Making shrimp tempura sushi rolls at home is simple and enjoyable, whether with the kids, with friends, or on a date night! Using pre-made shrimp tempura eliminates a lengthy step, leaving you with only the fun part… Roll some delicious sushi rolls, mat or no mat, and enjoy!
Serve these sushi rolls with pickled ginger, wasabi paste, soy sauce, and even some homemade Peanut Dipping Sauce on the side, as well as Sesame Garlic Bok Choy.
In this article, you’ll learn how to make tempura shrimp sushi in the very comfort of your home.
What exactly is a tempura shrimp?
Raw shrimp are dipped in tempura batter and deep-fried in hot oil to make shrimp tempura. The batter used to make tempura is made up of flour, water, cornstarch, and sometimes eggs. In this recipe, we use a tempura mix to make the dish quick and easy to make whenever you have a craving.
The delicate fried batter shell that surrounds these shrimp has the most delightful crunch. You’re going to love this delicious Asian favorite! Fried fish tacos are perfect for those who enjoy crunchy seafood.
This sushi roll is crunchy and savory, with baked and battered shrimp, sushi rice, nori, cucumber, and avocado. As a garnish, a little tobiko and Unagi Sushi Sauce spruce it up and add a little tang to balance the flavors.
Ingredients to Make Tempura shrimp
When you use pre-battered storebought shrimp, making shrimp tempura sushi at home is simple and quick. Make the rolls with my homemade beer-battered shrimp instead if you’re up for a challenge! Otherwise, here are the remaining ingredients for easy homemade sushi rolls:
- Tempura Shrimp – store-bought
- Sushi rice
- Cucumber
- Avocado
- Nori (seaweed)
- Tobiko (flying fish roe)
- Unagi Sushi Sauce
How to make tempura shrimp sushi
Directions
1. RICE
Step 1:
Fill a medium bowl halfway with cold water. Swirl the rice with your fingers to release the starches before draining. Repeat the process three times more until the water is mostly clear. Fill the bowl with cold water again and soak the rice for 30 minutes before draining thoroughly.
Step 2:
Soaked rice, 23 cup water, and kombu, if using, in a rice cooker or medium saucepan. Cook on the sushi rice or white rice setting if using a rice cooker. Bring to a boil in a saucepan over high heat. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until rice is tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and cover for 10 minutes, or until rice is swollen and fluffy. Remove the kombu.
Step 3
Place the rice on a small baking sheet or a 13″ x 9″ baking dish. Whisk together vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small bowl until sugar is dissolved, then drizzle over rice. Fold the vinegar mixture into the rice quickly with a wooden spoon or rice paddle. (If you mix too much, the rice will become sticky!) Allow rice to cool for about 30 minutes in an even layer.
2. SHRIMP TEMPURA
Step 1:
Heat vegetable oil in a medium saucepan fitted with a deep-fry thermometer over medium heat until the thermometer reads 350o.
Step 2:
Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, water, and egg in a medium mixing bowl until thick and barely runny. Add more flour or water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the desired consistency is reached.
Step 3
Dry the shrimp with paper towels before dropping them into the batter and turning to coat. Lift one shrimp out of the batter with chopsticks or tongs, allowing any excess to drip off. Lower the shrimp into the oil with care, then repeat with the remaining shrimp. for 2 to 3 minutes, flipping halfway through, until the coating is golden brown and crisp. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels to drain.
3. ASSEMBLY
Step 1
Arrange 1 nori sheet shiny-side up on a bamboo sushi mat. Spread about 1 cup of rice over the surface of the nori, leaving a 1/2″ border at the top.
Step 2
Arrange 2 shrimp tempura pieces on the long edge closest to you, allowing tail ends to poke out the sides. Place half of the avocado on top of the shrimp.
Step 3
Roll nori over itself, wrapping fillings in a bamboo mat. Lift the bamboo mat so it doesn’t get stuck inside the roll, then roll up to the farthest edge of nori from you. Unroll the bamboo mat after gently pinching and pressing the roll to ensure it is tight.
Step 4
Cut the roll into eight pieces. Rep with the rest of the nori, rice, shrimp, and avocado. Serve alongside soy sauce, wasabi, and ginger.
Suggestions for Serving
I like to serve my shrimp tempura rolls with a variety of interesting condiments:
- Pickled ginger can usually be found in the Asian food aisle of your local supermarket.
- Wasabi paste – you can usually find it in the grocery store!
- Soy sauce – try combining it with a small amount of wasabi. Deliciously spicy!
- Spicy mayonnaise is a traditional condiment for shrimp tempura rolls. Mayo can be drizzled on top of the rolls or used as a dipping sauce.
- Peanut sauce – looking for something a little different but equally delicious? For dipping, try this homemade Peanut Sauce recipe!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How to Make the Best Shrimp Tempura Sushi
- Steam rice
- Bake shrimp
- Slice veggies
- Add rice to nori on parchment
- Add cucumber slices
- Add avocado slices
- Add shrimp
- Roll
- Keep rolling!
- Squeeze the sushi roll to tighten
- Seal shut
- Cut sushi roll.
How to Make Sushi Rice
Making sushi rice is easy! Follow the directions on the package of sushi rice. I bring my rice to a boil before simmering it for 20 minutes, resulting in slightly al dente sushi rice! Stir in the seasoned rice wine vinegar, then spread the rice out in a large container and chill until room temperature.
Do you need a bamboo mat to roll sushi?
Certainly not! This sushi recipe rolls sushi with parchment paper, which is extremely simple to use!
How long does sushi last?
Refrigerated shrimp tempura sushi rolls keep for 3 days.
Is there raw shrimp in the shrimp tempura rolls?
No! Shrimp tempura rolls, which include battered and baked shrimp, are cooked sushi. As a result, they’re ideal for everyone to enjoy, including the kids!
In Conclusion:
Sushi has a long and fascinating history in Japan, Eastern Asia, and the rest of the Western world. (The Wikipedia rabbit hole is definitely worthwhile.) Futomaki is one of the most common types of makizushi (“rolled sushi”) in the United States, with rice and a variety of fillings rolled inside nori.
Because they complement each other so well, shrimp tempura and avocado are a favorite. The shrimp is slightly sweet and dense, the avocado is super soft and rich, and the rice is seasoned with vinegar, sugar, and salt to create a base that complements all of the flavors. There’s a reason it’s a classic!
You’ll need a bamboo mat to make this roll. This allows you to tightly roll the sushi into a log. (However, don’t press too hard.) Slice the roll into clean, restaurant-worthy pieces with a razor-sharp knife. Make the shrimp tempura while the rice cools for perfect timing.