Seaweed Tempura Nori Snack (Printer View)

Lightly battered crispy seaweed paired with a savory dipping sauce for a flavorful umami snack.

# What you'll 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

# Method:

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 of uniform size.
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. Maintain consistent temperature throughout frying.
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 fried nori pieces with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels to remove excess oil.
08 - Serve warm nori tempura immediately with the prepared dipping sauce.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It transforms ordinary nori into something that crackles like autumn leaves, catching everyone off guard at the table.
  • Comes together in under 30 minutes with ingredients you probably already have hiding in your pantry.
  • The dipping sauce is genuinely addictive—salty, slightly sweet, whisper of sesame—and honestly works on everything.
02 -
  • Overmixing the batter is the enemy—it develops gluten and creates chewy rather than crispy results, so resist the urge to make it smooth and homogeneous.
  • The nori pieces must go into the oil immediately after battering or the coating will get soggy and lose its delicate structure before it even hits the heat.
  • If your oil temperature drops significantly after each batch, wait 30 seconds before adding more pieces; this patience is what separates crispy from greasy.
03 -
  • Don't skip the chilled ingredients—cold batter meets hot oil to create exactly the right textural contrast, and warm batter just won't perform the same magic.
  • If seaweed doesn't speak to you, this exact technique works beautifully on thinly sliced vegetables like zucchini or green beans, though the umami character will be different.
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