Tempura Camarón
Featherlight tempura shrimp out of Tijuana's Japanese-Mexican playbook, buried under a five-alarm mayo of charred habanero and toasted chile de árbol. The batter shatters, the cabbage cools, and the salsa arrives about three seconds later — hard.
- Time
- 35 min
- Heat
- Yield
- 8 tacos
- Region
- Baja California
Ingredients
Five-alarm mayo
Tempura batter
To build
Method
Char the habaneros and toast the chiles de árbol in a dry skillet until blistered and brick-red — crack a window, the fumes are real.
Blend the chiles with the garlic, lime juice, and salt into a paste, then blend in the mayonnaise until smooth and alarmingly orange. Chill.
Heat the oil in a deep pot to 375°F while you pat the shrimp very dry.
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Whisk the flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt, then stir in the ice-cold sparkling water at the last second — lumps are fine, don't overmix.
Dip the shrimp in batter and fry in batches until puffed and pale gold, about 2 minutes. Drain on a wire rack, never paper.
Warm the tortillas, lay in cabbage and cucumber, add 2 or 3 shrimp each, and drizzle heavily with the five-alarm mayo. Lime on top, cold drink on standby.
Build the plate
