This year was the 45th Annual Explosive Ordnance Disposal Memorial

This year’s EOD Memorial Weekend took place on April 30-May 3. The events are in my hometown of Fort Walton Beach/Destin, FL, since the EOD school is located in Niceville, FL. My husband has been EOD for 3 years now but this year was the first year we were able to attend. The amazing EOD Warrior Foundation puts on the weekend including a conference, golf tournament, auction, ball, and most importantly the Memorial Services to honor the fallen EOD techs we lost that year. There’s also an EOD Cellars Wine Tasting at my favorite restaurant, McGuire’s Irish Pub (Tackitt Vineyards is owned by Leon Tackitt who is retired EOD) and a Crawfish Boil hosted by another local fave, HelenBack in Niceville, FL.

Scroll down for my EOD themed recipe Dynamite Bang Bang Shrimp!

Because of a massive storm that caused flooding we missed the Wine Tasting and conference this year but we were still able to attend the auction, memorial, and the ball. Ashton, who had just returned from deployment at the time, surprised me with tickets to the ball, saying that “every girl deserves to attend a ball at least once in her life”. {So true!}

At the EOD Auction Fundraiser

On May 2nd, we stopped by the Emerald Coast Convention Center to check out the EOD Auction. We purchased a few shirts from the EOD Warrior Foundation {my favorite says Bring on the Boom!} and mingled with fellow EOD, their families, and community supporters. The next morning we arrived at the EOD Memorial in Niceville and paid our respects to the fallen EOD techs. This was the 45th Annual Memorial Ceremony and names of fallen EOD on the wall date back to WWII. General Odierno, the Chief of Staff of the Army, was the guest speaker.

View a video of the EOD Memorial Ceremony here.

Finally, Saturday night we attended the EOD ball at the convention center. I could not believe the number of people who attended! The EOD community really came together for this great fundraiser for the EODWF! Everyone dressed in formal attire, there were professional pictures, drinks, dancing, cake, and a sit down dinner. Even though it was a ball and we had a great time meeting all our fellow EOD families, it was also a nice celebration of each of the 8 EOD techs we lost last year. Before dinner, we listened to a speaker and watched a video on each of these brave men and learned a little about them and their families.

Scroll down for more EOD Ball pics!

EOD Ball 2014

SSG Wade Bennett 11-2012
SSG Joshua Bowden 08-2013
SFC Jeffrey C. Baker 05-2013
SSG Nicholas J. Reid 12-2012

SGT Miguel Ortiz 11-2013
SSGT Eric W. Summers 11-2013
SSGT Mathew R. Marsh 11-2013
GYSGT Gregory Mullins 11-2013

You will never be forgotten!

Donate to the EODWF here.

My family at the EOD Memorial Ceremony.

Back home we have a chain restaurant called Bonefish Grill. It’s a great date night place that has affordable seafood dishes and delicious drinks. I go there often when I’m in Florida and have many fond memories dining there with Ashton and my family. I usually order their Kobe Burger for dinner but as an appetizer we ALWAYS order their signature Bang Bang Shrimp. It took me a few tries to perfect the spicy, creamy sauce on the shrimp but I think I finally nailed it! I also read some tips online by an ex Bonefish Grill employee that I have included below.

I appropriately named my version Dynamite Bang Bang Shrimp in honor of our EOD techs and because these little shrimp pack a punch!

Print Recipe

Dynamite Bang Bang Shrimp

Serves 4 as a meal Makes 40-60 shrimp

Ingredients

12 oz-16oz 40/60 count shrimp peeled, deveined, and tailed removed
2 cups buttermilk
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1 cup rice flour for a lighter, crispier texture-you can sub. all purpose flour
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
salt and white pepper to taste
vegetable oil for frying
green onions diced for garnish

Bang Bang Sauce:

1 cup mayo I love Duke's
2 tbsp Sriracha
1 tbsp sweet chili sauce
1 tsp rice wine vinegar

Instructions

Heat oil in a deep saucepan over medium heat.
Mix all ingredients for Bang Bang Sauce in a small bowl. Chill until ready to serve.
Add peeled shrimp to a large bowl and cover with buttermilk.
Make a breading station filling one bowl with panko breadcrumbs. In the other bowl add rice flour, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt and pepper.
Dip the buttermilk soaked shrimp in seasoned flour then back into buttermilk then into panko coating shrimp all over.
Bread all shrimp and lay on a plate.
Add 5-6 shrimp at a time to the oil and cook for 2 minutes, until golden brown.
Remove to a paper towel lined plate and repeat with remaining shrimp.
Remove cool Bang Bang Sauce from the fridge, add to a large bowl, and add warm shrimp to the bowl. Toss with tongs until well coated.
Serve garnished with diced green onions with a side of rice or noodles and cucumber salad.

Did you make this Recipe?Tag @flchefnicole or hashtag #fortheloveoffoodblog

The secrets to the perfect Bang Bang sauce!

Mix together 1 cup mayo (I swear by Duke’s), 2 tbsp Sriracha, 1 tbsp sweet chili sauce,and 1 tsp rice wine vinegar.

Place sauce in the fridge to chill until shrimp are cooked.

The two keys to light and crunchy shrimp: rice flour and panko bread crumbs!

Start with small-medium shrimp (about 40/60 size). Peeled, deveined, and tails removed.

Heat oil over medium (I fill a heavy bottom pot or a cast iron skillet half way). I use vegetable or canola oil.

Tip on how to tell if your oil is ready:

drop a pinch of flour in the oil. If it sizzles, it’s ready.

Add your peeled shrimp to a large bowl of buttermilk.

Let marinate for a minute while you set up your breading station.

Place panko in one bowl and rice flour seasoned with garlic powder, onion powder,

salt, and pepper in the other.

To bread shrimp: take shrimp out of buttermilk, dip in seasoned rice flour, dip back in buttermilk, then roll in panko. Repeat with all shrimp. {Add more panko and/or flour if needed}.

I bread all my shrimp and set aside on a plate so I can frying in a flash!

Carefully drop shrimp in hot oil. Do not crowd the pot, usually not more then 5-6 per batch.

Fry for exactly 2 minutes.

You’ve got to be fast for this part!

Remove to a paper towel lined plate to quickly drain.

Remove Bang Bang sauce from the fridge and spoon into a room temp bowl.

Cold sauce + room temp bowl + hot shrimp= perfectly saucy coated shrimp.

(Great tip from an Ex Bonefish Grill employee).

Immediately toss your hot shrimp in the bowl with the sauce. Use tongs to toss and coat.

Since you are frying your shrimp in batches, you can spoon the cold sauce in the bowl in batches too.

A little sauce goes a long way!

Remove to a plate and repeat with remaining shrimp.

Serve as an appetizer or pair with cucumber salad, Miso soup, and Inari (sweet rice and tofu pockets made by my Mom!) for a delicious and filling meal!