The World’s Best Paleo Breaded Shrimp {Made with TigerNut Flour}

It’s just basic math, I was craving breaded, fried shrimp and I just got an amazing box of TigerNut goodies from Organic Gemini, 1+1=2….. and that my friends is how The World’s Best Paleo Breaded Shrimp {Made with TigerNut Flour} was made!

What is a TigerNut?

While they are called “nuts,” these cute little round tubers are actually the root from the chufa sedge plant. TigerNuts comprised up to 80% of our Paleo ancestors’ diet around 2 million years ago (according to an Oxford University study).

TigerNuts are one of the few remaining truly ‘Paleo’ foods still available in today’s modern world!

TigerNuts are often soaked in warm water before being eaten, and they have a sweet, nutty flavor. In Spain they are used to make horchata, a sugary, milky drink. In fact, it can make for a good milk substitute for those who are lactose intolerant or vegan. TigerNuts can also be ground into a flour or eaten raw. They have a deliciously sweet, nutty taste.

3 reasons YOU should include TigerNuts in your diet:

1. Resistant Starch: TigerNuts are the #1 source of Resistant Starch. Resistant starch is a highly beneficial pre-biotic, which means it feeds the good bacteria in your digestive tract. In addition to their delicious flavor, the resistant starch found in tiger nuts is the best reason to include them in your diet on a regular basis. One ounce of TigerNuts has 40% of daily recommend fiber.
2. Healthy Fats: Unlike other starchy vegetable tubers (like potatoes), TigerNuts are an excellent source of healthy fats. TigerNuts have a fatty acid composition similar to olive oil, with the fat composition being about 73% monounsaturated fat, 18% saturated fat and 9% polyunsaturated fat.
3. Allergen free: TigerNuts allergies are probably one of the rarest food allergies/intolerences, EVER. Since they are a tuber, tigernuts are completely soy, dairy, grain, nut, seed free.

Why choose Organic Gemini TigerNuts??

First of all Organic Gemini is the only USDA-Organic Certified TigerNut Company in the USA, which is pretty freaking awesome on it’s own….but they are also certified GMO-Free, Kosher, Vegan. Further, Organic Gemini has a dedicated gluten-free, peanut-free and tree nut-free facility to prevent cross-contamination.

How to eat TigerNuts:

TigerNuts can be eaten whole, raw (their texture is like as if a nut and a gummy bear had a baby, not hard but not soft, pleasantly chewy) or soaked for 12+ hours in water then drained and eaten rehydrated.  I keep a jar of them on the counter and snack on them in the morning while I’m making my coffee or tea.

Organic Gemini also makes TigerNut Granola and TigerNut Snacks to make TigerNut eating even easier!

You can also prepare a traditional beverage called Horchata. After soaking, the tigernuts are blended with water and a dash of sweetener to create a creamy and dairy-free drink (think of it as tiger nut milk) It’s a creamy, dreamy treat… you’ll be hooked once you try it!  The Unsweetened version is just tigernuts and filtered water. The Original gets a touch of sweetness from organic date, but my favorite is the Strawberry!

Recently, Organic Gemini has started offering TigerNut Oil. (I have not tired it.. YET!) This high quality oil is extracted by a cold, virgin process in order to ensure that it retains all the unique nutritious qualities of the TigerNut itself. The oil is golden brown in color and has a slight nutty taste. TigerNut Oil was first used by Egyptians 4,000 years ago and is generally considered a healthier alternative. Highly recommended for cooking above other oils because it is more resistant to chemical decomposition at high temperatures. TigerNut oil is also a fantastic component of beauty products. It has a high oleic acid content and low acidity and is excellent for the skin!

And while I love to snack on tiger nuts often, my favorite way to get them into my diet is with Organic Gemini’s TigerNut Flour!

Whole, raw TigerNuts can also be finely ground into a grain-free Flour that can be used 1:1 in place of regular white flour. It’s one of the BEST all around healthy grain-free flours available!

…and TigerNut Flour is my current OBSESSION!

The main reason I’m so in LOVE with TigerNut flour is that it’s so widely tolerated by so many ways of eating! So often I get comments about readers wanting recipes that are nut-free, or coconut-free or even low-carb/diabetic friendly, TigerNut Flour covers all bases!

Recently, I found out that it’s best that I also avoid almond flour so I’m personally on a crusade to switch to a healthier alternative flour for my own personal paleo template!

While TigerNuts are technically a starch, remember that they are full of fiber & resistant starch which prevents them from having a negative impact on your blood sugar and the carbohydrates are indigestible.

What do TigerNuts Taste like?

TigerNuts have a delicious, sweet flavor.. with the texture of a nut and a hit of vanilla. Most often when searching for TigerNut Flour recipes you’ll find them used in sweet dishes, but don’t let the sweetness scare you away from using them in savory dishes like these Breaded Shrimp!

All you have to do it adequately season your TigerNut flour to balance out the sweetness, in The World’s Best Paleo Breaded Shrimp {Made with TigerNut Flour} you’ll see how beautifully the sweet flour with the savory seasonings work together!

After enjoying The World’s Best Paleo Breaded Shrimp {Made with TigerNut Flour}, Ray and I have been obsessed with fun new ideas to test out with TigerNut Flour – this weekend I’ll be using the same breading on some Rock Fish we have in our freezer from our Cheaspeake Bay fishing trip over the summer, and I’m sure it will be just as delicious.

To purchase Organic Gemini TigerNut flour and other TigerNut products you can visit their website HERE or on Amazon.com

Oh and whatever you do, please DON’T use bottled cocktail to serve with The World’s Best Paleo Breaded Shrimp {Made with TigerNut Flour}!!  Click HERE to get my Gram Elsie’s Homemade Cocktail Sauce Recipe and/or get the recipe for my Fermented Cocktail Sauce HERE.

Grain-Free Breaded Shrimp {Made with TigerNut Flour}

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Ingredients

• 1/2 cup potato starch or arrowroot/tapioca
• 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
• 2 large eggs beaten
• 1 cup TigerNut Flour
• 1 tablespoon Homemade Seasoned Salt
• 1 pound frozen wild caught shrimp, 16-20 count peeled & deveined
• -- Lard or palm oil or other fat for frying
• -- cocktail sauce optional, for serving

Instructions

• Create a breading station, using 3 bowls.
• In bowl #1 combine potato starch and 1 teaspoon sea salt.
• In bowl #2 gently whisk eggs with a splash of water
• In bowl #3 combine tigernut flour with seasoned salt
• Dip each shrimp first in the starch, then the egg, then the tigernut flour. Making sure the shrimp are completely coated.
• Arrange each breaded shrimp in a single layer on a wax paper lined plate.
• After all shrimp are breaded, FREEZE them for 30 minutes. (this ensures the breaded stays completely adhered to the food, use this trick for all breaded meats/seafood)
• While your shrimp are in the freezer, prepare your fat for frying. I suggest using about 3/4 of an inch of lard in a cast iron skillet.
• Heat your fat to roughly 325 degrees, then working batches, fry your shrimp until golden brown and crisp, roughly 2 minutes. Do not over cook your shrimp, they will become dry and chewy.
• Drain fried shrimp on a paper towel lined and season with additional sea salt. Serve with cocktail sauce, if desired.

Tried this recipe?Mention @HealthStartsinthekitchen or tag #HealthStartsInTheKitchen!

This post and recipe were sponsored by my friends at Organic Gemini, but all opinions expressed are 100% mine. Affiliate links are used in this post, thank you for your support.