Aji Fry (アジフライ, panko-fried horse mackerel)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Deba bōchō (Japanese fish knife), or a fishmonger who will do the se-biraki
• •Fish tweezers for rib and pin bones
• •Deep-fry thermometer, or long wooden chopsticks for judging oil bubbles
• •Wire rack set over a tray for draining

Instructions

1. 1

   Crisp the cabbage

   Shred the cabbage as finely as you can, then put it in cold water for five minutes. Drain it very well, and dry it in a spinner or clean towel. The cold water makes the cabbage curl and crisp; the drying keeps the plate from turning watery under the fried fish.

2. 2

   Open the fish

   If your fishmonger has done the se-biraki, inspect the work: the hard zeigo scutes along the tail should be gone, the center bone lifted out, and the two sides still joined at the belly with the tail attached. If you're doing it yourself, scrape the zeigo off from tail toward head, remove the head and guts, rinse the cavity quickly, and pat the fish dry. Open from the back along both sides of the backbone, then snip the bone free at the tail and lift it out. This cut gives you one broad, even piece, so the thin fish cooks before the crumb gets too dark.

   The useful phrase at the fish counter is se-biraki for aji fry: back-opened, tail on, zeigo removed, and center bone out.
3. 3

   Salt and dry

   Lay the opened fish on a tray and sprinkle the flesh sides with about 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and the white pepper. Rest for ten minutes, then wipe away every bead of moisture. Salt draws out surface liquid and firms the fish just enough for frying; leave that liquid there and the flour turns pasty.

4. 4

   Set the coating

   Put the flour, beaten egg, and panko in three shallow trays. Keep the panko loose and uneven. That ragged texture is the pleasure of furai, and crushing it flat turns a light crust into a coat of armor.

5. 5

   Bread the aji

   Dust each fish lightly in flour, tapping off anything that looks thick. Dip it in the egg, let the excess drip away, then lay it in the panko and pat gently so the crumbs cling. Flour is the dry bridge, egg is the glue, and panko is the air. Keep each layer thin and the finished fry stays clean.

6. 6

   Heat the oil

   Pour oil 1 1/2 inches deep into a heavy pot and heat it to 170-175°C (340-350°F). If you don't have a thermometer, drop in a panko crumb: it should sink halfway, rise quickly, and bubble brightly without darkening at once. Too cool and the crust drinks oil; too hot and the panko browns before the hinge of the fish cooks through.

7. 7

   Fry the fish

   Lower in one or two fish at a time, tail facing away from you, skin side down first so the butterfly stays flat. Fry for about 90 seconds, turn once, and fry another 90 seconds to 2 minutes. The panko should be clear gold, the bubbles should grow smaller and quieter, and the thickest part near the hinge should be opaque. Don't crowd the pot. Oil needs room to recover.

8. 8

   Crisp the bones

   If you saved the center bones, fry them after the fish for 4 to 6 minutes, turning once, until deep golden and brittle enough to snap. Drain and salt lightly. Eat only bones that are fully crisp; if they bend, they need more time.

9. 9

   Drain and serve

   Drain the aji fry on a wire rack for one minute. Paper towels trap moisture under the crust, and that is a sad ending for good panko. Plate the fish with a restrained mound of cabbage, lemon wedges, karashi if you like, and tonkatsu sauce on the side. Add the sauce at the table, not before, so the crust stays crisp.

Chef Tips

• •Sourcing first, always. Look for clear eyes, red gills, taut skin, and a clean sea smell. If the fish smells strong or the flesh looks dull, change the dish. No sauce will make tired aji honest.
• •Ask the fishmonger to butterfly the fish for aji fry. That's not cheating. The honmono is in the freshness, the clean cut, and the frying, not in making yourself miserable with a small slippery fish on a weeknight.
• •Use fresh Japanese panko if you can. Dry panko works, but rub it lightly between your palms to make the flakes uneven. Uneven crumbs catch oil cleanly and fry lighter.
• •Sauce belongs beside the fish, not over it in advance. Tonkatsu sauce is good company, but it softens panko quickly. Lemon first, sauce second, then eat.

Advance Preparation

• •The cabbage can be shredded up to 2 hours ahead. Soak it briefly in cold water, drain very well, and keep it chilled under a damp towel.
• •The fish can be cleaned and butterflied earlier the same day. Keep it cold on a rack over a tray, covered loosely, and salt it only shortly before breading.
• •Bread the fish just before frying. Once panko sits on damp fish, it begins to soften, and the crust loses the lightness you were after.
• •Aji fry is best served directly from the oil. Leftovers can be reheated on a rack in a hot oven, but they won't have the same clean crackle.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 330g)