Shrimp Sliders with Sweet Caramelized Onions and Sriracha Mayonnaise

Use quality wild caught shrimp for this incredible fried shrimp sandwich recipe. Caramelized onions bring savory and sweet, and Sriracha mayonnaise a kick of just right spice. A great combination for tender sweet shrimp.

These little Shrimp sliders are a perfect way to wiggle out of your winter blanket of soup and casserole comfort foods and slip into lighter fare.

Big on flavor and easy to prepare, tender American Gulf Shrimp are topped with savory sugary caramelized onions and spiced up with Sriracha mayonnaise.

The onions require a long cook time, but their low maintenance make this breeze to make.

Why Purchase American Wild Shrimp?

The folks over at the American Wild Shrimp Industry are having a little fun by organizing a Shrimp Showdown. Five bloggers have been chosen for a little contest to create a main dish using Gulf Shrimp. As I write this, I have no idea what the other’s have come up with, nor do I even know who they are. There’s even voting involved, so please visit their Facebook page.

We’re big on shrimp around this house, and being landlocked, good quality shrimp can be hard to come by.

The folks over at the Wild American Shrimp Industry have given me a fabulous opportunity to stop grabbing for those bags of frozen shrimp from Thailand and experience fresh caught and flavorful shrimp from the nutrient-rich waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

Flavor just like I remember from the wonderful dishes I had in New Orleans. Simply stated, superior in flavor and texture.

Every Shrimp has a tail, but wild-caught American Shrimp have a story rich with flavor, history and adventure.

It’s about hard-working families who date back to when shrimp were harvested on wooden sailing vessels and peeled by hand. It’s a story of American jobs and livelihoods and an industry’s resilience against tough times.

You can have their Gulf shrimp shipped directly to your doorstop or take a look at their website for a list of local shops where you can purchase American shrimp.

Nationally they indicate you’ll find it at Walmart, Sprouts and Whole Foods. There is also lists of regional markets and on-line sources who will ship direct to your door.

How to caramelize onions for this shrimp sandwich

Onions are naturally sweet, and the process of caramelizing them comes from slowly releasing that sugar with a slow cook over a period of time. The end result is intense and wonderfully flavorful.

Caramelizing onions is so easy to do, you just need to pay attention. Leave them alone for enough time for the onions to brown but not so long that they start to burn. Then It’s a cook-scrape, cook-scrape situation. Every few minutes until they’re a rich brown caramel color.

During this process, add more butter if the pan starts to dry. Depending on how many onions you’re cooking, this could take 20 – 30 or even 40 minutes.

How to: Pan seared fried shrimp

Pan searing, or frying shrimp is about the easiest thing to do. And nothing is better than perfectly seared tender shrimp.

• First, devein and then pat the shrimp dry. I like to cut a pretty deep slit in the back of the shrimp. This opens up the meat makes for more even cooked shrimp.
• Remove the tails from the shrimp. A knife works good here, rather than pulling them off.
• Next, simply dust the shrimp lightly with all-purpose flour.
• Heat a non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Once the skillet is hot, then add oil.
• Once the oil is shimmering, turn down the heat to medium. Add the shrimp.
• Cook the shrimp about 2 – 3 minutes per side, turning only once.
• Remove shrimp to a paper towel and quickly build that fried shrimp sandwich.

How to make Sriracha Mayonnaise

Its as easy as falling off a log:

• 1/2 cup mayo
• 1 Tablespoon Sriracha Sauce.
• Mix well.

That amount of sriracha is a just right heat index for us. Start with less if you’re worried about it being too spicy. And then add a little at a time. You can always add, but you can’t take that heat away.

Shrimp Sliders, Fried Shrimp Sandwich Recipe

I hope you give this shrimp sliders recipe a try. And if you do, please come back and give the recipe a star rating. And leave a comment about your experience with the recipe.

And if you have a favorite shrimp sandwich recipe, let me know, I’d love to give it a try.

More Shrimp Recipes

• Blackened Shrimp Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette
• Best Grilled Shrimp Recipe
• Shrimp Tacos with Lime Dressing and Crunchy Vegetables

And don’t miss my seafood category, you’ll find lots of great recipes, including the most popular on my site for Heavenly Halibut.

And take a look at the most popular shrimp recipe on my site for Creamy Spicy Shrimp Pasta.

Shrimp Sandwich; Sliders with Sriracha Mayonnaise and Caramelized Onions

Caramelized onions bring savory and sweet, and Sriracha mayonnaise a kick of just right spice. A great combination for tender sweet shrimp

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course Sandwiches

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 633kcal

Author: Lea Ann Brown

Ingredients

• ▢ 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce
• ▢ 2 sweet onions peeled, sliced and slices cut in half
• ▢ 3 tablespoons butter
• ▢ 1 pinch pinch of sugar
• ▢ salt and pepper
• ▢ 12 large Shrimp peeled, deveined, butterflied and tails removed
• ▢ 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ▢ 3 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ salt and pepper
• ▢ 1/2 cup arugula washed and dried
• ▢ 4 slider buns

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Instructions

• Mix mayonnaise and Sriracha sauce well. Set aside.
• Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. When the butter starts to bubble, add onions and toss to coat.
• Sprinkle with sugar, and give the onions a good stir. Let them brown watching them closely so they don't burn.
• Turn down heat to low, slowly cook onions, stirring every 2 – 3 minutes for 30 minutes or until a golden. Turn heat up to medium high if you need to brown the onions to a golden color, stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper.
• In the meantime, coat prepared shrimp with flour. Shake off excess. Lightly salt and pepper. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Once the skillet is hot, add olive oil. When the olive oil starts to shimmer, turn heat to medium and add shrimp.
• Cook shrimp about 2-3 minutes per side, turning only once. Remove and drain on a paper towel.
• To build the slider, slater both sides of the bun with the Sriracha mayonnaise, place 3 shrimp on each bun, top with a pinch of caramelized onions and a few leaves of arugula. Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Calories: 633kcal | Carbohydrates: 53g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 80mg | Sodium: 493mg | Potassium: 254mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 340IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 95mg | Iron: 3mg

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Thanks to the American Shrimp Processors Association for sponsoring my writing! When making the decision to cook with shrimp, be sure to check the sourcing. Shrimp purchased from a retailer should proudly state “Wild-Caught” or “Wild American Shrimp.” For a list of retailers, please visit www.americanshrimp.com.