Simple Tempura Batter

Perfect for Crisply Succulent Fish

I hate heavy batter on fish. The typical beer batter does not impress me. In many cases, it weighs down the fish and adds an overwhelming flavor of beer and mush that slips right off the fish filet. As a result, I developed a tempura batter for our fried fish years ago at Slapfish. This was the signature crispy batter lightly draped on the fish. Eventually, we co-packed it and the rest is history.

Now that I sold Slapfish, I am back to making tempura by hand. Since the development of my original recipe, I came across an article by Serious Eats that introduced the idea of adding vodka to the tempura. They assert “Because vodka is more volatile than water, it evaporates more quickly, which dries out the batter faster and more violently. That creates larger bubbles and even more surface area, in turn resulting in a much crispier crust.”

It works! I promise you. While I don’t follow their recipe exactly (as I like more flour as opposed to corn starch) - the vodka element is essential.

Below is a simple recipe for tempura. You can fry anything!

To fry the fish or veggies (or even chicken) dredge it in flour seasoned with salt, pepper, and a dash of paprika then dredge in the batter and fry.

I like to fry in beef tallow or avocado oil. You can also use olive oil, but stay away from seed oils as I find the flavors to be bitter (health issues aside).

Give it a shot:

1 cup flour

1/2 cup corn starch

1 egg

1/4 cup vodka

1 cup cold sparkling water

salt and pepper

optional: smoked paprika adds an excellent flavor as well