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+ servings
Zoomed-out, overhead photo of shrimp tempura on parchment paper next to a bowl of tempura sauce and chopsticks.

Shrimp Tempura

30-minute shrimp tempura with a simple tempura sauce. Light, crispy, and full of flavor!
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 25 minutes
Yield:6 servings

Equipment

  • Small saucepan
  • 2 whisks
  • 2 Large plates
  • Paper towels
  • wire cooling rack optional but encouraged
  • Large pot or large wok
  • deep fry thermometer
  • paring knife
  • small mixing bowl
  • medium mixing bowl
  • Slotted spoon

Ingredients

For the Tempura Sauce

  • 1 teaspoon dashi powder
  • ¾ cup water
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons mirin or rice wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar

For the Shrimp

  • 2 cups fry oil with high smoke point sesame oil, peanut oil, etc.
  • 1 pound large shrimp peeled, deveined

For the Tempura Batter

  • ¼ cup cornstarch chilled
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour chilled
  • 1 large cold egg
  • 1 cup very cold water

Instructions

For the Tempura Sauce

  • Heat small saucepan over medium heat. When saucepan is warm, add dashi powder and water. Whisk well until ingredients are fully combined, then bring mixture to simmer.
    1 teaspoon dashi powder, ¾ cup water
    Dashi powder and water in a small silver saucepan.
  • When dashi mixture begins to simmer, add soy sauce, mirin, and sugar. Whisk to incorporate ingredients, then continue simmering 2 to 3 minutes or until sugar has dissolved completely.
    2 tablespoons soy sauce, 2 tablespoons mirin, 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
    Tempura sauce in a small silver saucepan.
  • If serving tempura sauce shortly after making, turn heat under saucepan off and leave sauce on burner to keep warm. If serving tempura later, remove saucepan from heat and allow sauce to cool completely, then transfer to glass jar with lid (or similar airtight container) and refrigerate up to 2 weeks. Warm sauce before serving.

To Prepare Shrimp

  • Line large plate with paper towels. For crispier shrimp, place wire cooling rack over paper towels. Set aside.
  • Heat large pot on stovetop over medium-high heat. When pot is warm, add 2 cups neutral oil. Continue heating pot until oil reaches 350° Fahrenheit.
    2 cups fry oil with high smoke point
  • While oil comes to temperature, prepare shrimp by making 4 to 5 small, shallow, horizontal slices or slits on underside of shrimp. Do not cut through shrimp completely.
    1 pound large shrimp
  • Gently bend shrimp backwards slightly to straighten, then set shrimp aside on second large plate. Repeat until all shrimp have been sliced and straightened as desired.
    Large, peeled, deveined shrimp on a large plate.

For the Tempura Batter

  • Place chilled cornstarch in small mixing bowl. Set aside.
    ¼ cup cornstarch
  • Add chilled flour, cold egg, and cold water to medium mixing bowl. Whisk ingredients together until combined, being careful not to overmix. Some lumps remaining will be fine.
    1 cup all-purpose flour, 1 large cold egg, 1 cup very cold water
    Prepared tempura batter in a shallow dish.
  • Pat shrimp completely dry with paper towels.
  • Working in small batches, dredge shrimp in cornstarch, coating well on all sides. Shake excess cornstarch back into bowl, then immediately transfer shrimp to wet batter. Dip shrimp in batter, coating shrimp completely. Hold shrimp above bowl and allow excess batter to drip off, then immediately place shrimp in 350°F oil.
  • Repeat battering process, adding shrimp to fry oil until shrimp take up no more than half of fry oil surface. Do not overcrowd pot.
  • Fry shrimp until golden brown, approximately 2 minutes. Once golden, remove shrimp from fry oil with slotted spoon and transfer to wire cooling rack over paper towels. Using slotted spoon, remove any fried batter or crumbs from fry oil and discard.
    Fried shrimp tempura resting in a pile on a plate lined with paper towels.
  • Repeat process until all shrimp have been battered and fried. Allow shrimp to rest on wire cooling rack just long enough to drain excess fry oil.
  • Serve fried shrimp immediately with warm tempura sauce.

Notes

  • Wire Cooling Rack: Optional, but encouraged for crispier tempura. If you drain the excess oil by placing the shrimp directly on a paper-towel-lined plate, the shrimp will sit in the excess oil. A wire cooling rack elevates the shrimp above the excess oil, preventing soggy tempura.
  • Tempura Batter: For a really light, crispy batter, it's important that all the batter ingredients be cold. If needed, mix everything together and then place the batter in the refrigerator to keep it cold until you're ready to batter the shrimp. The tempura needs to be fried immediately after coating the shrimp.
  • Leftovers: Refrigerate extra tempura sauce in an airtight container up to 2 weeks.

Nutrition

Serving Size: 1serving of shrimp tempura with tempura sauce | Calories: 497kcal | Protein: 14g | Fat: 38g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 126mg | Sodium: 863mg | Potassium: 132mg | Total Carbs: 25g | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Net Carbs: 24g | Vitamin A: 181IU | Calcium: 52mg | Iron: 1mg
Recipe By:Sam Guarnieri