The term camaron rebosado comes from
Spanishcamarón ("shrimp"); and rebozado ("battered").[3] Despite the Spanish name, the dish is
Chinese Filipino, originally introduced by Chinese migrants to the Philippines.[2][4]
Preparation
Camaron rebosado is prepared by removing the heads, and sometimes the tails as well, of the shrimp.[5] It is then sliced lengthwise along the back and butterflied, with the vein removed.[6][7] The shrimp is then marinated for a few minutes in a mixture of
calamansi juice, salt,
black pepper, garlic, and other spices to taste. The batter is made by mixing flour with egg, black pepper,
corn starch or
baking powder, and water.[7][8][6][4] The shrimp is coated evenly and then fried in hot oil.[7][8] It is also common to coat the shrimp in
bread crumbs before frying.[9][10]
Camaron rebosado is similar to Japanese
tempura, although tempura uses a lighter batter that is chilled before frying.[14][13]
Variations
Camaron rebosado con jamon (also spelled camaron rebosado con hamon) is a variation of the dish that includes ham wrapped around the shrimp in its preparation.[15][16] It is a traditional dish in the
Binondo district of
Manila, the city's
Chinatown.[17]