Make this popular appetizer/side dish from Longhorn Steakhouse at home. The Longhorn Wild West Shrimp is SO delicious and flavorful with cherry peppers, a bit of spice, and, of course, a ranch dipping sauce!

Yep, I am on a mission to recreate all my favorite side dishes and appetizers from Longhorn.

Every time we go there, the trip isn’t complete without getting some of their Wild West Shrimp.

These are absolutely delectable and so easy to eat a few too many! But that’s not a problem 🙂

They are crispy, a little spicy, and totally full of flavor. As I was eating them, I thought I could easily recreate the recipe at home.

The breading seemed pretty simple, and it was clearly dusted with the famous Longhorn Steakhouse Prairie Dust. I felt like there was some butter as well, and, of course, peppers.

The description says cherry peppers, which add a little spice. We got sweet cherry peppers for this recipe, which I like. I think they might use the hot ones at Longhorn.

I didn’t want to recreate the wheel, so I just found someone else’s Prairie Dust recipe online – so make sure you have all those ingredients (or you can buy it on Amazon!)

Beyond that, the ingredients are pretty simple.

I used my Instant Pot to fry and saute everything, simply because I think it’s easier to fry things in there – but you can absolutely use any vessel you want for frying!

This tasted SO good and almost identical to what you get at Longhorn. My boys actually didn’t love it when we got it at Longhorn this last time, but they couldn’t get enough of this!

Longhorn Copycat Recipes

As I mentioned, I love Longhorn, so I’ve created several copycat recipes from there! Here are the three others that are featured here in Simply Side Dishes:

• Longhorn Steakhouse Mac and Cheese
• Longhorn Steakhouse Mashed Potatoes
• Longhorn Steakhouse Broccoli
• The Best Copycat Longhorn Steakhouse Loaded Potato Soup
• Longhorn Steakhouse Rice Pilaf Recipe

Equipment Needed

For this recipe, you will need something to fry the shrimp in. I used my Instant Pot on saute! I much prefer frying in my Instant Pot.

If you don’t have an Instant Pot or just don’t want to use it, just make sure you have a deep frying pan (that you can put 2″ of oil in) or a deep fryer!

I used a metal slotted spoon to remove my shrimp from my pot.

Specific Brands I Use

People always want to know the specific brands we use, so here is what we used in the recipe before.

• Kroger shrimp
• Redmond Salt (use code CLARKS for a discount)
• Mezzetta Sweet Cherry Peppers

Instant Pot Fried Shrimp

Ingredients:

• 1 lb thawed Medium Shrimp (I used deveined and pre-cooked – I removed the shells)
• 1.5 cups white flour
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• Frying Oil (enough to cover your dish about 2″)
• Longhorn Steakhouse Prairie Dust
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 6 Cherry Peppers, chopped

Directions:

Add oil to a frying pan, pot, or to the insert to your Instant Pot. If using the Instant Pot, set to high saute.

Mix flour, salt, and pepper and place in a bowl.

Place milk in another bowl.

Dredge the shrimp in the milk, then the flour mixture, and shake off excess.

Fry in oil until cooked – remove with a slotted spoon and put on a paper towel. Repeat with all shrimp.

Melt butter and garlic and lemon. If you are using your Instant Pot, remove the oil, clean out the pot, and place these ingredients in there.

Add peppers and about 1.5 tablespoons of the seasoning and saute over low heat.

Drizzle the sauce and peppers over the top of the shrimp and serve with ranch dressing