← Nouns Cooking · Japanese

Ingredients

• 16 large raw prawns, shell on (about 450 g)
• ½ tsp Salt
• ¼ tsp Black pepper
• 60 g plain flour
• 2 Eggs, beaten
• 100 g Panko breadcrumbs
• 1 l neutral oil, for deep-frying
• 1 hard-boiled egg, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp Onion, very finely chopped, rinsed and squeezed dry
• 4 cornichons or 1 small pickle, finely chopped
• 5 tbsp Japanese (Kewpie) mayonnaise
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• ¼ Cabbage, finely shredded, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Stir the chopped egg, onion, cornichons, mayonnaise and lemon juice together with a pinch of salt and pepper. Chill the tartar sauce until needed.
2. Peel the prawns but leave the tail tips on, and pull out the dark vein. Trim the very end of each tail and scrape out the water inside so it does not spit in the oil.
3. Make 4–5 shallow cuts across the belly of each prawn, then turn it over and press gently along its back until you feel it give. This keeps the prawns long and straight as they fry.
4. Pat the prawns dry and season with salt and pepper. Dust them in flour, dip in beaten egg, then roll in panko, pressing the crumbs on firmly. Leave the tails bare.
5. Heat the oil in a deep pan to 175°C (350°F). Fry a few prawns at a time for 2–3 min, turning once, until deep golden and just opaque inside. Drain on a rack.
6. Serve hot with shredded cabbage, lemon wedges and a big spoonful of tartar sauce.

Tips

• Cook in small batches so the oil stays hot and the crust stays crisp, not greasy.
• Tonkatsu sauce is the other classic dip; Kewpie mayonnaise contains egg.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Just One Cookbook Japanese Cooking 101