Description
This crispy rock shrimp tempura is dipped in a cold homemade batter, coated with panko, quickly fried, and served with an easy spicy mayo.
Ingredients
Scale
For the shrimp
- 1 pound peeled and deveined rock shrimp, thawed if frozen
- ½ cup all-purpose flour, for dusting
- 1½ cups panko breadcrumbs
- Fine salt, for seasoning
- Neutral frying oil, such as canola, vegetable, peanut, or rice-bran oil
- Lemon or lime wedges, for serving
- Thinly sliced scallions, optional
For the tempura batter
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large egg, cold
- ¾ cup ice-cold sparkling water, plus more if needed
For the spicy mayo
- ½ cup Japanese mayonnaise or regular mayonnaise
- 1–2 tablespoons sriracha
- 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
- ½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Instructions
- Pat the rock shrimp extremely dry with paper towels. Season them lightly with salt and refrigerate while you prepare the oil.
- Add two to three inches of oil to a small, heavy-bottomed pot. Heat the oil to 350°F.
- Place the ½ cup flour in one shallow bowl and the panko in another. Gently crush the panko with your fingers.
- Whisk the cold egg and sparkling water together. Add the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt. Stir just until combined. Do not worry about small lumps.
- Working with a few shrimp at a time, dust them lightly with flour and shake off the excess. Dip them in the batter, allow the extra batter to drip away, and press them gently into the panko.
- Carefully fry the shrimp in small batches for 60–90 seconds, until crisp and lightly golden. Transfer them to a wire rack and immediately season with fine salt. Allow the oil to return to 350°F before frying the next batch.
- Mix the mayonnaise, sriracha, lime juice, and sesame oil in a small bowl.
- Serve the rock shrimp tempura immediately with the spicy mayo and lemon or lime wedges. Garnish with scallions if desired.
Notes
Keep the sparkling water, egg, and batter cold.
Do not overmix the batter. A few lumps are fine.
Coat the shrimp in batches instead of letting all of them sit in wet batter.
Keep the oil between 340°F and 360°F.
Fry in small batches so the oil temperature does not drop.
Drain the shrimp on a wire rack for the crispest coating.
Serve the sauce on the side if you want the panko to stay crunchy longer.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Frying
- Cuisine: Asian Fusion, Japanese
Nutrition
- Calories: 454
- Sugar: 15.5 g
- Sodium: 2 g
- Fat: 25.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Carbohydrates: 32.5 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 23 g