I really need to get back in the kitchen!  I have been cooking and eating plenty, I just haven’t been taking enough pictures!  So today I am bringing you these delicious shrimp, with unappetizing pictures 🙂  But trust me, they are delicious.  I followed Nami’s recipe (check out her pics, they are very pretty) for these shrimp.  Tempura is a classic Japanese way of frying shrimp.  It is light, airy and delicate.

My husband went to the store to pick out something for dinner, he came home with steaks and jumbo shrimp.  I thought I would saute the shrimp with garlic and butter, and make them “scampi” style.  He said “what about tempura?  Could we try that?”  I immediately checked out Just One Cookbook, because Nami is my go to source for all things Japanese.  Low and behold, she had a tempura recipe!

I will give you the recipe, even though I didn’t make any changes.  But if you have questions, she has step by step pictures you can check out.  I am sure these will be made again in our house.  For something deep fried they did not feel heavy or greasy at all.  I made cocktail sauce to go with these (not Japanese ,I know), but my husband loved it!

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Shrimp Tempura
Recipe from Just One Cookbook

1 pound jumbo shrimp
100 g flour (about 3/4 cup)
½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt
1 egg yolk
200 ml ice water
Corn Starch for dusting
Oil for frying

To prepare shrimp snip the inside of the curled edge to make them lay flat (I did this, but they curled anyway when frying.  Might not have made big enough slits).  Heat oil (340 degrees) in a deep pot.

Sift flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl.  In separate bowl, beat egg yolk gently.  Add iced water and 2 ice cubes.  Pour into flour mixture, and stir 10 times around the bowl.  It will not be completely mixed in, and there will be lots of lumps, but that is ok. This is what makes it so light and airy.

Sift corn starch over the top of the shrimp.  Dip shrimp into the batter, make sure it is completely coated.  Drop in oil, and cook for 2-3 minutes depending on its size.  Drain on paper towel before serving.

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