5 from 24 votes
Shrimp Tempura Recipe
This Shrimp Tempura recipe produces crispy, lightly battered shrimp with a delicate crunch. The batter incorporates cold vodka and carbonated water, which helps create a thin, airy texture. The shrimp are cleaned, deveined, and straightened before battering and frying in hot oil. Served with a mildly seasoned Tetsuya dipping sauce featuring dashi, soy sauce, and mirin, this dish offers a traditional tempura experience focused on texture and balance.
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
35 mins
Servings:
4
Calories:
351 kcal
Course:
Appetizer, Dinner
Cuisine:
Japanese
Ingredients
Shrimp tempura
- 1 lb Shrimp
- neutral cooking oil vegetable oil preferred
- ¾ c all-purpose flour
- ½ c potato starch
- 1 egg cold from the fridge, large
- ¼ c vodka chilled in the freezer
- ¾ c carbonated water chilled in the fridge
Tetsuya dipping sauce
- 1 c water
- 2 g dashi mix
- ¼ c soy sauce
- ¼ c mirin
Instructions
Shrimp tempura
- Clean the shrimp under running water and remove the heads. To devein the shrimp, pull the vein from the opening of the shrimp where you removed the head. (Also see my shrimp deveining tutorial.)
- To straighten your shrimp, score very shallow (⅛ inch) cuts on the belly of the shrimp. (You can also use skewers to straighten the shrimp if you don’t want to score them). Straighten the shrimp on a plate over paper towels to dry the shrimp off.
- In a heavy bottomed pot, add about 2 inches of oil from the bottom of the pot. Heat the oil to 350 °F degrees.
- In a mixing bowl, add the flour and ½ cup of potato starch and mix thoroughly.
- In another bowl, add the egg and mix in the cold vodka. Then add the carbonated water.
- Carefully, add the wet batter into the mixing bowl and use the chopsticks to mix the batter in swift movements. Try to lift the bowl and move the bowl in round movements while stirring with the chopsticks. Make sure to not overmix the batter or your tempura will end up chewy. You should have some lumps in your batter. The mixing process should take no longer than one minute.
- In a separate bowl, add ¼ cup of potato starch in a shallow bowl. Cover the shrimp in a light layer of potato starch.
- Holding the shrimp tail, dunk the shrimp into the batter and cover thoroughly. Carefully lower the battered shrimp into the oil. To add extra crispy tendrils of tempura, dip your hand back into the batter and drip small drops of batter onto the frying shrimp.
- Turn the shrimp after about one to two minutes. Remove the cooked shrimp from the oil and place over paper towels on a cooling rack, then serve with tetsuya sauce.
Cup of Yum
Tetsuya sauce
- In a small sauce pot, add the water over a medium-low heat.
- Add the dashi mix, soy sauce, and mirin.
- Heat until it boils for one minute and then remove from heat.
- Serve in a small sauce dish.
Nutrition Information
Calories
351kcal
(18%)
Carbohydrates
41g
(14%)
Protein
30g
(60%)
Fat
3g
(5%)
Saturated Fat
1g
(5%)
Cholesterol
327mg
(109%)
Sodium
1845mg
(77%)
Potassium
362mg
(8%)
Fiber
2g
(8%)
Sugar
5g
(10%)
Vitamin A
59IU
(1%)
Vitamin C
5mg
(6%)
Calcium
190mg
(19%)
Iron
4mg
(22%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 4 Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 351
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 351kcal | 18% |
| Carbohydrates | 41g | 14% |
| Protein | 30g | 60% |
| Fat | 3g | 5% |
| Saturated Fat | 1g | 5% |
| Cholesterol | 327mg | 109% |
| Sodium | 1845mg | 77% |
| Potassium | 362mg | 8% |
| Fiber | 2g | 8% |
| Sugar | 5g | 10% |
| Vitamin A | 59IU | 1% |
| Vitamin C | 5mg | 6% |
| Calcium | 190mg | 19% |
| Iron | 4mg | 22% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.