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| Ebi Furai in one of the four food courts in Yokohama Station, Japan. |
Keys to success with this dish: Start with GREAT shrimp in a large size, the shrimp in Japan is very good (and long and skinny, which looks nice) but nothing compares to wild American shrimp from the Gulf. Fry quickly in hot oil and immediately sprinkle with a dusting of fine sea salt, this will increase the crispiness and add just the right amount of salt - I suggest keeping pink sea salt in a fine salt grinder for light, even seasoning like this. For a lighter crust, skip the tempura, dredge in flour or cornstarch, then egg, then panko.
Prepare tempura batter according to package directions, but make it on the thin side. If making from scratch, use a one cup measuring cup. Measure flour into a medium bowl. In the same cup, add one egg and beat slightly, then add water to fill about 4/5 full and beat well. Whisk liquids into flour just to moisten; the batter should be like a thin, lumpy pancake batter with bits of flour still showing – adjust as needed and take care not to over stir or the batter will become tough (cake flour is lower in protein and gluten so it is much less apt to get tough).
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About the author: Chef Mick (Michaelangelo) Rosacci is the Corporate Chef and co-owner of the four Tony’s Markets in the Denver Metro area, as well as Tony Rosacci's Fine Catering and the more casual TR's BBQ Catering. You may have seen Mick teaching folks how easy cooking can be on Denver’s Channel 7 News (12 years), on the food page of local newspapers, and on a local gardening and cooking show Dig In Colorado. For more recipes and our very best deals, join our Culinary Club.
Crispy fried shrimp on a skewer that nobody can resist – possibly the ultimate appetizer!
½ package Tempura Batter Mix
-or 1 cup cake or all purpose flour, 1 lightly beaten egg and a scant 3/4 cup water
1 pound large raw shrimp, peeled & deveined
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
canola or peanut oil for frying
pinches of fine sea salt - to taste
Ponzu sauce, East West Sweet or Spicy Ginger Dipping Sauce, Thai Chilli Sauce, Tony's Cocktail or Remoulade Sauce - all available at Tony's Markets.
Prepare tempura batter according to package directions, but make it on the thin side. If making from scratch, use a one cup measuring cup. Measure flour into a medium bowl. In the same cup, add one egg and beat slightly, then add water to fill about 4/5 full and beat well. Whisk liquids into flour just to moisten; the batter should be like a thin, lumpy pancake batter with bits of flour still showing – adjust as needed and take care not to over stir or the batter will become tough (cake flour is lower in protein and gluten so it is much less apt to get tough).
Peel and de-vein shrimp and while holding the shrimp flat, slide a bamboo skewer from tail to head of shrimp to straighten, leaving several inches of skewer as a handle. Take care not to poke the tip of the skewer through the top of the shrimp (if the skewer tips sticks out the end, the batter sticks to it making it hard to slide the shrimp off the skewer). Repeat with remaining shrimp.
Dip shrimp in batter, and then toss in panko crumbs. Heat oil for to 360-380 degrees for frying.
Holding onto the skewers, dip several battered and breaded shrimp at a time into hot oil, take care to keep them separated – you can prop against the sides of your pan, or hold the shrimp with the skewer. Fry shrimp quickly until golden brown, about 2-4 minutes depending on conditions, and then drain on a rack or paper towels. Immediately sprinkle hot shrimp with a dusting of fine sea salt.
Holding onto the skewers, dip several battered and breaded shrimp at a time into hot oil, take care to keep them separated – you can prop against the sides of your pan, or hold the shrimp with the skewer. Fry shrimp quickly until golden brown, about 2-4 minutes depending on conditions, and then drain on a rack or paper towels. Immediately sprinkle hot shrimp with a dusting of fine sea salt.
Serve immediately with your favorite sauce, I suggest Ponzu, East West Ginger Dipping Sauce or Tony's homemade Cocktail or Remoulade sauce. – Chef Mick and Sachiko Rosacci, www.TonysMarket.com - www.TonyRosacciCatering.com
Chef's Notes: In this recipe I used both batter and breading to increase the crust volume. It's also amazing (and traditional) just dusted in flour, dipped in egg and rolled in panko. Also fabulous with asparagus, mushrooms, squash coins, scallops, fish or whatever you feel like frying. Buon Appetito!
Chef's Notes: In this recipe I used both batter and breading to increase the crust volume. It's also amazing (and traditional) just dusted in flour, dipped in egg and rolled in panko. Also fabulous with asparagus, mushrooms, squash coins, scallops, fish or whatever you feel like frying. Buon Appetito!
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| The same dish with two smaller curled shrimp per skewer. |
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| Other variations include: whitefish, scallops, asparagus, chicken, squash, mushrooms, mini mozzarella balls and cherry tomatoes and more! |
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Many recipes call for iced,very cold water and the use of cake flour, is the cake flour (hard to find, necessary?
ReplyDeleteCold water is great because it helps avoid lumping of the flour. Cake flour is a little better because it's so fine, but all-purpose flour will work great. You could also just dust the shrimp in flour or cornstarch, dip in egg, and then roll In panko, that's also quite delicious (and how my wife prefers hers, it's a little lighter). Thanks for reading!
DeleteA little more detail now that I am not answering via phone... Cake flour is lower in protein (bread flour is higher and all purpose is right in the middle), and lower protein means less gluten. So the reason for cake flour is to keep the batter tender (think a cake VS baguette). You can usually find cake flour at the grocery store, but I rarely use it so I just use all purpose and take care not to over stir - manipulation develops the gluten, and if it developed too much it would make the batter tough. So stir as little as possible and with a light hand. Also a note, classic Japanese tempura does not have the panko, that's a little trick I learned in one of the many huge food courts in Yokohama station (the most amazing collection of food and international vendors I have ever seen anywhere). For classic tempura, you'll dust the food in flour, dip in batter and slide right into the oil. Thanks to your note, I will update the blog a little - cheers!
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