Shrimp Tempura

Try#1 This was the best ever batter for shrimp or vegetables. I’d certainly make it again. I sprinkled old bay seasoning on the shrimp after they were cooked. Vodka made it light. I fried onion rings too which had loads of flavor. Turned out fabulous!! The scallion sauce was terrific too, went great with the shrimp, or would go good with potstickers. YUM.

Do not omit the vodka; it is critical for a crisp coating. For safety, use a Dutch oven with a capacity of at least 7 quarts. Be sure to begin mixing the batter when the oil reaches 385 degrees (the final temperature should reach 400 degrees). It is important to maintain a high oil temperature throughout cooking. If you are unable to find colossal shrimp (8-12 per pound), jumbo (16-20) or extra-large (21-25) may be substituted. Fry smaller shrimp in three batches, reducing the cooking time to 1½ to 2 minutes per batch.

After peeling and deveining a shrimp, hold it on its back on the cutting board. Use the tip of a paring knife to make two 1/4-inch-deep incisions on the underside about 1/2 inch apart.

The batter for shrimp tempura is devilishly hard to get right, easily turning thick and heavy if you overmix even slightly or let it sit too long. Even when a first batch came out light and crisp, subsequent batches were progressively thicker and greasier. In the past, we’ve guaranteed success with another finicky foodstuff—pie crust—by replacing some of the water with vodka. Would the same swap in tempura batter lead to a coating immune to overmixing and resting? THE EXPERIMENT We fried two batches of shrimp in two different batters. The first batter contained 1 egg, 11/2 cups of flour, 1/2 cup of cornstarch, and 2 cups of seltzer water. In the second, we replaced 1 cup of the seltzer water with 1 cup of vodka. RESULTS The vodka-batter shrimp was identical from the first batch to the second, turning out light and crisp each time. The shrimp dipped in the batter without vodka came out heavier and greasier in the second batch.