Ebi Tempura (Shrimp Tempura)

Ebi tempura, or shrimp tempura, is a popular Japanese dish with a light and airy crispy coating and tender middle. Enjoy as an appetizer or side dish. This recipe is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and very easy to make!

What’s Tempura?

Tempura is a traditional Japanese dish where seafood or vegetables are battered and then deep-fried until golden brown and crispy.

Ebi tempura is often served with tentsuyu, a rich and savory/umami dipping sauce made from soy sauce, mirin (cooking wine), dashi (fish broth), grated daikon radish, and sugar.

Ingredients

Typically, tempura batter consists of wheat flour, water, and egg. For this recipe, I wanted to take a more allergy-friendly approach without compromising on texture or flavor.

• Shrimp – larger shrimp work better for this dish. To make this recipe quicker, you can buy shrimp that are already deveined and peeled but with the tails on.
• Potato starch – the shrimp get coated in this before getting battered to add an additional layer of crispiness.
• Egg – helps the batter bind together.
• Ice-cold water – prevents the tempura batter from absorbing too much oil and keeps the cooked tempura light and crispy.
• White rice flour – a naturally gluten-free flour made from finely milled rice that yields a crispy coating.
• Avocado or coconut oil – for shallow frying.

How to Make Ebi Tempura

Step 1. Make three small incisions across the belly of the shrimp to prevent the shrimp from curling as it cooks. Then flip the shrimp over and gently press down on the back to straighten it.

Step 2. Sprinkle the shrimp with salt and toss with the potato starch.

Step 3. Add enough oil to cover the bottom of a large skillet over medium heat.

Step 4. Make the batter by whisking together the egg, ice water, and rice flour in a bowl.

Step 5. Dip each shrimp in batter and then transfer to the hot skillet. Shallow fry the shrimp in batches but don’t crowd the pan. Cook for 1-2 minutes, spoon some batter on the top of each shrimp before flipping and cooking on the other side for another 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Step 6. Transfer to a cooling rack to retain their crispiness and serve immediately.

Make It Your Way: Substitutions & Variations

Please remember that recipes are just a starting point.

How can you make this ebi tempura using what you already have? Here are some ideas…

• No shrimp? you can also make fish tempura using white fish such as cod or halibut.
• No potato starch? – use tapioca starch/flour or cornstarch instead.
• No white rice flour? – you can also use all-purpose flour, just be sure not to over mix. With wheat flour, some lumps are encouraged in the batter so you don’t overwork the gluten.
• Make it vegetarian – instead of ebi tempura, make vegetable tempura using eggplant, cauliflower, broccoli, Japanese sweet potato, kabocha squash, or bell peppers.
• Variations – use soda water instead of still water for an even lighter batter.

Helpful Tips

Straighten the shrimp. To make them restaurant-style at home, make three small incisions across the belly of the shrimp and press down on the back to straighten it so it doesn’t curl when cooking.

Use ice-cold water. This helps keep the batter light and airy once cooked.

Spoon on extra batter before flipping. This helps the tempura get on both sides of the shrimp since we’re shallow frying and not deep frying.

How to store. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Re-crisp them in a skillet over medium heat.

More Japanese Sides

• Asian Brussels Sprouts With Lemon Miso Sauce
• Spicy Cucumber Salad (Sunomono)
• Best Ever Shishito Peppers