SHRIMP IN TEMPURA crispy and light

If you want to achieve a light and delicate fry you absolutely must try tempura, an Oriental frying technique incredibly crispy and not heavy at all thanks to a special batter in which the ingredients are dipped and to the thermal shock.

Once you learn tempura it can be used to prepare fish, vegetables, chicken, cheese and even fruit, although certainly the ingredient par excellence with which this technique shows its best is shrimp.

Today we’ll prepare shrimp in tempura: simple to make, crispy and light, they can be served as an appetizer or main course, with a squeeze of lemon or accompanied by dipping sauces.

What is important in this frying technique to achieve a perfect result is to follow a few but fundamental rules — follow me and we will discover together all the tips and tricks to prepare at home a tempura as good as the restaurant one.

SHRIMP IN TEMPURA crispy and light

Difficulty: Very easy
Cost: Medium
Preparation time: 15 Minutes
Cooking time: 5 Minutes
Cooking methods: Frying
Cuisine: Japanese

Ingredients

shrimp (3 per person)
salt (to taste)
farina 00 (100 g (about 3.5 oz / ≈ 0.83 cup; roughly 3/4 cup + 1 tbsp))
rice flour (100 g (about 3.5 oz / ≈ 0.83 cup; roughly 3/4 cup + 1 tbsp))
sparkling water (ice-cold 250 ml (≈ 1 cup + 2 tbsp))
egg (1 yolk (optional))
peanut oil (as needed)

Preparation

First of all make sure the ingredients for the batter are very cold, so put both flours and the water in the refrigerator until you need to use them, and keep the shrimp cold as well.

Then take care of cleaning the shrimp: remove the head and the shell leaving only the tail tip attached, finally remove the intestinal tract located along the back using a toothpick.
At this point prepare the batter. Combine the two flours (farina 00 and rice flour) in a bowl then mix them with a fork. Add the ice-cold sparkling water and stir quickly with a fork or whisk. Be careful: you should NOT obtain a smooth batter, but a lumpy one.
Pour the seed oil into a high-sided pan and heat it to about 338°F – 356°F. Dip the shrimp into the batter, letting the excess drip off, then immerse them in the oil and fry for 1–2 minutes. The batter should not brown during frying but should remain white. As they are ready, transfer them to a plate lined with absorbent paper.

STORAGE

I recommend eating the tempura shrimp as soon as they are ready to enjoy all their crispness.

TIPS

BATTER Use a mix of sifted farina 00 and rice flour, or just rice flour, and mix it with sparkling water to make it frothier; the water must be strictly ice-cold.

LUMPS Normally when using flour you are advised to sift it to avoid lumps — forget that here: in this case the advice is exactly the opposite. The secret to a great tempura is to obtain a batter with lumps! The reason is to avoid developing too much gluten. So stir the batter minimally, leave it slightly “granular”, just turn it a little with a whisk or a fork.

HOW TO FRY

THERMAL SHOCK Another guarantee of success is the thermal shock that occurs when cold ingredients come into contact with hot oil: for this reason it is very important to keep the batter temperature low. I therefore recommend keeping all the ingredients in the refrigerator until the last moment, including the flour, and to keep the batter as cold as possible work in a metal bowl placed over another bowl filled with ice. Of course the ingredients to be fried must also be cold and kept in the refrigerator until the last moment. The thermal shock favors the immediate formation of the crust that creates a sort of barrier preventing the oil from reaching the inner ingredient, whether it is fish, meat or vegetables.

OIL TEMPERATURE It should be around 338–356°F. If you don’t have a thermometer you can understand if the temperature is right by dropping a drop of batter into the oil: when it’s ready you’ll see the drop initially sink to the bottom and then immediately rise sizzling. If instead it starts sizzling as soon as it touches the surface of the oil it means the temperature is too high. Make sure to fry few pieces at a time so as not to lower the temperature too much.

VARIATIONS

Traditionally rice flour is used but you can replace it with classic farina 00.

The amount of water depends on the type of flour used so try to adjust while preparing it. Start with a thicker batter and dilute it if necessary.

The use of egg is optional and only serves to make the batter more golden but does not affect the final result; I usually don’t add it.

If you decide not to add the egg consider that you will need about 2–3 tbsp of extra water.

This frying technique can be used to cook any kind of vegetable (carrots, zucchini, onions, pumpkin, green beans, mushrooms, etc.), crustaceans like prawns or scampi but also squid and cuttlefish or fish fillets and even fruit (apple fritters are excellent!)

Do not add salt to the batter because it would ruin all your efforts; salt the shrimp only after they have been fried.

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