Buzz and I have been trying to perfect a Walnut Shrimp recipe and I think we have finally gotten it down. It's sort of a project, so don't go into this thinking that it's a 30-minute-meal. It takes time but it's well worth it! The recipe, well, the book, is in the extended entry and a picture of our first attempt is here.

Honeyed Walnut Shrimp, a la Buzz and Empress

First, prepare the walnuts. There are two ways to do this – one is quicker and easier and the walnuts come out very sticky and yummy. The other way takes a lot more time but the walnuts are crispier. Both ways are delicious. I recommend preparing these at least a day in advance, just so that you don’t spend all day in the kitchen on the day you want to eat this meal. We also tried commercially made glazed walnuts and did not care for them in this dish. It was definitely better with our own homemade nuts.

Quicker and Easier Walnuts

Place equal parts granulated sugar and water in a pot over medium-high heat. (We used ¾ cup of each for 8 ounces of walnut meat). Stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add 6 to 8 ounces of shelled walnut halves. Reduce heat to low and stir. Cook, stirring often, for 15 minutes or until most of the syrup is gone. Cool the nuts on a cookie sheet covered in waxed paper.

More Complicated Crispy Walnuts

1 cup walnuts
2 cups oil

Rinse the walnuts. Boil them in 4-5 cups of water until the water is cloudy. Drain the nuts and place into another 4-5 cups of boiling water. Continue to change water until it remains clear. (It took us four water changes.) Heat the oil until almost smoking and deep fry the blanched walnuts until golden. Watch these carefully – they can burn very quickly! Cool the walnuts on a cookie sheet.

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OK, now that the nuts are prepared, let’s get started on the shrimp.

12 extra jumbo shrimp, or 24 large shrimp, shelled
1 tablespoon vodka
¼ teaspoon salt

Rinse the shrimp and pat dry. Place them in a bowl, sprinkle over the vodka and salt. Toss to cover. Let the shrimp marinate for 30 minutes or so.

While the shrimp are marinating, start the rice. We recommend using Near East Rice Pilaf, Original flavor. You really don’t want strong flavors competing with the shrimp. You can also use plain white rice, but we found this to be too dry. The rice pilaf was perfect. Prepare it according to package directions.

Once the shrimp are done marinating, they need to be coated for frying.

Beat two eggs in a bowl. (Actually, the next time we make this, I will use egg whites only - I think it will result in a lighter coating.) Place about ¼ cup of cornstarch on a plate. Set out a wire rack with some paper towels under it.

Dip each shrimp into the egg and then into the cornstarch. Make sure you shake off any excess cornstarch. Place the shrimp on the wire rack. When all shrimp are coated, let them sit for about 5 minutes to dry.

While they are drying, heat about 1 to 2 inches of vegetable oil in a large fry pan. When that is hot, slip the shrimp into the oil and deep-fry for about 2-3 minutes per side. When the shrimp are golden-pink, take them out of the oil and place on paper towels to drain.

Get your vegetables started now. We have had this with frozen petite broccoli spears and also with frozen Asian mixed vegetables. Both are good. You could also steam or stir-fry whatever vegetables you like. (Allow time at the beginning to prepare them if you are going to use fresh veggies.)

Now it’s time to make the sauce.

4 tablespoons mayonnaise (I use light)
2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
2-3 tablespoons milk (I use fat-free)

Mix all ingredients together with a whisk until very smooth. You can add more milk if you’d like a thinner sauce.

Place the shrimp and sauce in a bowl and toss to cover the shrimp well. (If you chose to make the crispy and complicated walnuts, throw them in the sauce, too. If you made the easier ones, don’t put them in the sauce!)

Now to assemble the final product! You can either do this on individual plates or on a large platter.

Place the rice pilaf on the bottom of the plate/platter. Top with the vegetables, then the shrimp, and top with the walnuts. (If you combined the walnuts and shrimp, you have one less step.)

Enjoy!! It’s time-consuming but well worth the effort! We like to serve a dry Riesling or sparkling white wine with this meal. Delicious!