Eggless Shrimp Tempura
Over time, I’ve tried various shrimp tempura recipes, but I must say this is by far my favorite, also because I’ve been able to experiment with mathematical certainty that: if I prepare it in advance and then reheat it in the oven a few minutes before serving (with the timings I explain later in the article), the fry remains absolutely crispy.
I highly recommend this recipe for special occasions, such as: birthdays, Valentine’s Day, Easter, Christmas, New Year’s, since shrimp tempura can be prepared in advance and is ideal as an appetizer or finger food, perhaps to enjoy in the summer with a chilled sparkling wine in peace with your guests, without frying at the moment with the fear of soaking up the unpleasant smell of frying.
The recipe is taken from the Starbook of May 2018 entirely dedicated to experimenting with various recipes from the book “Mon Grain de Sel” by Bernard Laurance.
The secret to the crispness of the batter is the absence of eggs, says Bernard Laurance, who is always a guarantee!
This dish is among my “Top recipes”, because it’s delicious and practical, if you’re looking for tested, delicious, and foolproof recipes, search the Blog, among my flagship dishes, in the appropriate Section: “My TOP recipes”.
You might also be interested in:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 30 Minutes
- Preparation time: 30 Minutes
- Portions: 24 pieces
- Cooking methods: Frying
- Cuisine: International
- Seasonality: All seasons, New Year's
Ingredients for Eggless Shrimp Tempura
- 24 pieces Large Shrimps (big and with tail)
- 1.5 cups All-purpose flour
- 1 cup Potato starch (or rice flour)
- 1.1 cups Water (very cold)
- 0.75 oz Instant yeast for savory preparations (NOT beer yeast)
- 0.11 oz Fine salt (about a quarter teaspoon)
- as needed Flour (to flour the shrimp)
- as needed Peanut oil (for frying)
Tools
- Immersion Blender Braun, 1000W Power
- Pot for frying
- Bowl
- Absorbent paper
Preparation of Eggless Shrimp Tempura
Pour the rice flour (or starch) and salt into a bowl (do NOT add the yeast yet).
Add the water, mixing well until all lumps are gone.
I used an immersion blender to emulsify the batter well.
The batter should be fluid, yet still thick enough at the same time.
Then, put everything in the fridge for 30 minutes (unless the water was really icy).The colder the batter, the better the yeast, which will be added later, will do its perfect job at the moment of frying.
Clean and peel the shrimp, leaving the tips of the tails, gently remove the black thread from the shrimp (intestine).
Flour the shrimp, shake off the excess flour, then dip them into the batter, holding them by their tails.
In any case, try to keep as much batter as possible around the shrimp, because it is what gives the shrimp tempura its crispiness.
I used very handy frozen shrimp, already peeled except for the tail, which I left to help during frying and also because it looks nice to leave the tail intact.
Meanwhile, heat a saucepan or a fryer (better yet a wok) with plenty of oil.
When it’s time to cook, and the oil is very hot (about 340°F / 355°F), finally add the yeast to the batter, mixing well (this operation should be done right before frying!).
Dip each shrimp in the hot oil, holding it by the tail for about three seconds, so it doesn’t sink and keeps a nicer shape.
Then leave the shrimp in so it finishes cooking until it reaches a nice golden color.
Fry few shrimp at a time.
Drain the shrimp tempura on absorbent kitchen paper and serve immediately, optionally accompanied by soy or sweet and sour sauce (see here, for example: sweet chili thai sauce).
If you want to prepare them in advance, proceed as follows: after frying the shrimp, set them aside and – 10 minutes before serving – preheat the oven to 392°F, place the shrimp on a dish and keep them for eight minutes.
Let them rest for three minutes out of the oven and serve, they will regain all their crispiness!
Bernard Laurance assures (and I personally confirm, see above) that this tempura easily regains crispiness because the batter does NOT contain eggs, but only flour, starch, and water (and naturally yeast), and the water, upon contact with the hot oil, evaporates.
In this case, only the flour (or starch) remains on the shrimp, which is why they remain perfectly crispy.
Notes and Tips
If you’re looking for an unusual, delicious, and impactful appetizer, I recommend trying my “Club Sandwich … of pancake“!!
If you’re looking for an unusual, delicious, and impactful appetizer, I recommend trying my “Club Sandwich … of pancake“!!
Shopping Tips!!!
To fry the shrimp, I used this excellent and deep Frying Pot with Basket and Cast Glass Lid, 3 l, in Stainless Steel, you can find it on Amazon at a great price.
To quickly fry foods without the oil overflowing the pot, I also often use this practical fryer with a capacity of 3 l, the cold walls prevent food residues from burning at the bottom, it has a safety oil filter that prevents excessive splashes, boiling, and spills, particularly useful for frying even frozen food, easy to disassemble for dishwasher cleaning, find it on Amazon at a special price.
To prepare the batter, I used my immersion blender by Braun MultiQuick 7, which you can purchase at a special price by clicking HERE #adv
Read my review for GialloZafferano on the Minipimer “Braun MQ9045 MultiQuick 9”
Read my review for GialloZafferano on the Minipimer “Braun MQ9045 MultiQuick 9”
