Shrimp Fry (Ebi fry)

Ebi fry is extremely popular at home and in restaurants in Japan. It also makes for a good bento (lunch box) to take to work or school. Ebi fry falls under the category of "youshoku" (pronounced yo-shoh-koo), which is the Japanese word for western style food. Oddly enough, most youshoku recipes hardly resemble anything you can find on the menu in western countries. This is because the dishes were introduced to Japan so long ago that over the years they've evolved to the local tastes and become almost uniquely Japanese. Still, however, they retain the western moniker. A couple of other youshoku I've posted here are gyudon (beef bowl) and katsu sando (pork cutlet sandwich). Check those out too when you have a chance! Itadakimasu! (Let's eat!)

Yield: 10 shrimp
Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

• 10 large shrimp
  
• 1 egg (beaten)
  
• 1 cup panko (or breadcrumbs)
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 boiled egg (crushed, for tartar sauce)
• 2 tbsp pickle (minced, for tartar sauce)
  

Spices

• 3 tbsp mayonnaise (for tartar sauce)
  
• 1 tbsp sake
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
  
• dash pepper (for tartar sauce)
  

Preparation

1. Mix mayonnaise, boiled crushed egg, pickles, and a dash of pepper then chill in refrigerator
   
2. Peel shrimp and make a shallow incision on the ventral side so the shrimp retains its shape while cooking. Coat with sake and lemon juice
   
3. Cover shrimp with flour then dredge in egg and cover with panko.
   
4. Heat oil to 375 degrees and fry shrimp until golden brown (about 2-3 mins)
   
5. Remove shrimp and serve with chilled tartar sauce