Electrochemical etching has been employed for the texturisation of crystalline ZnTe surfaces. Under optimised conditions micrometre-deep etchings patterns can be obtained. The etched surfaces show a factor-3 decrease in the reflectivity at normal incidence, and a 30% increase in the electrical photosensitivity. When the etching is sufficiently deep, needle-like structures with an aspect ratio larger than 10 appear. These deeply etched surfaces exhibit a blue shift in the excitonic photoluminescence, indicative of electron confinement effects.