Crispy battered shrimp
Dry the raw shrimp, dust lightly and dip in cold batter, then fry in small batches at a steady temperature.
- Prep
- 19 min
- Cook
- 18 min
Scale the recipe
Ingredients
- large cleaned raw shrimp weighed with tail tips after thawing in the refrigerator, removing heads, body shells and veins, and patting dry
- 250 g
- Frying oil For a stable, deep pot 16–18 cm in diameter. Use the same oil quantity in the same pot and fry extra shrimp in batches.
- 4 C Fixed amount
Seasonings
- Fine salt
- 1 g
- frying mix for dusting
- 28 g
- frying mix for the batter
- 100 g
- cold water
- 1 C
Level measures: 1 T (tablespoon) = 15 mL, 1 C (paper cup) = 180 mL. Household spoons and cups can vary in size.
Method
-
Trim the shrimp
Thaw frozen shrimp in the refrigerator. Remove the heads, body shells and back veins. Leave the tail tips on, but snip the pointed tip and blot trapped water with paper towel.
-
Pat the shrimp completely dry
Blot off all surface water with clean paper towels and weigh 250 g. Wash hands, scissors and bowls after touching raw shrimp. Use a separate plate for the cooked shrimp.
-
Salt lightly
Sprinkle fine salt 1 g evenly over the shrimp. If moisture beads on the surface, blot with paper towel.
-
Fill a deep pot with oil
With the heat off, pour 4 C into a dry, deep pot. Leave at least 5 cm clear at the top and fill the pot no more than halfway.
-
Preheat the oil
Clip the thermometer to the side without letting its probe touch the bottom. Stay by the stove and heat the oil over medium heat to 165–170°C. Lower the heat once it reaches that range.
-
Dust the shrimp
Spread the frying mix 28 g in a thin layer on a plate. Dust the shrimp and shake off the excess.
-
Mix the cold batter
Combine frying mix 100 g and cold water 1 C in a bowl with chopsticks. Stop when the batter streams thinly off the tips. Avoid mixing it until smooth.
-
Dip and fry in batches
Dip each dusted shrimp into the batter and let the excess drip off. With dry long tongs, lower shrimp one at a time close to the oil surface. Fry 2–3 at a time at 165–170°C to avoid crowding.
-
Check the shrimp temperature
When the batter sets and turns pale gold, briefly lift out the thickest shrimp and check its center. Fry until the thickest shrimp in each batch stays at 85°C or above for 1 minute. Recheck the oil temperature before adding more.
-
Drain and serve
Use clean tongs to transfer the shrimp to a rack, leaving space between them. Switch off the heat and wait until the oil cools completely before moving the pot. Keep water away from the oil. Serve the shrimp right away.
