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Ebi Tempura is always a crowd pleaser. Who can resist the deep fried, light, airy coating encasing a succulent and perfectly prepared shrimp? I will share with you the easy way to make restaurant-style Shrimp Tempura with the signature flaky, airy batter at home!
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For many, Ebi Tempura (Shrimp Tempura) is their introduction to Japanese cuisine. The ever so popular dish is a staple at most Japanese restaurants. It's often served with udon noodles, with rice in bento boxes, or even in sushi rolls. However, I love it alone as an appetizer with a side of tempura dipping sauce.
Although shrimp is the star of the show when it comes to tempura, the supporting cast has a lot to offer too. A side of vegetable tempura contains a wide array of items such as sweet potato, eggplant, onion, broccoli, carrots, kabocha squash, just to name a few.
What Type of Shrimp Can I Use for Ebi Tempura?
You can use any variety of shrimp for Ebi Tempura. The shrimp just needs to be uncooked. Precooked co*cktail shrimp will not work. I buy bags of frozen shrimp from Costco. They come with the tail on, deveined and with the shell removed. They still require a bit of prep but they're perfect for Ebi Tempura.
What Size Shrimp Do I Need?
Technically, any size shrimp would work. However, I prefer a slightly larger shrimp, something around the 21/25 size. A little bigger or smaller would work just as well. Just try not to go too much smaller. As you go smaller, your batter to shrimp ratio becomes disproportional.
Going bigger would be better than going smaller, however, only to a certain point. Shrimp tend to be tougher as you go up in size and lack the tender succulent bite. I find the 21/25 size to be a happy medium.
NOTE: Shrimp sizing is an important aspect to buying shrimp. Shrimp are typically sold by the pound, and the number of shrimp in a pound is used to determine their size. This is known as the shrimp count. The smaller the number, the larger the individual shrimp.
For example, colossal shrimp are sold as 16 to 20 per pound (sometimes written as 16/20 or 16-20), while small shrimp are sold as 71/90 or 71-90 which means there are 71 to 90 shrimp per pound.
How to Prepare the Shrimp for Ebi Tempura
Preparation is one of the key steps to making great Ebi Tempura. The shrimp should have the head and shell removed (except for the tail), deveined, patted dry and straightened. For Ebi Tempura, having the tail on is a must. Not only does it create a beautiful end product, it's tasty too. Once the tail is fried, it's edible, and one of my and my youngest daughter's favorite part.
Clean the shrimp by rinsing it under cold water. If it has not been deveined, use a sharp knife and make a shallow cut along the back of the shrimp to remove the vein. Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels.
1) To straighten the shrimp, place the shrimp bottom side up as shown above.
2) Make 4-6 shallow slits on the underside side of the shrimp.
3) The shrimp should now stay relatively flat on its own.
4) Flip the shrimp over and lay it flat, slit side down.
5) With your index finger, firmly press down on the back of the shrimp to break the muscles. Use your thumb and middle finger to keep it in place while you push.
6) You'll feel and hear popping sounds as you press along the length of the shrimp. The shrimp should now be straight and about 1.5 times longer.
How to Make Tempura Batter
In order to achieve the signature light and flaky texture of tempura, we want to minimize gluten formation. Gluten is what makes bread chewy, the exact opposite of what we want here. We want to minimize the amount of gluten that is developed in the batter. Here are three steps to achieving this.
- Use a low protein flour. For this recipe, I used all purpose flour. Cake flour will work as a great substitute since it contains less protein, which will yield better results.
- Use cornstarch. Cornstarch is naturally gluten-free so using it in the batter will help make it light and airy.
- Use ice cold water. The colder the better. Using cold water will reduce the amount of gluten that is formed.
- Don’t overmix. Use a whisk or chopsticks to lightly stir the batter just until the dry ingredients have combined with the wet. Lightly mix then stop. Some lumps are okay. It's better to leave them alone than to work them out. The more you mix, the more gluten is formed.
1) Whisk together the egg and cold water.
2) Combine the flour and cornstarch.
