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Shrimp Tempura
Updated Feb. 29, 2024
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- Total Time
- 55 minutes
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- 1cup homemade dashi, or ¼ teaspoon dashi powder mixed with 1 cup boiled water
- ¼cup soy sauce
- 3tablespoons mirin
- 2½teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1(2-inch) piece daikon radish, peeled and grated
- 12(16/20 count) extra-jumbo white shrimp, or black tiger prawns, shells on and heads removed (about 12 ounces)
- Vegetable oil, for frying (about 7 cups)
- 1cup seltzer, cold
- 1large egg, cold
- 1cup all-purpose flour, sifted into a bowl and chilled
- ½teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
- 1 to 2tablespoons cornstarch or potato starch, as needed
For the Tentsuyu Sauce
For the Shrimp Tempura
Preparation
- Step 1
Prepare the tentsuyu sauce: In a small saucepan, combine the dashi, soy sauce, mirin and sugar. Bring to boil, stirring continuously, about 2 minutes. Reduce to medium-low and simmer, stirring frequently, until the sugar is dissolved and the flavors have melded, 2 minutes more. Remove from the heat.
- Step 2
Prepare the shrimp: Peel the shrimp, but leave the whole tails on. Using the tip of a wooden skewer or a toothpick, devein the back of the shrimp (see Tip). Using a sharp knife, place the shrimp as flat as possible on a cutting board and make 2 shallow crosswise slits on the underside of each one. (This will help straighten the shrimp and prevent them from curling too much.) Transfer the shrimp to a small bowl and rinse with cold water, drain, pat dry and line up on the cutting board.
- Step 3
In a deep, heavy-bottomed skillet or a large Dutch oven, add enough oil to reach 2 inches up the sides of the vessel. Heat over medium-high until the temperature reaches 350 degrees.
- Step 4
Meanwhile, prepare the tempura batter: In a small bowl, whisk the carbonated water with the egg until combined; skim off any foam. Add the salt to the chilled flour in the bowl and stir to combine. Slowly pour the egg mixture into the flour. Using chopsticks or a spatula, mix the batter until just combined. Do not overmix; it’s OK if there are lumps. Place the batter in the fridge, uncovered, until ready to use.
- Step 5
Using a fine mesh sieve, evenly dust the shrimp with cornstarch. (No need to cover all sides.) Place a wire rack on a sheet pan. (If desired, line the sheet pan with parchment for easier cleanup.) When the oil is ready, hold a shrimp by its tail, dip it in the batter and carefully place it in the hot oil. Do this in batches, about 3 shrimp at a time, so as to not overcrowd the pot. Fry, turning once, until golden brown, about 1 minute per side. Using tongs or chopsticks, remove the shrimp from the oil, transfer to the prepared wire rack, and continue frying the remaining. Skim off and discard any crumbs floating in the oil with a mesh sieve or slotted spoon, and adjust the heat as necessary to maintain the temperature.
- Step 6
Lightly squeeze and discard some of the liquid from the grated daikon radish. Divide the tentsuyu sauce into individual small bowls and add a little daikon to each bowl. Serve the shrimp tempura hot with the sauce.
- For tempura, don’t devein the shrimp by cutting a slit on the backside; this causes it to curl. Instead, look for the dark vein under the second or third joint closest to the head. Slip a wooden skewer or toothpick under it and gently lift up the vein, like pulling a thread up and out with a needle. If the vein breaks, try again a couple of joints down closer to the tail.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
Definitely devein the shrimp as described, but don’t leave the shell on except for the tail. Cut the sugar back for the tentsuyu. Serve with cold soba noodles on the side.
The batter is light but definitely needs some additional pepper or something to give it some flavor. Also didn't find the sauce added much if anything. Would recommend looking up some alternate recipes
Someone asked what to do with the used fryer oil when finished. We normally put a good sized funnel in the top of an empty wine bottle. Have a second empty wine bottle ready in case there’s too much oil to fit in one bottle. Cork or replace the twisty top, and put it wherever your garbage guidelines permit.
Reread the directions. In step 2, it says to peel the shrimp.
can this be adapted to do in an air fryer
How about a photo or video to show how to cut the vein. How can a cutstick work?
What do you do with the oil once the shrimp are cooked? It takes a lot to fill two inches of a pan or Dutch oven.
Definitely devein the shrimp as described, but don’t leave the shell on except for the tail. Cut the sugar back for the tentsuyu. Serve with cold soba noodles on the side.
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