Dorito-Dusted Shrimp With Jalapeño Dipping Sauce Recipe

Using crushed Doritos in place of breadcrumbs can bring the flavor of oven-baked crispy shrimp to the next level. Throw in a jalapeño dipping sauce on the side, and the combination is over-the-top good. As recipe developer Patterson Watkins says of these Dorito-dusted shrimp, "The crushed chip coating really imparts not just super-charged flavor, but also a sturdy, crunchy coating that holds up better than traditional breadcrumbs." The dipping sauce, she adds, is "exceptionally tasty, almost a fun intersection between ranch dressing and salsa verde."

Watkins notes that these shrimp are pretty versatile, whether you want to serve them as an appetizer for all ages or for the meal itself. "You would definitely get some cool points at the dining table if you served this as dinner's main dish," she imagines. And if you want a side to match the entree, you could serve fries or tater tots that are also dusted with crushed Doritos, or, for something lighter, perhaps a salad with Dorito crumb croutons.

This recipe starts with large peeled shrimp, and the crumb coating consists of flour, salt, pepper, eggs, and nacho cheese-flavored Doritos. The dipping sauce is made with both pickled and fresh jalapeños, cilantro, sour cream, mayonnaise, lime juice, garlic powder, and onion powder.

For the jalapeño dipping sauce, place the pickled jalapeños, fresh jalapeños, cilantro, sour cream, mayonnaise, lime juice, garlic powder, and onion powder in the bowl of a food processor. Blend until smooth.

Season dipping sauce to taste with salt and pepper, cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Preheat oven to 400 F. Line a large baking sheet with foil, place a wire rack on top, and set aside.

Pat shrimp dry with paper towels.

For the coating, place flour and salt in a shallow bowl and stir to combine.

Set up your remaining breading station items by placing the beaten eggs and crushed Doritos in separate shallow bowls.

First, coat shrimp in flour, shaking off any excess.

Next, dip shrimp in egg, allowing any excess egg to drip off. Lastly, coat shrimp in crushed Doritos, pressing the coating with your hands to adhere.

Transfer coated shrimp to the prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 10-15 minutes or until shrimp are cooked through and crisp.

Serve crispy shrimp with bowls of jalapeño dipping sauce on the side.

Different Doritos flavors abound in grocery stores and seem to come and go with the seasons. While nacho cheese is a fan favorite on the permanent lineup, Watkins notes that you can use whatever kind you like in this recipe. "Cool Ranch, Spicy Nacho, Sweet Chili, Flamin' Hot... All sound equally delicious to me," she says, adding that just about any variety would pair nicely with the jalapeño dipping sauce.

If you're thinking of trying a non-Dorito chip, Watkins advises sticking to tortilla chips. As she explains, "Corn-based chips seem to hold up better under baking," while potato chips or puffed chips would get too soggy. Crunchy Cheetos, she suggests, should make the perfect alternative, although Watkins has yet to try the combination.

Watkins says of the dipping sauce in this recipe, "Even if you're a bit on the fence about jalapeños, this sauce has some sort of spicy pepper balancing power." She shares that when she was testing out the recipe she made a double batch — kind of accidentally-on-purpose — so she had plenty left over to put toward other purposes.

As Watkins tells us, "My salads had jalapeño dipping sauce dressing. My veggie snacks were dunked in jalapeño dipping sauce. My breakfast tacos were drizzled with jalapeño dipping sauce. My lunch and dinner tacos were drizzled with jalapeño dipping sauce." Needless to say, these are just a few of the many things you can do with this versatile dip. You could also use it on pizza, burgers, or sandwiches; stir some into scrambled eggs; and use it as a dip for chips (yes, even the potato kind).