Ebi (shrimp) Recipe

Peel and devein

Leave the tails on. Using kitchen shears, cut along the belly of each shrimp and remove the vein. Rinse and pat very dry with paper towels.

Butterfly and straighten

Make shallow incisions along the underside (belly) to remove the muscle curl: make 3–4 shallow slits along the curve or butterfly by cutting lengthwise partway through the back without cutting through the tail. Gently press the shrimp flat so it straightens.

Marinate

Place shrimp in a bowl. Add salt, white pepper, sugar, mirin and soy sauce. Toss briefly to coat. Let sit 10 minutes, then pat shrimp dry again. Rub the 1 tsp vegetable oil over shrimp surfaces to help flour/batter adhere.

Dredge in flour

Place the 1/2 cup plain flour in a shallow dish. Lightly dredge each shrimp, shaking off excess — this helps the batter adhere.

Make batter

In a bowl, lightly beat the egg. Add the cold sparkling water and stir gently to combine. In another bowl, whisk together 1 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup cake flour, 1/4 cup cornstarch and 1/2 tsp baking powder. Add the wet mixture to the dry and mix very briefly with chopsticks or a fork — lumps are okay. Keep the batter cold (place bowl over an ice bath or in the refrigerator) and do not overmix for a light tempura texture.

Prepare panko

Place panko in a shallow bowl. Have a tray ready for coated shrimp.

Heat oil

Pour oil into a heavy-bottom pot (at least 3 inches deep) and heat to 170–175°C (340–350°F). If you don't have a thermometer, test by dropping a bit of batter: it should sizzle and rise immediately without browning too fast.

Coat shrimp

Working in batches of 3–4, dip each dredged shrimp into the cold batter, letting excess drip off briefly, then immediately press into panko so the panko adheres evenly. For a mix of textures, you can lightly brush some batter onto the shrimp after panko for a thicker crust, but a single panko coat is classic for ebi.

Fry

Carefully lower the coated shrimp into the hot oil, seam (tail) end up if possible. Fry 2–3 shrimp at a time so oil temperature remains steady. Fry for about 2.5–3.5 minutes until panko is golden and shrimp is cooked through. Turn once if needed to brown evenly. Internal shrimp should be opaque and firm (about 60–65°C if measured).

Drain and keep warm

Remove shrimp with a slotted spoon and place on a wire rack set over a tray or paper towels to drain. Keep finished shrimp in a warm oven at 90–100°C (200–210°F) while continuing the rest of the batch so they stay crisp.

Arrange ebi tempura on a platter with lemon wedges and serve immediately with tentsuyu or preferred dipping sauce and grated daikon if using. Tempura is best eaten hot and crisp.