Shrimp Tempura Boats with Sweet Chili Sauce

shrimp tempura with chili sauce in a white bowl with a spoon and endive leaves on the side

Shrimp Tempura Boats with Sweet Chili Sauce

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: Japanese

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 15

Total Time: 25

Servings: people

Calories: 269kcal

Author: Aleka Shunk

This Easy Shrimp Tempura Appetizer is one of my favorite appetizers to make. They are surprisingly easy to make since I use a boxed tempura mix and a bottled sauce, but your guests don't have to know!

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Ingredients

1 lb. Shrimp, peeled and de-veined
1 8 oz Boxed tempura batter + water (1 cup)
Oil for frying
2-3 Endive heads, trimmed and separated

Sweet Chili Sauce

1 cup Sweet chili sauce
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Chives, finely chopped

Instructions

Add your chili sauce, soy sauce and chives to a bowl and mix. Set aside.
Pat your shrimp dry with a paper towel and then season both sides WELL with salt and pepper.
Add 8 oz. (1 cup) of tempura mix to a medium bowl and add your water. Read your box to see how much. The batter should be thick.
*TIP* Add ice to your water so it gets nice and cold. Then strain the ice before you add it into your batter. This will make your batter extra airy and crispy.
Heat oil to 350°F in a saucepan or wok. Add enough oil to cover your shrimp, about 2-3" high.
Add all your seasoned shrimp to your tempura batter and coat thoroughly. Using a fork, add 4-6 at a time (depending how large your pot is), making sure excess batter drips off before frying. Separate them quickly with your fork so they do not stick together. Don't add too many at once!
Shrimp will take around 2-3 few minutes to fry. Flip them over halfway through making sure they are evenly browned.
Using a slotted spoon or spider, drain shrimp on a paper towels to absorb the oil while keeping them crispy.
Cut your shrimp into small bite size pieces when they cool a bit. Then add them to a large bowl. Toss them in your chili sauce and serve with °endive leaves.

Notes

Fry the shrimp in small batches. Crowding your pan too much will bring the oil temp down and cause your shrimp to absorb more oil.

Use a candy thermometer to make sure your oil stays around 350F.

You can heat your sauce up in the microwave before adding it to your shrimp if your shrimp are cold!

If you do not have endive leaves on hand, you can use:

Bibb lettuce
Boston lettuce
Romaine lettuce* (I recommend this since it is cheaper and crunchier. Just make sure to trim the leafy end so you can use the bottom white ends as they are sturdier!)

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