Description
Ebi Mayo is a delicious Japanese-inspired dish featuring juicy shrimp fried in a light, crispy batter and coated in a sweet, creamy mayonnaise-based sauce. Perfect as an appetizer or snack, this recipe combines a crunchy texture with flavorful sauce, making it a popular choice in izakayas and Chinese restaurants alike.
Ingredients
Scale
Batter Dry Ingredients
- 70 g cake flour (lower protein content for lighter batter)
- 1 tbsp rice flour (or corn starch)
- ½ tsp baking powder
- 1 pinch salt and pepper
Batter Wet Ingredients
- 100 ml lager beer (or soda water, must be very cold)
Shrimp Preparation
- 250 g shrimp (medium to large size, deshelled and deveined, black tiger or white shrimp)
- 1 tsp cornstarch (for cleaning)
- 2 pinches salt (for cleaning)
- 3 tbsp cornstarch (or potato starch) for coating
Sauce Ingredients
- 4 tbsp Japanese mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp condensed milk (sweetened, not evaporated milk)
- 1 tsp tomato ketchup
- 1 tsp rice vinegar (unseasoned)
- ½ tsp Japanese soy sauce (koikuchi shoyu)
- ½ tsp lemon juice (or lime juice, freshly squeezed best)
- ½ tsp paprika powder (regular or smoked)
Additional
- 2 cloves garlic (peeled, whole)
- Neutral cooking oil with high smoke point (for frying)
- Dried parsley (to garnish)
Instructions
- Prepare dry batter mix: Combine 70 g cake flour, 1 tbsp rice flour, ½ tsp baking powder, and a pinch of salt and pepper in a bowl. Mix well and place this dry batter in the freezer until just before use. Do not add any liquid yet.
- Make the sauce: In a separate bowl, combine 4 tbsp Japanese mayonnaise, 1 tbsp condensed milk, 1 tsp tomato ketchup, 1 tsp rice vinegar, ½ tsp soy sauce, ½ tsp lemon juice, and ½ tsp paprika powder. Mix thoroughly and set aside.
- Clean the shrimp: Put 250 g deshelled, deveined shrimp in a bowl, rub evenly with 1 tsp cornstarch and 2 pinches salt. Rinse under cold water, then pat completely dry with kitchen paper towels.
- Heat oil and infuse garlic flavor: Heat cooking oil in a deep pot to 190°C (374°F). Add 2 whole garlic cloves to the oil while heating to impart extra flavor. Remove and discard the garlic once it turns dark brown.
- Coat shrimp with starch: Toss the dried shrimp in 3 tbsp cornstarch or potato starch to help the batter stick properly.
- Prepare wet batter: Take the frozen dry batter out and immediately add 100 ml of very cold lager beer (or soda water). Stir gently to create a light, airy batter.
- Batter and fry shrimp: Dip each shrimp thoroughly into the batter, then carefully drop into the hot oil in small batches to avoid overcrowding. Fry each batch for 2-3 minutes or until the shrimp turns golden brown and crispy.
- Drain excess oil: Remove cooked shrimp with a slotted spoon and place on a wire rack to let excess oil drain off.
- Coat shrimp with sauce: After frying all shrimp, transfer them into the prepared mayonnaise sauce bowl and gently toss to evenly coat.
- Serve and garnish: Plate the coated shrimp, sprinkle dried parsley on top as garnish, and serve immediately while warm and crispy.
Notes
- Ebi Mayo offers a perfect balance of textures with crispy fried shrimp and a creamy, sweet savory sauce.
- This dish is commonly enjoyed as an appetizer or snack in Japanese izakayas and Chinese restaurants but works well for home entertaining too.
- Using very cold beer or soda water in the batter helps achieve a light and airy crust.
- Infusing the frying oil with garlic adds a subtle aromatic depth to the shrimp flavor.
- Be careful not to overcrowd the frying oil to maintain the oil temperature and ensure crispiness.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 648
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 1014 mg
- Fat: 34 g
- Saturated Fat: 7 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 26 g
- Trans Fat: 0.01 g
- Carbohydrates: 53 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 31 g
- Cholesterol: 229 mg
