Korean Seafood Tempura (Korean Deep-Fried Seafood)

Quick answer

Total time: 27 min
Level: Medium
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients: 7

About this dish

Haemul-twigim is a Korean assorted seafood platter of shrimp, squid, and clams coated in a light cold-water batter and deep-fried until crisp.

Each type of seafood requires different prep: shrimp get their back tendons snipped to prevent curling, and squid are scored to stop them from shrinking in hot oil. The cold-water batter produces a thin, delicate coating that highlights the seafood's own flavors rather than burying them. Frying briefly at 170 degrees keeps the interiors from turning rubbery, and the platter is typically served with soy dipping sauce or salt alongside tteokbokki and fish cake soup as part of a bunsik spread. Substituting beer or sparkling water for plain cold water in the batter creates an even lighter, crispier coating, and draining the pieces thoroughly on a rack immediately after frying is what keeps them from going soggy before they reach the table.

Ingredients

servings

IngredientAmountUnit

shrimp150 gg

squid150 gg

clams100 gg

frying powder150 gg

water150 mlml

cooking oil800 mlml

soy sauce2 tsts

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Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

6 steps

1

Control

Snip the back tendons of 150 g shrimp so they stay straighter, then score 150 g squid to reduce shrinking.

Rinse the 100 g clams, then dry all seafood thoroughly to prevent oil splatter.
2

Heat

Pour 150 ml cold water into 150 g frying powder and mix lightly with chopsticks or a fork.

Stop while a few small flour lumps remain, because overmixing makes the coating heavier.
3

Control

Pour 800 ml cooking oil into a deep pan and heat it over medium-high heat to 170C.

If a drop of batter sinks briefly and rises with fine bubbles, the oil is ready.
4

Heat

Coat the seafood thinly in batter and add it to the oil in small batches.

Fry for about 2 minutes, turning only as needed, then lift pieces out when the coating is pale golden and crisp.
5

Heat

Drain the fried pieces on a rack or absorbent paper without stacking them.

Let excess oil drip away fully, and avoid a long second fry because the seafood can quickly turn rubbery.
6

Finish

Serve the seafood tempura while it is still hot and crisp, with 2 teaspoons soy sauce for dipping.

If steam softens the coating, leave the pieces uncovered briefly so moisture can escape.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: Haemul-twigim brings together shrimp and squid in a light batter fried at 170 degrees Celsius.
Finish cue: Fry for about 2 minutes, turning only as needed, then lift pieces out when the coating is pale golden and crisp.
Avoid this: Let excess oil drip away fully, and avoid a long second fry because the seafood can quickly turn rubbery.
Substitution: Substituting beer or sparkling water for plain cold water in the batter creates an even lighter, crispier coating, and draining the pieces thoroughly on a rack immediately after frying is what keeps them from going soggy before they reach the table.