Hairy Bikers Beer Battered Scampi Recipe

Langoustine tails fried in a light, crisp coat make this Hairy Bikers beer battered scampi, served with a home-made tartare of capers, cornichons and tarragon. And I cook it straight from British Classics, where it takes me 50 minutes for 4 plates at 540 calories each by my count.

They cooked this on their Best of British series, where the crew loved it and it “disappeared faster than Ronnie Biggs!” And their batter blends cornflour into plain flour with a spoon of white wine vinegar, while real ale rather than lager carries the flavour.

Shake each tail in seasoned flour before it meets the batter, because a damp thawed tail lets the coating slide off in the pan. Then fry only 4 or 5 at a time and wait for the thermometer to read 190°C again, so each batch stays golden, not greasy.

Hairy Bikers Beer Battered Scampi Recipe

Author: Alex Saidani Cooking Method:Frying Cuisine:British Courses:Dinner

Difficulty:BeginnerPrep time: 20 minutesCook time: 30 minutesRest time: Total time: 50 minutesServings:4 Calories:540 Best Season:Summer

Description

Scampi tails get a dusting of salted flour, a dip in ale batter and 3 to 4 minutes in hot oil until golden. Meanwhile the tartare sits under cling film for 20 minutes, which is the perfect window to mix the batter and heat the pan.

Ingredients

For the tartare sauce

• 1 egg yolk
• ½ tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• pinch of caster sugar
• pinch of fine sea salt
• 75ml vegetable oil
• 25ml extra virgin olive oil
• 25g capers, drained and roughly chopped
• 25g cornichons, drained and thinly sliced
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley
• 1 tbsp chopped tarragon
• black pepper

For the batter

• 30g cornflour
• 100g plain flour
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• 160ml real ale
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar

For the scampi

• vegetable oil, for deep-frying
• 4 tbsp plain flour
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• 16 to 20 scampi tails, peeled and thawed if frozen
• lemon wedges, to serve

Instructions

1. Start the tartare: Whisk the egg yolk, vinegar, mustard, sugar and salt in a bowl with a balloon whisk until combined. Then add both oils a few drops at a time, whisking all the while until the sauce is smooth and very thick.
2. Finish and rest it: Stir in the capers, cornichons, parsley, tarragon and plenty of black pepper. Cover the surface with cling film and leave it for 20 minutes while you get on with the batter.
3. Mix the batter: Combine the cornflour, plain flour and salt in a large bowl, then make a well and whisk in two-thirds of the ale until smooth. After that, gently whisk in the rest of the ale and the vinegar.
4. Heat the oil: Fill a large pan or deep-fat fryer two-thirds full with vegetable oil and heat it to 190°C. Use a thermometer if you are not using a fryer, and never leave the hot oil unattended.
5. Flour the scampi: Put the 4 tbsp of plain flour in a plastic or paper bag and season it with the salt. Then add the scampi tails one at a time and shake to coat each one.
6. Batter and fry: Stir the batter, then use tongs to dip a floured tail until it is fully coated and lower it gently into the oil. Then quickly add 3 or 4 more and fry for 3 to 4 minutes until golden-brown and crisp.
7. Fry in batches: Lift the scampi onto kitchen paper to drain and keep them warm. Once the oil is back at 190°C, fry the rest in 2 or 3 more batches.
8. Serve: Pile the scampi onto plates with the tartare sauce and lemon wedges while they are still hot.

FAQs

Which scampi tails should I buy for this?

Buy raw, peeled langoustine tails, which fishmongers also sell as Dublin Bay prawns or Norway lobster, and frozen bags are fine once thawed. But avoid frozen scampi that comes already breaded, because the flour and batter need bare tails to cling to.

Langoustine is the pricey part, and they write in Ultimate Comfort Food that their prawn and fish balls are “an affordable alternative to scampi”. Or for an everyday fried fish supper, their fish fingers work with any thick cod or haddock fillet.

Are 16 to 20 tails really enough for 4 people?

That comes to 4 or 5 tails each, so on its own it eats like a generous starter rather than a big dinner. For a full plate I add chips and peas, or a bowl of their coleslaw, since the buttermilk dressing cuts through the batter.

And for hungry eaters I buy more tails and make the batter twice, which keeps the proportions exactly as they wrote them.

Can I use king prawns instead of scampi?

Yes, large raw king prawns take the same flour and batter, though langoustine has the sweeter flavour. For timing, their king prawn pakoras in Great Curries fry deveined prawns for 2 to 3 minutes until pink all through. So I start checking king prawns at 2 minutes, because an overcooked prawn turns tough.

Is the raw egg yolk in the tartare safe?

Use an egg with the British Lion stamp, because the Food Standards Agency says those are safe raw even for pregnant women and older people. But anyone on a medically supervised diet for a weak immune system is still told to avoid raw egg. Or buy a jar of tartare, which they suggest themselves in Ultimate Comfort Food for when time is short.

Can I fry them ahead or reheat leftovers?

The batter soon loses its crunch, so I fry right before eating and hold early batches on a rack in a low oven. And leftovers crisp up a little in a hot oven, but a microwave turns the batter soggy.

The tartare keeps far better, since covered in the fridge it lasts until the next day, so I often whisk it up that morning.