Seaweed Tempura Snack (Printer Friendly)

Crispy fried nori coated in light batter served with a savory dipping sauce for an umami snack.

# What You Need:

→ Seaweed

01 - 8 large nori sheets

→ Tempura Batter

02 - 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
03 - 1/4 cup cornstarch
04 - 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
05 - 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
06 - 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon ice-cold sparkling water
07 - 1 large egg yolk, chilled

→ For Frying

08 - 2 cups neutral oil (canola or sunflower)

→ Dipping Sauce

09 - 3 tablespoons soy sauce
10 - 2 tablespoons mirin
11 - 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
12 - 1 teaspoon sugar
13 - 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
14 - 1 spring onion, finely sliced
15 - 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds, optional

# Directions:

01 - In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, mirin, rice vinegar, sugar, and sesame oil. Stir until sugar dissolves completely. Add sliced spring onion and sesame seeds if using. Set aside.
02 - Stack the nori sheets and cut each into quarters to create 32 pieces total.
03 - In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined.
04 - In a separate bowl, lightly beat the chilled egg yolk, then add the ice-cold sparkling water. Pour this mixture into the flour blend and gently mix with chopsticks or a fork. Do not overmix; the batter should remain slightly lumpy and cold.
05 - Heat the oil in a deep, heavy-bottomed pan to 350°F.
06 - Dip each nori piece quickly into the tempura batter, allowing excess to drip off, and immediately slide it into the hot oil. Fry in batches to avoid crowding, approximately 30 to 45 seconds per piece, until crisp and lightly golden.
07 - Remove nori pieces with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
08 - Serve warm with the dipping sauce.

# Pro Advice:

01 -
  • Ready in 25 minutes total, yet tastes like you spent hours perfecting it.
  • The contrast between shattered crispy exterior and the tender, umami-rich seaweed is genuinely addictive.
  • One batch impresses a whole table, or you can eat them all before anyone notices.
02 -
  • Temperature is everything—I learned this the hard way when I let the oil cool slightly and ended up with greasy, soggy seaweed instead of the shattering golden crisps I expected.
  • Never overmix the batter no matter how many lumps you see staring back at you; those lumps are what create the delicate, lacy coating that makes this dish special.
03 -
  • If your batter seems too thick, add sparkling water one tablespoon at a time rather than dumping it all in at once and ending up with something too thin to coat properly.
  • Keep a small bowl of batter on ice while you're frying to maintain that crucial cold temperature that creates the lacy, delicate coating everyone falls for.
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