• 2 large eggs

• 1⁄4 cup cornstarch

• 1⁄4 cup yellow cornmeal

• 2 pounds raw large shrimp, peeled and deveined

• vegetable oil for frying

• coarse sea or kosher salt

• bottled salsa

In a shallow dish, beat the eggs lightly. Put the cornstarch and cornmeal in separate dishes. Dip each shrimp in cornstarch, then egg, then cornmeal.

In a large deep skillet, heat 1⁄4 inch of oil over moderately high heat until it is very hot, but not smoking. Add some of the shrimp to the skillet, leaving plenty of room between them, and fry them for 1 to 2 minutes on each side until they are crisp and cooked through. Transfer the shrimp to brown paper to drain and sprinkle them with salt. Fry the remaining shrimp.

Serve the shrimp immediately with the salsa.

Serves 8 as an appetizer or 4 as a main course

Thanks to Leslie Glover Pendleton for this recipe