3) Add the egg/water mixture to the dry ingredients and gently mix to combine. Don't over mix, some lumps are ok.
4) The resulting batter should be light and pretty running. Not much sticks to a pair of chopsticks.
TIP: Keep the bowl of batter in an ice bath to keep it cold. This will further help prevent gluten from forming.
Best Technique for Frying Ebi Tempura
What makes tempura so unique is not only the light batter, it's the texture too. The airy, irregular texture contrasted with the tender succulent shrimp, makes each bite so enjoyable. There are many ways to achieving the unique texture of tempura. I find this method to be the easiest.
Before you start to batter, give the shrimp a light dusting of flour. This will help the batter adhere to the shrimp.
Get your frying station ready. The batter and prepared shrimp should be close by. Also have a rack ready to place the cooked tempura on. The oil should be heated to about 375 F.
1) Hold the shrimp by the tail and dip it in the cold batter. Allow the excess to drip off.
2) Carefully lower it into the hot oil. The shrimp should immediately float to the top.
3) Use a spoon and carefully drizzle some batter across the length of the shrimp in a zig zag pattern. Some of the batter should stick to the shrimp and begin to form a bubbly crust. Some of the batter will float away.
4) You can move the shrimp around the pot to catch the batter. Fry until golden brown then remove from the oil. Place the shrimp on a wire rack or paper towels to allow excess oil to drip off before serving.
Ebi Tempura is best when served hot. Dip it in some homemade tempura sauce or a drizzle of spicy mayo for an appetizer that will earn you rave reviews. On tempura days at our house, we can be found congregating around the stove eating crispy, crunchy Shrimp Tempura fresh out of the oil.
Ebi Tempura - Light and Crispy Japanese Shrimp Tempura Recipe
Author: tsw
Servings: 4
Prep: 20 minutes mins
Cook: 15 minutes mins
4.7 from 30 votes
Ingredients
- 20-25 shrimp, peeled with tail-on and deveined
- flour for dredging
Tempura Batter
- 1 cup flour, all-purpose or cake flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 egg
- 1.25 cup ice cold water
Instructions
Prepare the Shrimp
Peel and devein the shrimp and rinse under cold water. Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels.
Make 4-6 shallow slits on the underside of the shrimp.
Place the shrimp right side up and push against the back of the shrimp with your index finger to break the muscles. Use your thumb and middle finger to hold it in place as you press. You should hear popping sounds as the muscles break and the shrimp straightens out. Repeat with the remaining shrimp.
Make the Tempura Batter
In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and ice cold water until it's well incorporated.
In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together flour and cornstarch. Pour in the egg/water mixture.
Use a whisk or chopsticks to gently mix until the dry ingredients are incorporated with the wet. Do not overmix. It's okay for the batter to be lumpy.
Keep the batter in an ice bath until you're ready to fry.
Fry Ebi Tempura
Heat 1.5"-2" of oil, in a pot or Dutch oven, over medium heat until it reaches 375°F. I like to use cast iron when frying since it helps maintain the temperature of the oil as you add ingredients.
Lightly dredge the shrimp with flour and shake off the excess.
One at a time, dip the shrimp into the batter and allow the excess to drip off. Carefully lower the shrimp into the oil. Cook the shrimp in batches to avoid overcrowding, no more than 3-4 at a time, depending on the size of your pot.
Slowly drizzle 2-3 spoonfuls of batter in a zigzag pattern across the length of each shrimp. Some batter will stick and some will bubble and float away. Carefully move the shrimp around the oil to catch the batter.
Fry the shrimp tempura until it's golden brown (about 2 minutes).
Remove the shrimp from the oil and place on a wire rack or paper towels to allow excess oil to drip off.
Repeat with the rest of the shrimp. In between batches, use a strainer to remove the excess bits of batter that did not stick. You want to have clean oil when starting a new batch.
Notes
- Before frying, ensure the shrimp are thoroughly dry.
- Keep the batter in an ice bath until you're ready to start frying.
- Be sure to use a strainer to clean out all the little bits of batter from the oil in between batches.
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