CAMARON REBOSADO (Filipino Battered Prawns)

 

 

Kulinarya’s theme for the month of September 2010 is SPANISH INSPIRED FILIPINO DISHES.

 

 

Camaron Rebosado (Filipino Battered Prawns) are prawns that’s unshelled with tails on and are marinated with calamansi juice and salt.  They are then coated in batter and deep fried till crispy.  It is served with Sweet and Sour Sauce, thanks to the Chinese influence in Filipino Cuisine.  In Spanish they call their Battered Prawns as Gambas Rebozadas and the batter includes saffron powder or dye.  As you can see, Filipinos made this dish unique by adding the twist of the citrus/salt marinade before coating the prawns with the batter mixture.

I was planning to try out Brazo de Mercedes (Filipino Meringue Custard Roll) for this Kulinarya September theme but due to cooking commitments, I have to jump to an easy recipe.  To tell you the truth, I’ve tried two recipes for both the batter and the sweet and  sour sauce, as I was not happy with the first batch.  Call me crazy for repeating the dish and posting it late, but I want to post something that will work and I think this recipe is good enough but need modifications later on to achieve a 10/10 rating from Cusinera.

 

CAMARON REBOSADO (Filipino Battered Prawns) 

INGREDIENTS:

18 large prawns

1/2 tspn calamansi or lemon juice

1/4 tspn table salt

 

Batter:  adapted from Kumain.com

1/2 cup plain flour

1/2 cup cornstarch

1 tbspn baking powder

1/4 tspn baking soda

2 eggs

1/4 cup water

 

cooking oil for deep frying

*used AUS Measuring Cups & Spoons

COOKING PROCEDURE:

 

Top Left & Right:  Unshell the prawns but leave the last segment shell with the tail tip.  Using a small sharp knife make a shallow cut along the top of the prawns to remove the digestive tract vein.  Turn each prawn upside down and make 3 small slashes across its belly without cutting through completely.  This prevents them from curling when deep fried.

Bottom Left & Right:  Marinate the prawns with calamansi or lemon juice and salt for at least 1 hour, covering the bowl with cling wrap and putting it inside the fridge during the marination .  Whisk all the batter ingredients until smooth.  Once the prawns are marinated, dip each one of them in the batter mixture by holding the tails, making sure that the prawns are evenly coated with batter.  You can leave them in the battered bowl with the tails sticking out for easy transition to the deep frying process.

 

~  Heat up the cooking oil in a medium saucepan, once the oil is hot, lower the heat to high-medium.  Place each battered prawns one at a time in the hot oil to prevent them sticking to each other.  Make sure you turn the prawns every now and then for even cooking.  Cook till golden brown and place the prawns in a bowl lined with kitchen paper towels to absorb excess oil.

 

~  Serve freshly cooked as the batter tends to get soft once cooled down.

BEST WITH:   Sweet and Sour Sauce, Tomato sauce or Banana ketchup and Mayonnaise.

NOTES:

• When you place the coated prawns into the hot oil, you can hold the tail with your left hand and hold a spoon on your right hand to cradle the other end of the prawn to prevent drips.  Place the prawn gently but quickly by sliding the spoon first and letting go of the tail.

• By cutting 3 slashes on the underside of the prawns, once cooked they have a more elongated appearance instead of a tight curl.

• I need to work on the batter recipe as I want to maintain the crispiness even when the prawns has cooled down.  If you have a tried and tested recipe for crispy batter, don’t hesitate to leave me a message and am more happy to try it out.

•   Other Spanish Inspired Filipino Recipes from Busog! Sarap!, Adobong Manok (Chicken Adobo), Rellenong Alimasag (Stuffed Crabs), Filipino Pork Empanada and Polvoron (Pulvoron/Pulboron/Pulburon).