Breaded and Tempura Shrimp for Retail, Foodservice and Private Label

Product overview

Coated shrimp is bought on two weights, not one: the weight of the finished piece and the weight of shrimp inside it. A carton of 21/25 panko butterfly shrimp at 50 percent shrimp and another at 70 percent can look identical on a freezer shelf, yet they cost, fry and eat quite differently. Every offer we send therefore gives the shrimp count before coating, the declared shrimp-to-coating ratio, the coating system and whether the piece is raw or par-fried. This page brings the breaded and tempura ranges together, because most buyers who source one end up comparing it with the other.

The base is farmed whiteleg shrimp (Penaeus vannamei), peeled, deveined and usually left tail-on, with the farm country declared for each lot; uncoated shrimp for buyers who bread their own is listed under vannamei shrimp. Breaded styles cover Japanese-style panko on round or butterfly cuts, fine and coarse crumb, coconut crumb, and popcorn shrimp made from small peeled pieces in a seasoned crumb. Torpedo shrimp are straightened and stretched before coating, which gives a long, slim piece that stands up on a plate. On the tempura side, stretched tail-on shrimp are dipped in a thin wheat-flour batter and par-fried until the coat sets crisp and lacy, and butterfly tempura, torpedo tempura and mixed party packs complete the line.

Coatings are built in layers, typically a predust, a batter or liquid binder and then crumb, and pickup is controlled at each station so the finished piece lands on the agreed ratio. Raw breaded shrimp leaves the line uncooked; par-fried pieces pass briefly through hot oil to fix the coating but still need full cooking by the end user; fully cooked lines are made only when a specification calls for them and the heat step has been validated. Before release, samples are checked for count, for shrimp content by stripping the coating from weighed pieces, for adhesion and bare patches, tail color and breakage, clumping in IQF bags, and in a test fry for blow-off and even browning. Our guide to shrimp count, glazing and net weight explains how the raw count is fixed before any coating goes on.

Packs run from 250 g, 400 g and 500 g retail boxes and 1 kg club-store cartons to 1⁠–⁠2.5 kg foodservice bags and 3⁠–⁠10 kg bulk cartons, with tempura often laid in trays so tails and batter arrive whole. Quick-service and casual-dining chains use popcorn and butterfly shrimp for baskets and sharing plates, Japanese restaurants and sushi bars take tempura and ebi fry for rolls and set meals, and supermarkets and caterers buy boxed retail and party packs. Own-brand boxes, crumb color, seasoning and printed cooking instructions are arranged through our private-label service, and coated shrimp can share a reefer with fish fingers or marinated seafood.