Seafood Tempura Recipe

Dry and season

Pat all seafood pieces thoroughly dry with paper towels. Lightly season prawns, fish strips, scallops, and calamari with 1/2 tsp of the salt and 1/4 tsp of the pepper. Chill in refrigerator for 10 minutes while you prepare batter and sauce; drying helps batter adhere and prevents oil spatter.

For prawns: make 3 shallow diagonal slits on the underside (beneath the curve) to keep them straight while frying. For scallops and fish, make uniform pieces so they cook evenly.

Combine dashi stock, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar in a small saucepan. Warm over medium heat just until sugar dissolves and the mixture is fragrant, about 2–3 minutes. Do not boil for long. Taste and adjust sweetness or soy to preference. Keep warm or bring to room temperature. Stir in grated daikon and sliced scallion if using, and transfer to a shallow dipping bowl.

Fill a bowl with the cold water and add the ice cubes to keep the water very cold. In a separate large bowl, sift together all-purpose flour, rice flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and remaining 1/2 tsp salt. Toss briefly to combine.

Crack the egg into the cold water and whisk lightly to combine. Remove and discard ice cubes, keeping water as cold as possible. Pour the egg-water mixture into the flour mixture and stir quickly with chopsticks or a fork just until combined — the batter should be lumpy and slightly runny. Do not overmix; lumps and a few streaks of flour will produce a light, airy crust.

Keep the batter chilled by placing the mixing bowl into another bowl filled with ice, or set aside in the refrigerator until ready to fry.

Heat the oil in a deep pot or deep-fryer to 175°C (350°F). If you don't have a thermometer, test by dropping a small bit of batter — it should sizzle and rise to the surface immediately, browning slowly.

Working in small batches (3–4 pieces at a time to avoid lowering oil temperature), dust each seafood piece lightly with a little all-purpose flour (this helps the batter adhere). Shake off excess flour.

Dip each piece once into the chilled batter, letting excess batter drip off gently. Immediately lower into hot oil using tongs or a slotted spoon. Fry prawns and scallops for about 2–3 minutes until the batter is pale golden and seafood is cooked; fry fish strips and calamari rings for 2–3 minutes as well until just golden. Turn pieces if needed so they brown evenly.

Remove fried pieces with a slotted spoon or spider and drain on a wire rack set over a baking sheet (not on paper towels, which trap steam and soften the crust). Keep finished pieces in a single layer and hold in a warm (not hot) oven at 90–100°C (200–212°F) if cooking in multiple batches.

Repeat with remaining seafood, maintaining oil temperature. If oil begins to smoke or darken, lower heat or replace oil.

When all batches are complete, sprinkle a light pinch of finishing sea salt over the hot tempura and a small grind of black pepper. Arrange prawns, scallops, fish, and calamari on a platter with lemon wedges.

Serve immediately with the warm or room-temperature dashi dipping sauce. Encourage diners to dip each piece lightly — the umami of the dashi complements the delicate batter without overpowering the seafood.