Tempura advice required please

[Fibilou]

While on a tour of Japan my boyfriend and I had dinner in a tempura resto in Hiroshima - where we had the most mindblowing prawn ever. It came out of the tank alive, knifed and prepped within moments.

Anyway, I promise I am getting to the point. When the prawn was prepared, the chef battered the exoskeleton and fried it. It was unbelievably delicious and I need a tip as to - do the prawns have to be just freshly killed for this ? Also, is there any part of the exoskeleton (apart from the hear) that will need to be taken off before frying ?

I hope this makes sense to someone out there...

[chefsmiley]

While on a tour of Japan my boyfriend and I had dinner in a tempura resto in Hiroshima - where we had the most mindblowing prawn ever. It came out of the tank alive, knifed and prepped within moments.

Anyway, I promise I am getting to the point. When the prawn was prepared, the chef battered the exoskeleton and fried it. It was unbelievably delicious and I need a tip as to - do the prawns have to be just freshly killed for this ? Also, is there any part of the exoskeleton (apart from the hear) that will need to be taken off before frying ?

I hope this makes sense to someone out there...

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i am the chef of a oklahoma sushi bar(should be an oxy moron) we get a frozen product that we commonly call sweet shrimp. they are A small sushi grade prawn that we serve as nigiri. we typically take the head off and dredge it corn starch and fry it. this seems to be similar to what you r writing about. most asian grocers should carry a shrimp or prawn of this quality. i would not use regular gulf shrimp and especially wouldnt use any funky indo asian mud shrimp. Edited April 24, 2007 by chefsmiley (log)

[Okbrewer]

not to thread jack, but...ChefSmiley! Where are you located? Which restaurant?

Bob R in OKC

[SuzySushi]

While not a chef, I can confirm that the shrimp used for this preparation are not regular shrimp, but a particular variety known as amaebi ("sweet shrimp"). Some of the Japanese restaurants here in Hawaii fry the heads, too. Don't know if anyone sells them fresh in your neck of the woods, but you might be able to find them frozen in their shells at an Asian market. The shrimp, minus the shells, are usually served raw as sushi and are the only type of shrimp that are eaten raw.

[Restorer]

Also, is there any part of the exoskeleton (apart from the hear) that will need to be taken off before frying ?

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The head is the best part! Served alongside sushi made from the raw body of the same shrimp (as SuzySushi pointed out), the head is great dipped in tempura batter, fried, and served with some soy-based sauce.

[Octaveman]

http://www.catalinaop.com/Sweet_Shrimp_Amaebi_s/66.htm

[chefsmiley]

not to thread jack, but...ChefSmiley!  Where are you located?  Which restaurant?

Bob R in OKC

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tsunami sushi in tulsa one downtown one in jenks

[Hiroyuki]

While on a tour of Japan my boyfriend and I had dinner in a tempura resto in Hiroshima - where we had the most mindblowing prawn ever. It came out of the tank alive, knifed and prepped within moments.

Anyway, I promise I am getting to the point. When the prawn was prepared, the chef battered the exoskeleton and fried it. It was unbelievably delicious and I need a tip as to - do the prawns have to be just freshly killed for this ? Also, is there any part of the exoskeleton (apart from the hear) that will need to be taken off before frying ?

I hope this makes sense to someone out there...

←

Hm... I'm not familiar with tempura'ed prawn exoskeletons... Was it really battered in tempura batter before frying? Kara (exoskeleton) is often prepared in the kara-age style (coated in wheat flour, starch, or a combination of both and deep-fried). I think it can also be prepared in the su-age style (simply deep-fried without coating).

Anyway, to make exoskeleton kara-age, you don't have to remove any part of it. The exoskeletons of other types of shrimp such as kuruma ebi can be prepared this way.

[iii_bake]

While on a tour of Japan my boyfriend and I had dinner in a tempura resto in Hiroshima - where we had the most mindblowing prawn ever. It came out of the tank alive, knifed and prepped within moments.

Anyway, I promise I am getting to the point. When the prawn was prepared, the chef battered the exoskeleton and fried it. It was unbelievably delicious and I need a tip as to - do the prawns have to be just freshly killed for this ? Also, is there any part of the exoskeleton (apart from the hear) that will need to be taken off before frying ?

I hope this makes sense to someone out there...

←

Just want to make sure..the part you refer to is not the head...is it?

It is the part underneath the head that has tiny little feet..is it?

I use that part for my shirmp rice soup dish..I fry it and serve like croutons.

If you mean this part, i went to a famous tempura place in Tokyo where they serve the tempura piece by piece to the customer. We sat at a counter, the cehf fried in front of us and once we finished one piece he served the next right out of the wok. ( This tempura plaace i vey famous, many of the world leaders have been there!)

The first piece he served, like a starter was this feet part...very crisp and delicious.

for this part, you just snatch it out from the top part (with sharp pointed shell)...clean it pat it dry...flour lightly...dip in the batter and fry!

It is good source for calcium and i no longer throw them away...served sprinkle with salt and lemon!

[Hiroyuki]

Shrimp exoskeleton kara-age (coated with starch and then deep-fried) looks like

this.

[iii_bake]

Shrimp exoskeleton kara-age (coated with starch and then deep-fried) looks like

this.

←

WOW! This is new to me.

I only had the feet part as o mentioned.

Is it crisp all through?

[Hiroyuki]

Shrimp exoskeleton kara-age (coated with starch and then deep-fried) looks like

this.

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WOW! This is new to me.

I only had the feet part as o mentioned.

Is it crisp all through?

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Yes, it has to be deep-fried until crisp.

[Baggy]

I first came across tempura prawn legs in the elBulli book (Prawn Legs in Tempura Fritters #642, Year 2000), and use them all the time. Being spindly, they add a really interesting architectural dimension. I use them as a garnish – but a wonderful, crispy, interesting garnish.

I thought this was really novel use of ‘exoskeleton’, but then I got thinking that, actually, this is just the same as fried soft shell crabs. Doesn’t stop me using this recipe, although I prefer a more traditional (and crispier) Japanese tempura batter to the yeasted recipe shown in elBulli.