Fried Hake with Tartar Sauce (Elementary School Portion)
【小学校】メルルーサのフライタルタルソースがけ
By Aoi, licensed nutritionist · From a Japanese elementary school lunch menu
Hake (merluza) is one of the most familiar fish on Japanese school lunch trays: it is mild, tender and free of small bones, which makes it an easy first fish for children. Here the fillets go into a thick egg-and-flour batter and a coat of panko, then are fried until golden and topped with a simple homemade tartar sauce built on a hard-boiled egg. The creamy, slightly tangy sauce is what turns a plain piece of fish into something kids ask for again, and the fillets are breaded straight from frozen, so there is no thawing to plan ahead for.
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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 elementary school, sized for Western appetites. An adult counts as two servings. Tap an ingredient to check it off.
Ingredients
- 67.2 gfrozen hake filletsHake (merluza) is a mild, soft white fish with few bones that is a staple in Japanese school lunches. Substitute: Cod, pollock, or any mild white fish fillet.
- 10.8 gegg
- 4.1 gflour
- 22.4 gegg
Seasonings
- to tastepepper
- 0.8 gwater
- 8.9 gpanko
- 8.9 gvegetable oil
- 8.9 gmayonnaise
- 0.3 gsugar
- 1 gvinegar
- 0 gsalt
- to tastepepper
- to tastedried parsley
About the Japanese ingredients in this recipe
- frozen hake fillets (冷凍メルルーサ)
- Hake (merluza) is a mild, soft white fish with few bones that is a staple in Japanese school lunches. Substitute: Cod, pollock, or any mild white fish fillet.
Directions
- 1
Sprinkle pepper over both sides of the hake while it is still frozen.
- 2
In a bowl, mix the beaten egg and flour, then add water a little at a time, checking the consistency as you go, and mix. (Aim for a thick, heavy batter so the coating clings well.)
- 3
Coat both sides of the hake in the batter from step 2, then press the panko on firmly from above. (Use a hand that hasn't touched the batter to apply the panko; the coating will be less likely to peel off.)
- 4
Lower the hake into oil heated to 170°C (340°F) and fry for about 8 minutes total, turning the pieces over after about 2 to 3 minutes.
- 5
Arrange on plates and spoon the tartar sauce over the top.
- 6
Put enough water in a pot to cover the egg and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat to low, gently lower the egg, straight from the refrigerator, into the water on a ladle, and boil for 12 minutes. - 7
As soon as the egg is done, plunge it into ice water and leave it for about 5 minutes to cool.
- 8
Tap the egg on a flat surface to make fine cracks all over the shell, then peel it under running water. Pat the surface of the egg dry with a paper towel.
- 9
Mash the egg (or chop it finely), then add the mayonnaise, sugar, vinegar, salt, pepper and parsley and mix well. Chill in the refrigerator.
Cooking Notes
The salt and pepper in the tartar sauce are only tiny amounts, so taste as you go and adjust.
Nutrition
| Per | 1 serving | 1 adult serving | Your total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 282 kcal | 564 kcal | 282 kcal |
| Protein | 17.3 g | 34.5 g | 17.3 g |
| Fat | 20 g | 39.9 g | 20 g |
| Carbohydrates | 9 g | 18 g | 9 g |
| Salt equivalent | 0.8 g | 1.5 g | 0.8 g |
| Calcium | 28.5 mg | 57 mg | 28.5 mg |
| Iron | 0.8 mg | 1.5 mg | 0.8 mg |
| Energy | Protein | Fat | Carbs | Salt equiv. | Calcium | Iron | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 serving | 282 kcal | 17.3 g | 20 g | 9 g | 0.8 g | 28.5 mg | 0.8 mg |
| 1 adult serving | 564 kcal | 34.5 g | 39.9 g | 18 g | 1.5 g | 57 mg | 1.5 mg |
Values are per serving (1.5× the Japanese elementary-school 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.
This is the elementary-school portion of Fried Hake with Tartar Sauce (larger quantities, same method).
