Chef Takumi
Candied Dried Sardines (田作り, Tazukuri)
Tazukuri asks for one careful pan: toast the little dried fish until brittle, coat them in a glossy soy-sugar glaze, and stop before sweetness turns bitter.
Culinary Explorer
A cooking platform built around craft, culture, and the stories behind what we eat.
Sweet-Simmered Shrimp (海老の旨煮, Ebi no Umani)
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A New Year shrimp asks for one careful thing: cook it just until it curls and turns red, then let the sweet soy broth glaze it without toughening the flesh.
Appetizers & Snacks
Japanese
New Years
Holiday
Special Occasion
20 min
Active Time
15 min cook•35 min total
Yield4 servings
The shrimp is meant to bend. In osechi, the New Year foods packed into lacquered boxes, that curved back is the old wish for long life, the body stooped with age and still bright-eyed enough to complain about the tea.
This looks ceremonial, but the cooking is small and direct. Use shell-on shrimp, because the shell protects the flesh and gives the dish its red lacquer. Devein them through the back with a skewer, simmer them gently in dashi, sake, mirin, sugar, and soy, then let them cool in that broth so the seasoning settles in without making the shrimp rubbery.
The one detail that decides it is timing. Shrimp go from sweet to tight in a minute, so we cook them only until they curl and turn opaque, then finish the shine by spooning over reduced broth. Nothing hidden. A good shrimp, a clear dashi, and restraint are enough for honmono.
Ebi no umani belongs to osechi ryōri, the formal foods prepared for shōgatsu, Japan's New Year observance. The curved shrimp is an auspicious form, associated with the wish to live until one's back bends with age, and its red color has long carried a celebratory meaning in Japanese foodways. In many households it is packed into the first layer of the jubako, the stacked lacquer box used for New Year dishes served during the first days of January.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
large shell-on shrimp
Quantity
12 shrimp (about 450g)
heads on if available, legs and whiskers trimmed
dashi
Quantity
1 cup
preferably ichiban dashi
sake
Quantity
1/4 cup
mirin
Quantity
3 tablespoons
soy sauce
Quantity
2 tablespoons
sugar
Quantity
1 tablespoon
fresh ginger
Quantity
1 thin slice
sea salt
Quantity
1 pinch
yuzu peel (optional)
Quantity
1 small piece
cut into fine strips
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| large shell-on shrimpheads on if available, legs and whiskers trimmed | 12 shrimp (about 450g) |
| dashipreferably ichiban dashi | 1 cup |
| sake | 1/4 cup |
| mirin | 3 tablespoons |
| soy sauce | 2 tablespoons |
| sugar | 1 tablespoon |
| fresh ginger | 1 thin slice |
| sea salt | 1 pinch |
| yuzu peel (optional)cut into fine strips | 1 small piece |
Equipment Needed
- •Kitchen scissors
- •Bamboo skewer or toothpick
- •Shallow pan
- •Wooden drop-lid (otoshibuta), or a circle of parchment
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the shrimp
Trim the long whiskers and sharp points with kitchen scissors, but leave the shells on. Slide a bamboo skewer under the shell along the back and lift out the dark vein without cutting the shrimp open. The shell keeps the flesh juicy and gives you the red New Year color, so don't peel it away.
- 2
Curl and rinse
Bend each shrimp gently into a C shape and rinse quickly under cold water, then pat dry. If any smell strongly fishy, cook something else today. This dish has no heavy sauce to hide tired seafood, and that honesty is its strength.
- 3
Make the broth
In a shallow pan, combine the dashi, sake, mirin, soy sauce, sugar, ginger, and salt. Bring it to a lively simmer for one minute so the alcohol softens and the sugar dissolves. Taste it now. It should be a little stronger than you'd want to drink, because the shrimp will take only a brief seasoning.
- 4
Simmer briefly
Lay the shrimp in a single layer and lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes, turning once, just until the shells turn red and the flesh turns opaque. Do not boil hard. Shrimp tighten when bullied, and New Year is no time for rubber.
- 5
Rest in broth
Transfer the shrimp to a shallow dish. Pour the hot simmering broth over them and let them cool in it for 10 minutes. This rest seasons the shrimp more evenly than longer boiling would, which is the small trick here.
- 6
Glaze and serve
Lift the shrimp out and reduce the broth over medium heat until lightly syrupy, 3 to 5 minutes. Spoon the glossy broth over the shrimp, then let them cool to room temperature. Serve one or three per person, with a fine strip of yuzu peel if you have it. Leave it room in the box.
Chef Tips
- •Kuruma ebi is the fine choice for osechi, but large fresh shell-on shrimp will serve well. Buy shrimp that smell clean and sweet, with firm flesh and intact shells.
- •If you have a wooden drop-lid, or otoshibuta, use it for the brief simmer. A circle of parchment with a small hole in the center works too, keeping the shrimp bathed in seasoning without stirring.
- •Don't cook the shrimp until the broth is thick. Cook the shrimp first, remove them, then reduce the broth. That gives you shine without sacrificing tenderness.
Advance Preparation
- •The shrimp can be cooked one day ahead and kept refrigerated in a little of their broth.
- •Bring them back to cool room temperature before serving. Hard reheating tightens the flesh.
- •The dashi can be made up to two days ahead and refrigerated.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 95g)
Calories
100 calories
Total Fat
1 g
Saturated Fat
0 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
1 g
Cholesterol
95 mg
Sodium
620 mg
Total Carbohydrates
10 g
Dietary Fiber
0 g
Sugars
8 g
Protein
12 g
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