Air fryer recipe · Starters
Light Prawn Tempura
Airy, lacy-crisp prawns with a feather-light batter and juicy interior.
- 19 minTotal time
- 200°CAir fryer
- 6Serves
- Non-vegetarianDiet
Nutrition per serving
- 155kcal
- 13.1 gprotein
- 23.7 gcarbs
- 0.8 gfat
- 0.9 gfibre
Per serving, about 6 servings. Figures are estimates from standard ingredient databases, not medical, dietetic, or nutritional advice.
Ingredients
- Large prawns, peeled, tails on300 g
- Tempura flour1 cup
- Ice-cold sparkling water3/4 cup
- Cornflour2 tbsp
- Panko breadcrumbs1/2 cup
- Salt1 tsp
Method
Straighten the prawns
Make small slits along the underside of each prawn and gently press to straighten them. Straight prawns cook evenly and keep the neat, classic tempura look.
Mix cold batter
Whisk the tempura flour with the ice-cold sparkling water just until barely combined and still lumpy. Cold, undermixed batter is the secret to a light, lacy tempura crust.
Dust then dip
Dust each prawn in cornflour, dip it in the cold batter, then roll it in panko. The cornflour helps the batter grip, and the panko stands in for deep-fry crunch and crisps up well in the air fryer.
Spray heavily
Mist the battered prawns thoroughly with oil on all sides so the coating turns crisp and golden. Skipping the oil here leaves the batter pale, floury and dull rather than lightly crunchy.
Air-fry hot and fast
Air-fry at 200C for 9 min, flipping once halfway through. Cook until the crust is crisp and lacy and the prawns are opaque, pink and juicy right through.
