Fried Crab Sticks

950 g imitation crab sticks
1 cup Tempura mix
¾ cup iced water
½ tsp SIDS CRAZY LEMON
1½ tsp Old Bay seasoning
Rice bran oil, for frying
Tarter Sauce, for dipping
1 lemon (Optional)

Add 5-7 cm of oil to a large pot and heat to 190°C. (use a thermometer)
In a large bowl, add the water, SIDS CRAZY LEMON and tempura mix. Whisk until you get a pancake batter consistency. If it is too thick to dip your crab sticks in, add a touch more water.
Cut your crab sticks into 4 pieces.
Add your crab bites to the tempura batter and one by one, add to hot oil using a toothpick, fork or tongs. (whichever is easier and less messy) You want to use something that allows the excess batter to drip off before adding it to your oil!
[Do not crowd your pot with too many at once because the cold batter will bring down the temperature of your oil and your bites will be saturated with oil instead of light and airy. Wait until the oil comes back to temperature before adding next batch]
Drain crab bites on paper towels and sprinkle with more Old Bay. Continue until all the crab is fried. Serve warm with tarter sauce and lemon wedges on the side!
Recipe Notes:
☻ You can make your own tempura batter if you wish but the box mix works wonderfully and saves time!
☻ Serve these hot within an hour of frying. They will become soggy as they sit. Pop them back in the oven or air fryer to crispy back up.