Japanese Shrimp Tempura (Crispy Ebi Ten)
Ingredients
For the shrimp and prep
- 10 large shrimp kuruma ebi, black tiger, or whiteleg / 16-20 count in the US
- ½ tsp salt for the wash
- 1 tbsp potato starch (katakuriko) for the wash
- 2 tbsp water for the wash
For the batter
- 75 ml cold water thoroughly chilled
- 50 ml carbonated water thoroughly chilled
- 15 g cornstarch
- 75 g unbleached cake flour or pastry flour, low-protein, around 7-8%, plus a little for dusting
- 1 egg yolk or egg white, ½ tbsp mayonnaise containing egg for one egg yolk
- 2 ice cubes optional
- cooking oil for deep frying at least 5 cm deep, in a pot about 24 cm across
To finish
- salt as needed
- tempura dipping sauce (tentsuyu) as needed
Instructions
- Measure 75 ml cold water into a jug, and place it in the fridge along with an unopened bottle of carbonated water, chill for 30 minutes. Sift 75 g unbleached cake flour into a bowl with 15 g cornstarch and chill that too. While you wait, prep the shrimp.
- Peel 10 large shrimp, keeping the tail and the first segment above it, and remove the vein. Fold the tail, trim the tip on a slant, pop out the pointed rostrum, and press the water from inside the tail with the side of the knife.
- Add the shrimp to a bowl with ½ tsp salt, 1 tbsp potato starch (katakuriko), and 2 tbsp water, and massage gently with your fingers for 30 seconds to a minute (no longer than 2 minutes). Rinse in cold water until it runs clear, then pat fully dry.
- With the belly up, score 4 to 5 shallow diagonal cuts across it, half the depth of the meat. Turn it belly-down and press the back at 3 to 4 points until you feel a faint snap and it lies flat. Optional: Spread the shrimp out on paper towels without overlap, lay another sheet on top, and refrigerate 10 minutes.
- Heat the cooking oil for deep frying to 180 to 190°C (356 to 374°F), testing with a drop of batter that sinks partway and floats back up from the center. Dust the shrimp thinly with cake flour and tap off the excess.
- Mix a little of your chilled water with 1 egg yolk, then add the rest and 50 ml carbonated water. Fold in the dry mix a third at a time with chopsticks, gently, in a cross pattern. Do not overmix. Add 2 ice cubes if you like.
- Coat a shrimp in batter and slip it straight into the oil, one by one, filling no more than a third of the surface (3 shrimp in a 24 cm pot). Fry about 2 minutes to a light, crisp color, then lift onto a rack. Chill the batter between batches.
- Serve at once, hot from the oil, with salt to pinch on or with tempura dipping sauce (tentsuyu). Enjoy!
Notes
Small batches, hot oil: Add too many at once and the oil temperature drops, giving a heavy, oil-soaked crust that never colors. In a 24 cm pot, keep it to 3 shrimp at a time so the oil holds its heat.
Dry the shrimp before flouring: Water left on the surface makes the batter slide off and the oil spit. Pat the shrimp dry, then dust thinly with flour.
Score and straighten to stop curling: Make 4 to 5 belly cuts and press along the back until you feel a snap, so the shrimp lies straight.
Eat it straight away: Tempura batter pulls in moisture within minutes and loses its lightness. It is at its best the moment it comes out of the oil.
If you use frozen shrimp: For frozen shrimp, make a 3% brine with 200 ml water and 1 tsp salt and submerge them. Give shell-on 10 to 15 minutes, peeled 8 to 10, lifting each one out while the middle is still faintly icy. Raw or thawed shrimp skip this.
Avoid bleached cake flour: Avoid bleached or chlorinated cake flour, self-rising flour, and gluten-free blends, as they change the texture. For UK/AU readers, plain flour works. See my flour guide for more info.
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