Curry-Fried Hokke (Atka Mackerel)
ホッケのカレー揚げ · Hokke no Kare-age
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Hokke, or Atka mackerel, is a mild, meaty white fish that is a staple of Japanese fish counters and a regular on preschool lunch menus. Here it goes straight from the freezer into a quick ginger and soy sauce marinade, then gets a light coating of curry powder and potato starch before frying. The gentle curry flavor takes the edge off any fishiness, so even children who are wary of fish tend to reach for a second piece. Fried slowly at a low temperature, the coating turns crisp without the curry powder scorching.
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Ingredients
Amounts for 1 child (1 serving). An adult counts as 2 servings.
One serving here is 1.5× the portion served to a child in a Japanese preschool, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 67.2 gfrozen hokke (Atka mackerel)A mild, flaky fish from northern Japan, often grilled. Substitute: Mackerel, cod, or any mild white fish.
Seasonings
- 1.4 gginger paste (tube)Grated ginger sold ready to use in a squeeze tube, a staple in Japanese kitchens. Japanese school lunch kitchens grate fresh ginger for its aroma, but for cooking at home Aoi says the tube works just fine. Tube pastes often contain added salt, oil and other ingredients, so check the label. Substitute: Use freshly grated ginger in the same amount. 1 teaspoon of paste is about 5 g.
- 3.3 gsoy sauce
- 0.6 gcurry powder
- 7.5 gpotato starch (katakuriko)Japanese potato starch used for thickening sauces and coating fried foods. Substitute: Cornstarch: start with the same amount and add a little more if it is still thin. It thickens a little less than potato starch and needs a couple of minutes at a gentle bubble to reach full thickness.
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- frozen hokke (Atka mackerel) (冷凍ホッケ)
- A mild, flaky fish from northern Japan, often grilled. Substitute: Mackerel, cod, or any mild white fish.
- ginger paste (tube) (しょうがチューブ)
- Grated ginger sold ready to use in a squeeze tube, a staple in Japanese kitchens. Japanese school lunch kitchens grate fresh ginger for its aroma, but for cooking at home Aoi says the tube works just fine. Tube pastes often contain added salt, oil and other ingredients, so check the label. Substitute: Use freshly grated ginger in the same amount. 1 teaspoon of paste is about 5 g.
- potato starch (katakuriko) (かたくり粉)
- Japanese potato starch used for thickening sauces and coating fried foods. Substitute: Cornstarch: start with the same amount and add a little more if it is still thin. It thickens a little less than potato starch and needs a couple of minutes at a gentle bubble to reach full thickness. Read the guide: Katakuriko (Japanese Potato Starch) and What to Use Instead → Guide: japanese-school-lunch.com/articles/katakuriko-potato-starch/
Directions
- 1
Place the hokke, still frozen, in a shallow tray or bowl, add the ginger paste and soy sauce, and rub the mixture over both sides of the fish so it soaks in.
- 2
Mix the curry powder and potato starch together and coat both sides of the hokke thoroughly. (Let any excess marinade drip off well before dredging in the starch for a neat, even finish. If you are making a large batch, you can drain the fish in a colander instead.)
- 3
Heat the oil to 160°C (320°F) and fry for about 10 minutes. (Fry over low heat so the surface does not burn.)
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 99 kcal | 198 kcal | 99 kcal |
| Protein | 11.9 g | 23.7 g | 11.9 g |
| Fat | 3 g | 6 g | 3 g |
| Carbohydrates | 7.1 g | 14.1 g | 7.1 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.8 g | 1.5 g | 0.8 g |
| Calcium | 19.5 mg | 39 mg | 19.5 mg |
| Iron | 0.6 mg | 1.2 mg | 0.6 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 99 kcal | 11.9 g | 3 g | 7.1 g | 0.8 g | 19.5 mg | 0.6 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 198 kcal | 23.7 g | 6 g | 14.1 g | 1.5 g | 39 mg | 1.2 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese preschool portion); an adult serving is double. They were calculated by a licensed Japanese nutritionist using the Standard Tables of Food Composition in Japan. "Salt equivalent" is sodium × 2.54, the standard Japanese measure. Allergen flags cover egg, milk and wheat only and come from the nutritionist's records. Soy sauce and miso are made with wheat but are usually allowed on Japanese wheat-free school menus, so check with your doctor.
Cooking for bigger kids? See the elementary-school portion of this recipe.
