One of my favorite memories is going to sushi happy hour with friends and ordering tempura. The light crispy batter over shrimp or veggies was delicious paired with that sweet soy sauce also known as eel sauce. I knew I had to make this easy version for at home!
This recipe is so simple and quick to make! First, get de-veined shrimp. I find they are easier to work with. This next step is optional, but I tend to do it. I take a small knife and cut along the top of the shrimp and gently bend the shrimp against the curve. This slightly straightens the shrimp so when it cooks, it does not curl up as much!
It is a stylistic choice over anything else. Once your shrimp are shaped to your liking, it is time to make the batter!
For the batter, combine 1 cup of flour, 1 egg, 1 tbsp of seasoning of your choice, and 3/4-1 cup of beer. Give this a whisk until the batter is similar a slightly thinner version of pancake batter. The thicker the batter the more dense the breading, so I tend to thin it out a bit. If it is too thin and watery, add more flour. Lightly coat your shrimp in cornstarch then dip in batter, making sure to cover all sides.
Fry these on medium high heat in oil until golden brown! For the eel sauce, take 1/2 cup of mirin, 1/2 cup of sugar, and 1/2 cup of soy sauce and mix over low heat until sugar is dissolved and let cool. This is a pretty standard recipe ratio but I did find mine online by Allrecipes.com
Once your shrimp is cooked and crispy about 4-5 minutes of frying, take out and serve with your thick, sweet sauce!
Crispy Tempura Shrimp with Eel Sauce
Ingredients
- 8-12 De-veined Shrimp
- 4 Cups Vegetable Oil
- 1 Tbsp Corn Starch
Batter
- 1 Cup Flour
- 1 Egg
- 1 Tbsp Seasoning of Choice (I used Old Bay)
- 3-4-1 Cup Beer (Light beer is better)
Eel Sauce
- 1/2 Cup Soy Sauce
- 1/2 Cup Mirin
- 1/2 Cup Sugar
Instructions
- Gently cut a shallow line running from the top of the tail of the shrimp to the end. Carefully bend the shrimp in the opposite direction of the natural curve to straighten out the shrimp. This is optional but yields to slightly straighter shrimp when frying.
- Add batter ingredients to a bowl and whisk together. If batter is too thin, add more flour, if batter is too thick, add more beer.
- Lightly coat your shrimp in cornstarch then dip shrimp in batter.
- Heat your oil to medium high heat. Fry shrimp 4-5 minutes until golden brown.
- For the eel sauce, add ingredients in a sauce pan on low heat until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let cool.
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