Ebi Tempura (Shrimp Tempura)
Ebi tempura, or shrimp tempura, is a popular Japanese dish with a light and airy crispy coating. Enjoy as an appetizer or side dish. This recipe is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and very easy to make!
Ingredients
- 1 pound large shrimp with tails peeled and deveined
- pinch kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons potato starch
Tempura Batter
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup ice-cold water
- ¾ cup white rice flour
- avocado or coconut oil for shallow-frying
Instructions
- 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.
- Sprinkle the shrimp with salt and toss with the potato starch.
- Add enough oil to cover the bottom of a large skillet over medium heat.
- Make the batter by whisking together the egg, ice water, and rice flour in a bowl.
- 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.
- Transfer the cooked shrimp to a cooling rack and serve immediately with tentsuyu, a Japanese dipping sauce. Alternatively, you can use tamari to keep it gluten-free.
Notes
Make It Your Way: Substitutions & Variations
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
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.