Ebi Furai – Japanese Fried Shrimp Recipe
Ebi Furai is one of Japan’s popular fried shrimp recipes that coats fresh shrimp in a flavorful batter that is then pressed into breadcrumbs. Fried until crispy, they are an absolute delight. Enjoy them with a delicious tartar sauce for dipping.
Unlike other Japanese fried shrimp recipes, Shrimp Tempura, Ebi Furai tastes different with a thick and crisp breadcrumb crust. It makes the best bento box with a green salad and hot steamed rice. Serving the fried shrimp with a savory mayonnaise dipping sauce balances out the taste and removes the greasiness from frying. The hot shrimp with a cold sauce is excellent!
To make crispy and incredibly delicious Ebi Furai is easy and only takes 15 minutes from start to finish. Have your oil heated and ready before you begin the breading process.
Ingredients for Fried Shrimp
This easy homemade Ebi Furai recipe makes an irresistible dish with only a few simple ingredients.
- Shrimp or tiger prawn
- All-purpose flour
- Salt
- Bonito flakes
- Egg
- Milk
- Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
- Vegetable oil
Tartar Dipping Sauce
- Hard-boiled egg
- Yellow onion
- Japanese Kewpie mayonnaise
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
How to Make Japanese Fried Shrimp?
First, clean up the shrimp before coating. Peel the shrimp and leave the tails. Devein and rinse the shrimp. Cut a few shallow vertical slits at the bottom of the shrimp to avoid them from curling up when fried. Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels and set aside.
Next, prepare the batter. Add all-purpose flour, salt, bonito flakes, egg, and milk in a bowl and whisk to combine well. Pour Panko breadcrumbs into a shallow plate and set aside.
Coat the shrimp evenly with the batter by holding the tail to dip into the bowl, and then roll it into the Panko breadcrumbs. Give the shrimp a light press to ensure that the shrimp is entirely covered with the breadcrumbs. Repeat this process for the remaining shrimp.
Fill a deep pot with vegetable oil and heat the oil to 340°F to 360°F (170°C to 182°C).
Deep-fry the shrimp until golden brown and crispy on both sides. Remove from the oil with a strainer and let drain on a plate lined with paper towels.
Prepare the tartar dipping sauce. Cut the hard-boiled egg into small cubes and mix it with chopped onion and Japanese mayonnaise in a bowl. Finally, add salt and ground black pepper to taste.
Cook’s Tips
- Adding bonito flakes to the batter is a little trick which makes the fried shrimp more flavorful and tasty.
- Cut a few shallow vertical slits at the bottom of the shrimp to avoid them curling up when fried.
- To make a refreshing dipping sauce, you can also mix minced sweet pickles into the tartar sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Difference between Fried Shrimp and Shrimp Tempura?
The fried shrimp is coated with both batter and panko breadcrumbs, creating a crispy crust after frying. On the other hand, shrimp tempura is fried with a thin batter only, which tastes lighter and airy.
What Are the Good Sauces for Fried Shrimp?
Serve the best Ebi Furai with either Tonkatsu sauce or tartar sauce. You can buy the Tonkatsu sauce in a bottle from Japanese grocery stores or make it yourself with ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, mirin, and sugar.
How Many Calories per Serving?
This recipe has 161 calories in each large fried shrimp.
Serve this dish with other Japanese dishes. For a wholesome Japanese meal and easy weeknight dinner, I recommend the following recipes:
5 Secrets to 20 Min Dinners
Get tricks for quick & easy meals!
Fried Shrimp - Ebi Furai
Juicy shrimp is wrapped in a thick breaded crust and fried until crispy. This homemade fried shrimp recipe is so easy to prepare and best served as a side in Japanese bento.
Ingredients
- 6 shrimp or tiger prawn, shelled, deveined and tail on
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon bonito flakes
- 1 egg (2oz without shell)
- 3/4 cup milk
- 2 cups Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
- Vegetable oil for deep frying
Tartar Dipping Sauce
- 1 hard-boiled egg
- 1/4 yellow onion, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons Japanese mayonnaise Kewpie
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
Instructions
- Peel the shrimp and leave the tails. Devein and rinse the shrimp. Cut a few shallow vertical slits at the bottom of the shrimp to keep them from curling up when you fry them. Pat the shrimp dry with paper towels and set aside.
- Add all-purpose flour, salt, bonito flakes, egg, and milk in a bowl and whisk to combine well. Set the batter aside. If the batter is too thick, add a little bit more milk.
- Pour the Panko breadcrumbs into a shallow plate.
- Coat the shrimp evenly with the batter by holding the tail to dip, and then roll it into Panko. Give the shrimp a light press to ensure that the shrimp is entirely covered with the breadcrumbs. Repeat the same process for the remaining shrimp.
- Fill a deep poy with vegetable oil and heat the oil to 340°F to 360°F (170°C to 182°C).
- Deep-fry the shrimp until golden brown and crispy on both sides. Remove from the oil with a strainer, and drain on a plate lined with paper towels.
- Prepare the dipping sauce. Cut the hard-boiled egg into small cubes, mix it with chopped onion and Japanese mayonnaise in a bowl. Finally, add salt and ground black pepper to taste.
- Enjoy the shrimp hot with cold dipping sauce immediately.
Notes
Recipe adapted from No Recipes.
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Amount Per Serving Calories 161Total Fat 2.8gSaturated Fat 1gCholesterol 76mgSodium 308mgCarbohydrates 22.8gFiber 1.1gSugar 2.6gProtein 10.5g
Duncan Moore
The batter even mins the bonito flakes is simply superb.
Thanks Bee.
Rasa Malaysia
Thank you!
Irene Chia
Please print your recipes without the photos.
Thanks and Regards,
Irene Chia
Rasa Malaysia
It’s now without the photos.
Toe
Can I replace the milk with almond milk?
Rasa Malaysia
You can try.
Duncan Moore
So keen to try it but I am unable to find bonito flakes anywhere Bee.
Can you suggest an alternative to the flakes please’
Rasa Malaysia
You should be able to buy it online or at Japanese grocery stores. If not, skip it.
Irene Chia
I would appreciate it if you could make the printing of the recipe more user-friendly by omitting the pictures.
I have to use more printer ink to print out the pictures.
Thanks and Regards,
Irene Chia
Toe
Can I substitute the milk with almond milk for the batter?
Jean
Yes, you can.
Robert Heroux
Sounds great but I would like to try in an air fryer. Any comments or suggestions???
Rasa Malaysia
Yes you can try!
Cherry
what are bonito flakes?
Rasa Malaysia
Japanese dried fish flakes.