Ebi Fry (エビフライ, panko-fried prawns)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Agemono-nabe (Japanese deep-frying pot), or a heavy saucepan
• •Deep-fry thermometer
• •Bamboo skewer or small knife for deveining
• •Kitchen shears for trimming tails
• •Wire rack set over a tray
• •Three shallow trays for flour, egg, and panko

Instructions

1. 1

   Mix the tartare

   Stir together the chopped egg, Japanese mayonnaise, rinsed onion, rakkyo or pickle, lemon juice, and a small pinch of salt. Keep it cold while you prepare the prawns. Rinsing and squeezing the onion matters because raw onion can bully the sweet prawn, and this sauce is here to accompany, not cover.

   Japanese tartare is soft, eggy, and a little sweet from the mayonnaise. Tonkatsu sauce is also correct at the table. Put either on the side, not under the prawns.
2. 2

   Clean the prawns

   Peel the prawns, leaving the tail shells attached. Remove the dark vein with a bamboo skewer or the tip of a small knife. Rub the prawns with 1/2 teaspoon salt and the potato starch until the surface feels tacky, then rinse quickly under cold water and pat them very dry. The starch lifts grit and odor from the surface; the drying keeps the coating from sliding off.

3. 3

   Trim the tails

   Snip the pointed tips from the tail fans, then press the tail gently with the back of a knife to squeeze out any trapped water. Wipe again with paper towels. Water hidden in the tail turns to angry spitting in hot oil, which is a poor way to learn this lesson.

4. 4

   Straighten the prawns

   Lay each prawn belly-side up and make three or four shallow crosswise cuts along the underside, barely halfway through. Turn it over and press gently along the back until you feel the muscle relax and the prawn lies mostly straight. Season with the remaining salt and the white pepper. The cuts stop the prawn curling tightly as it fries, and a straight prawn cooks more evenly under its coat.

5. 5

   Set the stations

   Put the flour in one shallow tray. Beat the egg with the cold water in a second tray. Spread the panko in a third. Heat 5 cm of neutral oil in an agemono-nabe, a Japanese frying pot, or a heavy saucepan to 170 C. Having the line ready keeps your hands calm, and calm hands make a cleaner coat.

6. 6

   Bread the prawns

   Hold each prawn by the tail and coat the flesh lightly in flour, shaking off every loose patch. Dip it in the egg, then lay it in the panko and press gently so the crumbs cling in an even layer. Rest the breaded prawns on a rack for five minutes. Thin flour gives the egg something to grip; too much flour makes a pasty layer that slips away in the oil.

   Fresh panko gives the broadest, lightest crumb. Dry panko works, but mist it very lightly with water and toss it before using if it feels dusty.
7. 7

   Fry in batches

   Fry three or four prawns at a time at 170 to 175 C, turning once, until the panko is golden and the prawn inside is opaque, about 2 to 3 minutes. If you use a thermometer, the center should reach 63 C. Don't crowd the pot. Crowding drops the oil temperature, and then the crumb drinks oil instead of crisping around the prawn.

8. 8

   Drain and serve

   Lift the prawns to a wire rack, tail up if you can manage it, and let the surface settle for a minute. A rack keeps the underside crisp; paper towels trap moisture against the crumb. Serve with shredded cabbage, lemon wedges, and tartare or tonkatsu sauce on the side.

Chef Tips

• •Ask for prawns that feel firm and smell clean, faintly sweet, and cold. A sharp ammonia smell means the prawn is already telling you no. No sauce makes that better.
• •Frozen prawns are a sensible stand-in when the quality is high. Thaw them slowly in the refrigerator, still covered, then dry them with almost rude thoroughness before cutting or breading.
• •Keep the oil steady. At 170 to 175 C the panko turns gold as the prawn cooks through. Lower than that and the crumb grows heavy; much higher and the outside darkens before the center is done.
• •Use sauce with manners. Tartare brings richness, tonkatsu sauce brings fruit-dark sweetness, but the prawn should still taste like prawn. Nothing hidden.
• •Shred the cabbage finely and soak it briefly in cold water, then drain it well. It gives the plate a clean crunch beside the fried crumb and keeps the meal from feeling heavy.

Advance Preparation

• •The tartare sauce can be made up to 1 day ahead and kept refrigerated.
• •The prawns can be cleaned, trimmed, and straightened up to 4 hours ahead. Keep them covered in the refrigerator on paper towels so the surface stays dry.
• •Bread the prawns up to 30 minutes before frying and keep them uncovered in the refrigerator. That short rest helps the crumb cling.
• •Ebi fry is best fried just before serving. If you must hold it, keep it on a rack in a 120 C oven for no more than 15 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 230g)