Ebi Fry (Japanese Fried Shrimp)
えびフライ · Ebi Furai
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese preschool lunch menu
Ebi fry is one of Japan's best-loved yoshoku (Western-style Japanese) dishes: whole shrimp coated in a light batter and panko, then deep-fried until golden and crunchy, tail still attached. It is a fixture of Japanese lunch plates and bento boxes, and children love it for that satisfying crunch and the sweet, tender shrimp inside. The small extra steps here - scoring the belly and snapping the tendons - are what keep the shrimp beautifully straight in the fryer, so each one looks just like the ones served at school lunch.
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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
- 75 gshrimp
- 6.8 gflour
- 15 gegg
Seasonings
- 0.2 gsalt
- 10.5 gpanko
- 9 gvegetable oil
Directions
- 1
Hold the shrimp upside down, push your thumb firmly into the gap between the head and the body, and pull the head away from the body. (If you are using headless shrimp, skip this step.)
- 2
Peel off the shell, leaving only the last segment next to the tail. Make a shallow cut along the back with a knife and scrape out the dark vein. Trim off the tip of the tail at an angle.
- 3
To keep the shrimp from curling as they fry, lay each one belly-side up on the cutting board and make about 5 diagonal cuts across the belly with a knife. Turn it over and press the shrimp firmly against the board with your fingers to break the tendons.
- 4
Sprinkle with the salt and let sit for about 15 minutes, then pat away the moisture that comes out with paper towels.
- 5
Coat only the body (not the tail) first in a batter of the flour mixed with the beaten egg, then in the panko, and deep-fry in oil at 180°C (350°F) for about 4 minutes.
The heads are hard, so keep them for the grown-ups only! Peel off the outer shell (the "helmet") and deep-fry them plain, with no coating - they make a delicious crunchy treat.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 222 kcal | 444 kcal | 222 kcal |
| Protein | 18 g | 36 g | 18 g |
| Fat | 11.6 g | 23.1 g | 11.6 g |
| Carbohydrates | 12.5 g | 24.9 g | 12.5 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.8 g | 1.5 g | 0.8 g |
| Calcium | 54 mg | 108 mg | 54 mg |
| Iron | 1.2 mg | 2.4 mg | 1.2 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 222 kcal | 18 g | 11.6 g | 12.5 g | 0.8 g | 54 mg | 1.2 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 444 kcal | 36 g | 23.1 g | 24.9 g | 1.5 g | 108 mg | 2.4 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.
