What Is In a Shrimp Tempura Roll?

We are reader supported. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Also, as an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

The shrimp tempura roll is a common delicacy served in most fancy sushi restaurant. In addition, the shrimp tempura roll can be prepared at home if you have the proper ingredients. This delicacy comprises of crispy fried shrimp tempura and stuffed with scrumptious fillings. Shrimp tempura rolls are common among sushi lover’s courtesy of their crispy taste and the mouthwatering contents in the roll.

So, what is in a shrimp tempura roll and how is it prepared? A shrimp tempura roll consists of shrimp tempuras as the key ingredient. However, in order to add taste and flavor to the roll, you will require some additional ingredients like avocado or cucumber.

Preparing the shrimp tempura roll is an easy process that can be quickly done at home. To prepare the shrimp tempura roll, you only need to understand the procedure and have the necessary ingredients. If you wish to learn more on how you can make a shrimp tempura roll at home, be sure to read on.

How to prepare a shrimp tempura roll

Making a shrimp tempura roll is not as difficult as it may seem. Most of the ingredients required to prepare a shrimp tempura roll are readily available in stores. There are key ingredients that are needed in preparing this dish and they include:

About the key ingredients for preparing shrimp tempura roll

Avocado

Avocados are an important ingredient. The avocados need to be ripe in order to bring out the best taste in the dish. To find the best avocado, ensure that its skin is darker and gently press it. If it yields to the small pressure, then it is ready for use. On the other hand, if the avocado becomes messy when gently pressed, it will only make the shrimp tempura roll messy and affect its taste.

Cucumber

Cucumbers come in different sizes and thickness. The best cucumber to use when preparing this roll is Japanese cucumbers. They are long and slender thus they have no seeds. Another great option is the Persian cucumber which is equally long and slender. The English cucumbers are also appropriate for using in the roll. However, if you choose to use American cucumbers which are usually short and thick, be sure to remove the seeds.

Sushi Rice

Sushi rice simply means rice that has been steamed and seasoned with sushi vinegar. To prepare sushi rice, you will require short grain rice from Japan. After you have prepared the sushi rice, avoid mashing it. The short grains need to be seen on the roll.

Nori

Nori is a seaweed and it determines the size of roll you are going to make. The best nori to use should be as fresh as possible. It should also be toasted before use.

Spicy Mayo

To add flavor to the shrimp tempura roll, some amount of spice will come in handy. Spice mayo is the perfect way to add flavor with its key ingredient being mayonnaise. The best mayonnaise to use when making spice mayo is Japanese mayonnaise.

Related Article: What Is The Orange Sauce On Sushi?

List of ingredients

This ingredients list is ideal for making 4 shrimp tempura rolls

Large shrimp deveined and peeled
1 Japanese or Persian cucumber
1.5-2 Avocados

2 sheets of Nori
2 cups of sushi rice each roll needs 1/2 cup.
8 pieces of Shrimp tempura

2 table spoons of frying fish roe (Tobiko)
Corn oil for deep frying

Optional Ingredients

Lemon
Unagi (Eel)

Ingredients for toppings

Roasted or toasted black sesame seeds
Spicy Mayo
Unagi sauce

Equipment

Large bowl
Cooking pot

Bamboo sushi mat
Plastic wrapping
A sharp and clean knife

Rice paddle to scoop the sushi rice

Instructions

Before you embark on the process of preparing the shrimp tempura rolls, be sure to have all the necessary ingredients.

Rinse the rice and put it in a rice cooker. Use 4 cups of water to cook the 2 cups of sushi rice. Once the sushi rice is ready, transfer it to a baking sheet and gently cut through the rice with a rice paddle. Scoop the rice and flip it and evenly sprinkle rice vinegar. Keep scooping the rice with the paddle until it cools down.

As the rice is cooling, prepare the shrimp tempura (see below video)

With the shrimps and rice ready, prepare the other ingredients. Cut the cucumber into half, remove any seeds and cut it into small pieces.

Cut the avocado by half and remove the seed. Place the edge of the knife on the avocado pit and twist gently until the pit comes off. Remove the avocado skin and cut the avocado into round slices and press it gently with the side of the knife. This is to ensure that the avocado slices are the length of the sushi roll. If the sushi roll is not going to be served immediately it is ready, pour some lemon juice on the avocado to ensure it does not change color.

Slice the cooked shrimp tempura into half to get identical pieces.

Cover the bamboo sushi mat with a plastic wrapping and place a sheet of toasted nori at the middle. The shiny part of the nori should face upwards. Clean your hands with water and grab a handful of rice which you will sprinkle on the nori. The entire sheet of nori needs to be covered by a thin layer of the sushi rice. Do not press the rice too hard to avoid making it messy. Always keep rewetting your hands to keep the rice from sticking on your hands.

After the rice has been sprinkled on the nori, sprinkle the sesame seeds and flip the nori. At the middle of the nori, place the cucumber pieces and sliced avocado and the sliced tempura. The avocado should be gently placed at the middle to avoid mashing it. At this point, you can also introduce more ingredients like unagi during this process.

Start making the roll by rolling front of the nori with the sushi mat. When making the roll, compress the stuffed ingredients to ensure it is tight.

Using a sharp clean knife, cut the roll into eight equal pieces. After every cut, clean the knife using a wet towel. In case the roll becomes messy while slicing it, use the bamboo mat to tightly squeeze the roll. Remove the plastic wrapping and place the roll on a plate.

For toppings, you can use tobiko or sprinkle spice mayo on the sushi roll. If you did not add the sesame seeds when preparing the roll, you can use them as toppings. To add some flavor to the roll, pour some unagi sauce on the plate, dip the rolls in the sauce and enjoy.

Calorie levels of the shrimp tempura roll

The shrimp tempura is a high calorie delicacy. This roll has crispy flavor since most of its ingredients are fried. This delicacy has 508 calories, 21 grams of fat, 20 grams of proteins and 64 grams of carbohydrates. Even with the high number of calories, the shrimp tempura roll is a very popular delicacy among sushi lovers.