It's not clear where crispy, crunchy, and nutty, coconut shrimp entered the snack-food lexicon—they might be caribbean, possibly Polynesian, or most likely, a purely American tiki-bar invention—but they're popular enough that you'll find'em everywhere from Thai restaurants to Irish pubs. More

A few preliminary attempts at making tempura revealed to the folks at America's Test Kitchen why some Japanese chefs devote their entire careers to this one technique. Success hinges almost entirely on the batter—which is maddeningly hard to get right. Among other things, they settled on using the largest shrimp available, since it's easy to overcook small shrimp. Instead of a wok, they substituted a large Dutch oven. For the batter, they replaced a bit of the flour with cornstarch to improve the structure and lightness. For a super tender coating, they used a combination of seltzer and vodka instead of the traditional tap water. To see how they did it, watch the video here and then go visit America's Test Kitchen for the recipe. (Free registration required.) More

In many households there is a venerable old cookbook, worn and brittle, sitting among the newer books and magazines in the kitchen. For a lot of American households this might be Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking, or The Joy of Cooking by Irma Baumgarten. Representing as they do the tastes of their period, the recipes in these tomes transcend judgment; besides which, old-school bechamel sauces and old-fashioned meatloafs are good, even if we consider them dated.

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Pre-cooked shrimp are unfailingly pre-overcooked-shrimp, and are impossible to add flavor to the way you can with raw shrimp. Shrimp that are raw but peeled and deveined are a small step up, but often get mangled and beat up in the cleaning. You are much better off buying whole, headless shrimp (or at the very least E-Z peel) and cleaning them yourself. It's a little more work, but worth the effort. This video will show you everything you need to know. More

I'd be willing to wager that anyone who complains how difficult and messy it is to deep-fry at home has never tried deep-frying in a wok. Why don't people fry at home? The most common answers are: it's messy, it's expensive ("What do I do with all the leftover oil?"), and it's unhealthy. Well a wok can certainly help solve your first two problems. You're on your own for the third. This is our second piece in this week's Wok Skills 101 series. More

The best seafood is nearly always the freshest seafood. And the best shrimp are the freshest shrimp—right? Maybe not. Here are five reasons why frozen shrimp may actually be better. More

This Vietnamese caramel shrimp recipe from Closet Cooking is the perfect opportunity to try your hand at using caramel in a savory dish. "Simmering or braising in nuoc mau (Vietnamese caramel sauce) is fairly common in Vietnamese cuisine." Kevin, the blog's proprietor, uses a relatively simple recipe to make the caramel and sauté the shrimp. Once you make the caramel, the dish comes together in less than ten minutes. Follow Kevin's example and serve it over coconut jasmine rice so it soaks up all that salty-sweet saucy goodness.... More

Halloween is over, but we still feel a bit devilish. So when blogger Brilynn of Jumbo Empanadas asks, "What's your favourite hors d'oeuvres or appetizer," we responded by Blogwatching her picturesque Shrimp-Topped Deviled Eggs. Retro-chic at its best and most delicious. Besides deviled eggs, any other appetizers worth selling your soul for?... More

Oahu's North Shore is known for its big waves, but I went there for its big shrimp. After spending the morning frolicking in a Lost filming location, we found just what were looking for at the legendary Giovanni's White Shrimp Truck: shrimp. Lots of it. Drowned in garlic and butter.... More