Tempura is probably my family’s favorite meal. I don’t make it that often because I find frying the chunks of battered fish and vegetables in the deep fat fryer rather time consuming. Presenting it does make a really big hit though.
Halibut is my preferred fish to use because its firm white meat easily cuts into large bite size chunks for coating with the beer batter and frying. Other white fish do not hold up in this process as nicely.
Alaska is a source of beautiful specimens of halibut. They are fished in blue ocean waters surrounded with spectacular snow capped mountains. My nephew, Carey Johnson, in the colored photo, is holding a good sized one he caught a few years ago in Iniskin Bay, across Cook Inlet from Homer. As you see this is small in comparison to the one caught in Chignik in the 1920s shown in the black and white photo. Oh well, Carey’s still made great tempura.
Ingredients:
Halibut, cut into large bite size chunks; allow 5-6/person
Sweet potato, peeled and sliced thinly
Cauliflower, divided into florets
Broccoli, divided into florets
Sweet red pepper, cut into julienne strips
Button mushrooms
Onion, any color, peeled, sliced thickly and freed into rings
(Other fresh vegetables can be used as in season that appeal to you)
Batter (Enough to coat about 4 cups of fish and vegetables):
2 2/3 cups/350g/12 oz, plain flour or rice flour
1 ½ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon white pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 egg yolks
Add, whisking lightly,
1 ½ cups/350 ml/12 oz flat beer
Refrigerate the batter at least 3 hours (covered) and then add:
4 stiffly beaten egg whites
Dip halibut chunks and prepared vegetables into batter and fry in small batches in deep fat fryer until golden brown. Drain on paper towels and keep cooked pieces warm in low oven until all cut fish and vegetables are cooked. Serve Japanese style using chop sticks and lemon/soy sauce for dipping.
© Judy Labi 2013
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