These crispy Cornmeal Crusted Shrimp with Light Lemon Aioli are a healthier alternative to the traditionally fried version. Even though it’s baked you’ll still achieve that crunch you’re looking for! Perfect for an appetizer or light dinner!
When you’re at a party do you ever find yourself drawn to certain appetizers? You know the ones that you take a couple of but then find yourself going back to several more times. The ones that you watch like a hawk to make sure they don’t disappear before you can get just one more. For me that appetizer is shrimp. I don’t know what it is, but they are so addicting! The funny thing is I used to hate them when I was a kid, but now I can’t get enough of them.
Generally at a party they’re on a platter chilled and served with cocktail sauce. I love eating them this way and could easily down a dozen of them without even realizing it, but I’ve found that there are even tastier ways to eat shrimp. My new favorite shrimp recipe is Baked Cornmeal Crusted Shrimp with Light Lemon Aioli. These crispy baked shrimp are the upgraded 2.0 version of the old boiled cocktail style ones and when you serve them with the lemon aioli they become the 4.0 version!
Most of the recipes I looked up for cornmeal crusted shrimp were prepared by frying them, but I found that baking them still produced that crispy exterior that you get when they’re fried. Obviously this is the healthier choice when it comes to preparing them which means I can help myself to twice as many shrimp, right? Right! Preparing the cornmeal crusted shrimp is the same method you would use if you were coating chicken for chicken nuggets. You have a shallow dish (I like to use pie plates) for flour, one for the eggs or in this case egg whites, and a final dish for the cornmeal mixture. The hardest part is remembering to use one hand for dry and one for wet so you don’t end up with hulk sized fingers.
While the shrimp bake it’s the perfect amount of time to whip up the light lemon aioli. What makes this aioli light is using a combination of light mayonnaise and plain non-fat Greek yogurt. Of course it wouldn’t be lemon without some fresh lemon zest and juice! The bright fresh flavor of this aioli is the perfect dipping sauce for these crispy, crunchy baked cornmeal crusted shrimp!
Yields 4-6 servings
15 minPrep Time
12 minCook Time
27 minTotal Time
Save RecipeIngredients
- 1 pound large or jumbo sized shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 egg whites
- 1/4 cup medium to finely ground cornmeal
- 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/8 teaspoon paprika
- Pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1/4 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt
- 2 tablespoon light mayonnaise
- 1-2 tablespoons milk
- 1 1/2 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 475 degrees.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or foil and spray with cooking spray.
- Get out 3 shallow dishes, I like to use pie plates.
- In the first dish combine the flour salt and pepper.
- In the second dish whisk the two egg whites together with a teaspoon or two of water.
- In the third dish combine the cornmeal, salt, garlic and onion powder, paprika and cayenne.
- Working in batches dredge the shrimp in the flour mixture.
- Shake off any excess flour, then dip them into the egg whites and then coat them in the cornmeal mixture.
- Shake off any excess cornmeal before placing them on the prepared baking sheet.
- Spray the tops lightly with cooking spray or drizzle with a little olive oil.
- Place the shrimp on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes or until crisp and golden.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
- In a small bowl whisk together all of the ingredients until smooth.
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
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