Ebi Mayo Recipe (Japanese Fried Shrimp)

In the last five years, Vancouver has been infiltrated by these fabulous little Japanese pubs called izakayas. They serve sake, cold beer, and a combination of fried and raw food. Izakayas are loud, vibrant, and very casual; when you walk in you feel instantly at home as you are greeted by an enthusiastic chorus in Japanese. Ebi Mayo is a fried shrimp recipe, and an izakaya specialty.

Yes, this recipe does call for topping fried shrimp with a mayonnaise and ketchup mixture. Yes that really is how they make it, and no it isn’t health food. However, this is a fun and easy appetizer recipe that can easily be a conversation piece for your next party. Serve with cold beer.

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Ebi Mayo

(serves 2)

200 grams fresh prawns or shrimp

3 tablespoons white wine or sake

2 tablespoons corn starch

1/4 cup canola oil

2 teaspoons ketchup

3 tablespoons Japanese mayonnaise ( or 3 tablespoons regular + 1 teaspoon honey)

2 teaspoons honey

1 green onion, sliced very very thinly

De-vein and shell the prawns. Toss with the sake or wine and refrigerate for 30 minutes. In the meantime, stir together the ketchup, mayo and honey. Cover and refrigerate until needed. Drain the wine or sake. Heat a skillet to medium high heat. Toss the shrimp with the corn starch. Add oil to skillet and when it shimmers add shrimp. Fry on all sides until very crispy and cooked through. Transfer the shrimp to a paper towel. Wipe out the skillet and add the shrimp back on low heat. Toss with the sauce and cook, tossing regularly, for one minute. Sprinkle with green onion and serve.

Prep Time: 35 minutes | Cooking Time: 10 minutes | Total Time:40 minutes