Shrimp Tempura
Here's my crispy and delicious Shrimp Tempura recipe! I'll share my secrets for making a light, crisp coating that doesn't absorb oil when fried. The key is in the batter and the deep-frying technique.
Servings: 10 pieces
Calories: 82kcal
Ingredients
- 10 prawns (typically, black tiger prawns are used for shrimp tempura at home; more expensive Japanese tiger prawns are used at tempura specialty restaurants in Japan)
- potato starch or cornstarch (for dusting)
- 3 cups neutral-flavored oil (vegetable, rice bran, canola, etc.) (for deep-frying; or use a 10-to-1 ratio of neutral-flavored oil to sesame oil)
For the Tempura Batter (ratio of egg + water to flour is 1 to 1 by volume)
- 1 large egg (50 g w/o shell) (cold)
- ¾ cup iced water (¾ cup + 4 tsp to be precise)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (plain flour)
For the Tempura Sauce (Tentsuyu)
- ¾ cup dashi (Japanese soup stock; click to learn more) (or use ¾ cup water + 1 tsp dashi powder)
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp mirin
- 2 tsp sugar
For Serving
- 2 inches daikon radish (grated and lightly squeezed to drain)
Instructions
To Make the Tempura Dipping Sauce (Tentsuyu)
- Gather the tempura sauce ingredients.
- Combine the dashi, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar in a small saucepan and bring it to a boil. Then lower the heat and let it simmer until the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from the heat and set aside.
To Prepare the Shrimp
- Follow these instructions on how to straighten the shrimp, so it looks gorgeous. Pat the shrimp dry to completely remove any surface moisture.
To Fry the Shrimp Tempura
- In a wok or a medium-sized pot, heat 1½ inches (3 cm) of oil to 340-350ºF (170-180ºC) and maintain the oil temperature at all times. You can check the temperature with your chopsticks or with a thermometer. Dip the tips of your chopsticks in the oil. When you see small bubbles form around the chopsticks, the oil is ready for deep-frying. Please read this post for more deep-frying tips.
- While the oil is heating up, prepare the tempura batter. First, gather the batter ingredients.
- Next, sift the flour into a large bowl.
- Add the cold egg and the iced water to a measuring cup or bowl.
- Whisk the egg mixture vigorously and discard the foam on the surface.
- Slowly pour the egg mixture into the flour. Mix the batter, but do not overmix; it's okay to leave some lumps in the batter. Keep the batter cold at all times (store it in the refrigerator, if needed). Make the batter right before deep-frying to avoid activating the wheat gluten in the flour.
- Dust the potato starch (or cornstarch) over the shrimp. This will help the tempura batter adhere to the shrimp.
- Now, it's time to coat the shrimp in the batter and add them to the hot oil. Add a few shrimp pieces to the batter bowl. Pick up one piece by the tail, let the excess drip off for a second or two, and very gently place it into the hot oil. Continue battering and adding one piece at a time.
- Deep-fry the shrimp until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Do not overcrowd the wok or pot; remember, your ingredients should take up no more than about half of the oil surface area at any one time. If you add too much food at once, the temperature of the oil will drop quickly and your food will end up absorbing too much oil. Don't overcook the shrimp; otherwise, the texture will be tough and dry. Transfer the shrimp to a wire rack or a plate lined with a paper towel to drain the excess oil. Between batches, skim and discard the crumbs in the oil, which will burn and turn the oil darker if left.
To Serve
- Grate the daikon and squeeze the liquid out.
- Serve the shrimp tempura with warm tempura dipping sauce and grated daikon on the side. Put some grated daikon in the dipping sauce and dip the tempura in the sauce to enjoy.
To Store
- You can keep the leftovers in an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or in the freezer for a month. Reheat in the oven or oven toaster until crisp on the outside and heated through on the inside.
Nutrition
Calories: 82 kcal · Carbohydrates: 5 g · Protein: 2 g · Fat: 6 g · Saturated Fat: 5 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 1 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 1 g · Trans Fat: 1 g · Cholesterol: 21 mg · Sodium: 102 mg · Potassium: 15 mg · Fiber: 1 g · Sugar: 1 g · Vitamin A: 19 IU · Vitamin C: 1 mg · Calcium: 10 mg · Iron: 1 mg