Seafood Tempura (Shrimp, Scallop, and Squid)

Prepare the ingredients. Get kuruma shrimp or black tiger shrimp, scallops, and squid ready. Store-bought tempura flour is plenty good for the batter, so use that.

Remove the shrimp heads and peel off the shells. Leave the tails on and trim off the tips of the tails with a knife.

Remove the vein from the back. It can contain sand, so be sure to take it out. Tidy up the small bits of flesh on the belly side as well.

Make several shallow cuts on the belly side of the shrimp and use your fingers to straighten out the flesh. Straighten it well so it does not curl up.

Remove the frill (the outer part) from the scallops, leaving only the adductor muscle.

Remove the tentacles and innards from the squid, pull out the cartilage, and peel off the skin with a spoon or similar. Open up the body and pat it dry.

Cut the squid body into bite-sized pieces. For 3 servings, cut it roughly in half.

Mix the tempura flour with water to make the batter. With store-bought tempura flour, just stirring it together is enough.

Coat the shrimp in batter and fry in the oil. Be careful not to overfry, and shape them as they cook.

Fry the scallops. In Japanese cuisine you want the inside medium-rare, so take them out quickly without cooking them through. Fry them one at a time, dropping them in vertically.

Fry the squid. Coat it in batter, lower it into the oil, and lift it out after 24 to 25 seconds. It turns tough if overfried, so keep the time short.

Serve while the natural sweetness of each seafood stands out, and eat it piping hot.