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Shrimp Scampi Fritta used to be one of Olive Garden appetizers years back, now it’s replaced with this shrimp recipe. For more Olive Garden copycat recipes try the best olive garden soup, Zuppa Toscana. Other favorites include this Olive Garden Pasta Fagioli soup, Five Cheese Ziti (the sauce can be used for dipping breadsticks), and Better than Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce!
What is Shrimp Fritto Misto?
Shrimp Fritto (fried) Misto (mixed) is an Italian word for fried and mixed. It’s the Olive Garden Shrimp Fritto Misto appetizer made of breaded shrimp, bell peppers, and onions and served with a side of marinara and spicy ranch. I will note that this is not an Olive Garden spicy shrimp appetizer, although there’s a little kick and tanginess from the cherry peppers it is not hot and all my children can eat this with no problem, so it’s very mild. Needless to say this shrimp recipe is incredibly delicious!
This Olive Garden recipe was recreated at home after eating out with the family and bringing home some leftover meals. We all enjoyed the shrimp appetizer so, I tried to replicate the sauce and breading based off of the leftovers. It seemed like the breading had a crunchy cornmeal kind of breading which lead me to explore the possibilities. After deciding I needed a wet and dry breading I decided to use part of the breading, I created as my wet batter to make it easy.
You will love how crispy this Olive Garden shrimp appetizer turns out to be and it tastes just like the real thing! Shrimp appetizers make great finger foods but there’s so much more you can make from this recipe! Beyond appetizer ideas, you can fill these in shrimp tacos, top this over pasta recipes (with Alfredo sauce), or even transition the breading from a seafood to chicken Fritta!
Shrimp Fritto Misto Ingredients:
The Olive Garden version has onions in the mix to shrimp, but I decided to leave it out. By all means you can certainly cut a fourth of onion into strips and fry that up but I’m keeping it simple. Here is everything you need to make this Shrimp Fritto Misto recipe at home!
- Spicy Ranch Sauce- for the homemade spicy ranch recipe I simply mixed together creamy ranch dressing, cherry pepper hoagie spread, finely grated parmesan cheese, and Olive Garden salad dressing (that you can buy bottled).
- Raw Medium Shrimp- I used the medium raw peeled shrimp from Aldi but you can use large shrimp with tails on, just be sure to use raw shrimp.
- Breading- is mixture of dry ingredients like cornstarch, ground cornmeal, all-purpose flour, seasoned salt, garlic salt, lemon pepper, paprika, and dried parsley.
- Wet Batter- is made with equal amounts of the dry breading (above) and water.
Add-ons: you can mix in any vegetable suitable for frying like artichoke, broccoli, or asparagus for the bell peppers. Don’t have shrimp? Use this breading for calamari!
How To Make Shrimp Fritto Misto Appetizer:
This Olive Garden shrimp appetizer recipe is very quick and easy to make. To begin you will need a deep pot for deep frying and make sure your shrimp is thawed and ready to use before breading. I like to use a slotted spoon when removing the shrimp to a paper towel lined plate. Set up your frying station for a smooth and easy cooking experience.
- Make the Olive Garden Spicy ranch by whisking all the sauce ingredients together. Cover and store in the fridge until ready to use.
- Combine all of the dry ingredients for the breading. Whisk together and remove 1/2 cup of the breading for the wet batter.
- For the wet batter combine the reserved breading and 1/2 cup of cold water.
- Drain the shrimp from water if you were thawing. Cut the bell peppers into strips and set up the breading station.
- Dip the shrimp and vegetables into the wet batter then into the dry breading and fry in batches. Shrimp takes about 2-3 minutes to deep fry and the vegetables take up to a minute.
- Remove with a slotted and transfer the fried shrimp or vegetables onto a plate lined with paper towels.
- Serve on a platter with the spicy ranch or marinara sauce.
Did you make this copycat recipe? Leave a rating and comment below to tell us what you think!
How To Store and Reheat Leftovers:
The best way to revive leftover fried food is to pop it into the oven and roast it open. Bake leftover Shrimp Fritto Misto at 400°F for 15-20 minutes. Store leftovers in an air-tight container in the fridge for up-to 3 days.
What To Serve With Shrimp Fritto Misto:
Shrimp Fritto Misto is a deep fried appetizer perfect along with soft and creamy dishes. Here are ways to serve this shrimp dish!
- With a creamy alfredo pasta recipes like Fettuccini Alfredo or Creamy Parmesan Garlic Angel Hair Pasta
- Cream Cheese Lasagna and Garden salad.
- Mashed potatoes and gravy or Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice
- Cobb Salad with Green Cobb Salad Dressing
More Olive Garden Recipes To Make:
- Olive Garden Breadsticks Recipe
- Five Cheese Ziti Al Forno Olive Garden Copycat Recipe
- Zuppa Toscana Recipe (Olive Garden Copycat)
- Olive Garden Ravioli di Portobello Copycat Recipe
- Shrimp Scampi Fritta Recipe (Olive Garden Copycat)
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Shrimp Fritto Misto Recipe
Equipment
- 1 pot, (for deep frying)
- 2 mixing bowls, (for breading and wet batter)
- 2 dinner plates, (lined with paper towels)
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 16 oz raw medium shrimp , (thawed and drained)
- 1/2 red bell pepper, cut into strips (can do part red and green)
Spicy Ranch:
- 1/4 cup creamy ranch dressing , (I used Hidden Valley)
- 1 Tbsp cherry pepper spread
- 3 Tbsp parmesan cheese
- 3 Tbsp Olive Garden dressing
Breading:
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 2 Tbsp ground cornmeal
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 Tbsp seasoned salt, (I used Lawry's seasoned salt)
- 1/2 Tbsp garlic salt, (Lawry's brand)
- 1 tsp lemon pepper
- 2 tsp paprika
- 1 Tbsp dried parsley
Instructions
- Make the spicy ranch: combine all of the sauce ingredients and cover and store in the fridge until needed.
- In a medium bowl combine all of the breading ingredients. Whisk together and reserve 1/2 cup for the wet batter.
- In a small bowl mix together 1/2 cup of the reserved breading with 1/2 cup of cold water. This is the wet batter.
- Dip the shrimp and bell pepper strips into the wet batter first then into the dry breading, working in small batches. I like to get the first 6-8 shrimps into the fryer then bread as I go. Fry the peppers last since they fry fast.
- Deep fry in batches over medium high heat until the shrimp float to the top and are golden (2-3 minutes.)
- The bell peppers take about 1 minute to fry.
- Transfer fried shrimp and peppers onto a plate lined with paper towels.
- Serve with spicy ranch or marinara sauce.
Notes
- For deep frying: you will need about 2-3 cups of any mildly flavored oil that is safe to heat to 350°F.
Nutrition (per serving)
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