Tempura fried prawns with chipotle mayonnaise
The perfect crunchy snack with these delicious prawns coated in a tempura batter and served with a spicy chipotle mayonnaise!
I love this tempura prawns recipe as it is super easy to make and the perfect snack to serve when you have friends over, for Christmas or even as part of a meal. This could easily serve as a delicious appetizer. Now tempura is typically something you might be served in a Japanese restaurant and I do love the vegetable tempura there. I always order it! It’s a very popular dish. But there is so much more you can make with a good tempura batter (like these sweet potato tempura)and these crispy tempura shrimp are a good example.
How to make tempura fried prawnsNow obviously the first thing you need is some decent sized shrimps. To be honest I always get a little confused on the terms of shrimps or prawns so use whichever you love. Most important is to remove the poop shoot from the back of the shrimp. That is easy when you slice it with a sharp knife, making small slits and remove the dark vein you see there. You can usually pull it out easily enough. Once that is done you can go on to make your tempura batter.
A couple of things to keep in mind when making any kind of tempura. It helps to have a crisp end result by using ice cold water. It is also a good idea to use sparkling water for that. I have used regular flour but there is – apparently special tempura flour. I have not tried that before and have found the end result with this recipe to be just as good. And easier as you can find regular flour in any grocery store.
The crispy batter is relatively thin which makes it easy for the excess batter to drip of the prawns.
Dusting the prawns
I do dust the prawns with a little bit of flour before dipping them into the tempura mix. Now make sure you have hot oil. The oil temperature is super important as you do not want the prawns to go soggy if left in the oil for too long. The oil needs to be at 180˚C (350˚F) for best results. Using neutral oils is also best for deep frying. Make sure you use an oil with a high smoke point.
Frying the shrimpsFor frying the shrimps golden brown you need just a very short amount of time. I let the shrimps slide into the oil with a slotted spoon. As soon as they are golden brown I take them out and leave to drain on a paper towel. That will remove excess oil and will make them crisp up. Obviously the crispy coating means they are best served hot. Leaving it for too long will make them less crispy.
Also make sure you fry them in small batches and not overcrowd the pan. You need to use a high temperature and adding too many prawns in one go will make the oil drop significantly in temperature.
Now serving the tempura shrimps is very simple if you use soy sauce to dip them in. I also love eating it with sweet chilli sauce. But my favorite dip is this chipotle mayonnaise. Totally not traditional in Japanese cuisine, but a great fusion option. For making the chipotle mayonnaise you can either use this recipe for making your own mayo or you can simply use store bought. You can dice the chipotle in adobo sauce very finely or use a stick blender for the smoothest result. It’s my favorite recipe for adding to this Japanese dish.
Tips for making the crunchiest tempura prawnsFirst of all make sure you have ice water to make the batter. That is the best way to ensure a crispy result. Adding ice cubes is also a way to get a crispier end result.
I’ve also heard that cake flour is a good way to get a crispier result. Have not tried that myself but either that or a special tempura flour is a good idea.
Don’t overmix the batter. It’s ok to have a few lumps in the batter and that actually makes for a tastier result as the little bits add texture to the coating of the shrimps.
Fry in small batches. Like I mentioned have too many shrimps in the pan is not a good idea as the temperature of the oil will drop too quickly.
Also a good idea to use a deep frying thermometer to make sure the temperature stays accurate. Of course if you use a special deep fryer that might keep the temperature consistent. I tend to use a large pan or a wok for that. Works too.
Tempura fried prawns with chipotle mayonnaise
Ingredients
- 12 pcs prawns large ones. Either frozen or fresh
- 8 tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 pcs chipotle in adobo sauce sliced finely
- 75 gr flour to dust the gambas
- oil for frying the gambas
For the tempura batter:
- 150 gr flour
- 250 ml sparkling, icecold water
- 1 egg
- salt and pepper
- Defrost the gambas (in case of frozen ones) and peel them. Remove poop shoot and then heat oil in a wok or deep frying pan to frying temperature of 180˚C (350˚F)
- Meanwhile mix the ingredients for the batter until you get a light and airy batter. The batter stays a little thin. Don't overmix.
- Lightly dust the prawns with the remaining flour and then dip them in the batter. Shake of excess batter. Deep fry until golden and crisp for about 2 to 3 minutes. Then let them drain on some paper towel.
- Mix the thinly sliced and diced chipotle through the mayonaise and serve the crunchy gamba's with this delicious dipping sauce on the side
Notes
Nutrition Information per portion
Disclaimer
The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.
4 comments on “Tempura fried prawns with chipotle mayonnaise”
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Terribly tempting! I love everything about this dish.
Cheers,
Rosa
Just make it and be blown away by the combination of flavors… 🙂
Yup I can rest in peace with a few of these too!
You can also just enjoy while still in good health, aye? 😉