Some of you might remember the post that I did before the Superbowl.  I had this great plan to cook up some shrimp and pair them with a Riesling that I had at the house.  Well, some extenuating circumstances caused me to not be able to carry out my plan, so I reserved the shrimp adventure for the Valentine's Day dinner that my wife and I were going to be cooking last week.  When Valentine's Day rolled around, my lovely wife was sick (it's been an extenuating circumstances kind of last few weeks), so we finally made it around to cooking our Valentine's Day dinner last night, complete with yummy little shrimp.

 
P2210015I discovered Bang Bang Shrimp at a Bonefish restaurant in Kennewick, Washington this summer.  They are amazing, so when my wife mentioned that she would like to find a recipe for them, I was in like Flynn.  We found the recipe for the shrimp here.  Here's it is -

 Spicy Sauce
½ cup mayonnaise
4 tsp chili garlic sauce
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp rice vinegar

Shrimp
1 egg, beaten
1 cup milk
¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup panko crumbs
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
½ tsp rubbed ground sage
¼ tsp onion powder
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp dried basil

8 to 12 cups vegetable shortening or oil
16 to 18 medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

P22100071. Combine all ingredients for chili sauce in a small bowl and set aside.
2. Combine egg and milk in shallow bowl. Mix flour, panko, and spices in another shallow bowl.
3. Heat oil to 350 degrees. Use the amount of oil required by your fryer.
4. Bread shrimp by first coating each with breading, then dip into egg
mixture, and then back into breading. Arrange the coated shrimp on a
plate and pop them into the fridge for at least 20 minutes. This step
will help the breading to stick on the shrimp when they are frying.
5. When your oil is hot, fry the shrimp for 3 to 4 minutes or until
golden brown. Drain on a rack or paper towels. When all of the shrimp
have been fried, drop the shrimp into a large bowl. Spoon about ¼ cup
of the sauce over the shrimp and stir gently to coat. Stack the shrimp
on a bed of mixed greens, then sprinkle chopped green onion over the
top.

When the shrimp were finished, we sat down and ate them with a 2008 Jacob's Creek Reserve Riesling, which I received as a sample provided for review.  The wine paired really well with the shrimp, offsetting some of the spiciness.

 
P2210013This wine has 12% alcohol, and can generally be found for around $12-$14.  It is an off-dry Riesling.  Jacob's Creek is Australia's largest wine producer.

On the nose I get some apple, citrus aromas of lemon and lime, and just a touch of minerality.  The flavor of this wine is crisp, with more lime notes coming through, and some nice acidity.  The finish is a bit on the short side, with just a touch of a tropical component.  

Overall, I think that this wine drank pretty well, but I think that you can probably find Rieslings with a bit more character, even in this price range.  I certainly wouldn't be embarrassed to serve this at a dinner party, and if you can find it at a good price I think that it is definitely worth a try.  This wine would go well with a wide variety of foods, but I really enjoyed it with the spiciness of the shrimp.