the Marinade
- 1 tomato, seeded and quartered
- 1 red pepper, seeded and quartered
- 5 garlic clove , whole
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2-1 teaspoon cayenne , optional
- ½ cup cilantro leaves and stalks
- salt and pepper , to taste
- 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar
For the Flour Coating
- 2 ½ cup all purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons corn flour
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
For Frying
- 2 cups vegetable oil
For Serving
- 1 cup tahini Sauce
- 3 cups Egyptian rustic salad (salata Baladi)
- ½ cup pickles
Instructions
Prep the Shrimp: Defrost the shrimp overnight in the fridge and rinse them under fresh tap water. Dry well with a paper towel before you apply the marinade.
Make the marinade: Add all the marinade ingredients to a mini food processor or a pestle and blend it until you have a homogenous marinade. Toss the shrimp in the marinade and keep them in the fridge for 30 minutes, no more.
Prepare the coating: Mix flour, corn flour, and spices together in a large plastic container with a lid. Before you add the shrimp, make sure to discard the excess marinade liquid first, as explained in the next step.
Transfer the marinated shrimp to a sieve to discard any excess liquid before you add it to the flour. If the shrimp is too wet, it will make the flour coating soggy, and the shrimp will not crisp up in the hot oil.
To coat the shrimp evenly with the flour, cover the container tightly with its lid and shake it several times.
Get rid of the excess flour by transferring the shrimp to a colander or sieve and shaking it. Sprinkle droplets of water on the flour-coated shrimp with wet fingers or using a spray bottle. These droplets of water will make the flour coating stick to the shrimp and will crisp up in the hot oil.
Heat the oil, add the shrimp in small batches, and don’t overcrowd your frying skillet, or the shrimp will get soggy. Fry the shrimp for 2 minutes on each side or until the shrimp is golden.
Remove the fried shrimp and let it rest on kitchen paper to discard excess oil.
Serve immediately with Baladi bread, lemon wedges, pickles, Salata Baladi, and Tahini sauce.
Nermine's Notes
- Never add oil to the shrimp marinade as the flour coating won’t adhere and will fall off.
- For crunchy fried shrimp, sprinkle the shrimp with water and dredge the shrimp again in the flour coating for a second layer.
- To avoid soggy fried shrimp, let the fried shrimp discard its excess oil in fine mesh sieve or colander and not over absorbent paper.