Chikuwa Isobeage (ちくわの磯辺揚げ, fried fish-cake with aonori)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Small heavy pot or wok for frying
• •Cooking thermometer, or chopsticks for testing oil bubbles
• •Wire rack or paper-lined tray for draining

Instructions

1. 1

   Cut the chikuwa

   Cut each chikuwa on the bias into three pieces. The angled cut gives more surface for the batter to hold, and it makes the hollow center show nicely on the plate. Pat the pieces dry with a towel so the batter clings instead of sliding off.

2. 2

   Heat the oil

   Pour about 1 inch of oil into a small heavy pot and heat it to 170 to 175 C, or 340 to 350 F. If you don't have a thermometer, drop in a little batter: it should sink halfway, then rise with small lively bubbles. Too cool and the coating drinks oil; too hot and the aonori darkens before the shell crisps.

3. 3

   Mix the batter

   Whisk the flour, potato starch, aonori, and salt together. Add the ice-cold water and stir briefly with chopsticks until just combined, leaving a few small lumps. Cold, lightly mixed batter makes a cleaner crust because less gluten forms, and the water flashes off quickly in the oil.

4. 4

   Dip and fry

   Dip a few chikuwa pieces in the batter, let the excess drip once, and slide them into the oil. Fry in small batches for 60 to 90 seconds, turning once, until the coating is crisp and pale with green flecks. Don't crowd the pot, because crowded oil cools and gives you a soft coat.

5. 5

   Drain and serve

   Lift the pieces to a rack or a paper-lined tray and let them drain for a minute. Serve at once, with a lemon wedge if you like. Taste before adding anything else; chikuwa is already seasoned, and the point here is the clean seaweed fragrance, not a sauce hiding it.

Chef Tips

• •Buy chikuwa that smells clean and faintly sweet, not strongly fishy. Since the filling is already made, freshness and a good maker matter more than anything you do at the stove.
• •Aonori is not the same as nori sheets crushed up. Use powdered or flaked aonori if you can; it perfumes the batter evenly and gives isobeage its proper green fragrance.
• •Fry only a few pieces at a time. This is a quick snack, but quick doesn't mean crowded. Hot oil and space give the batter its crisp manners.

Advance Preparation

• •Cut and dry the chikuwa up to 4 hours ahead, then keep it covered in the refrigerator.
• •Mix the dry batter ingredients ahead if you like, but add the ice-cold water only at the last moment. Batter that waits becomes heavy.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 85g)