Japanese Deep Fried Crispy Whitebait Recipe

Serves/Makes: 4

Ingredients:

• 1 pound fresh whitebait
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• Oil, for deep-frying
• Salt, to taste (optional)
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges, to serve
• Ponzu Dipping Sauce (see below), to serve

How to cook:

• Rinse, drain and pat the whitebait dry, then place it in a small bowl or plastic bag with the cornstarch.
• Coat the whitebait with the cornstarch by mixing it gently or shaking the bag.
• Place the coated whitebait in a colander or sieve and shake gently to remove excess cornstarch.
• Deep-fry a handful of the whitebait at a time in very hot oil until golden brown.
• Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt, if using.
• Serve the deep fried whitebait with lemon wedges and the Ponzu Dipping Sauce on the side.

Ponzu Dipping Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 strip dried kelp (konbu), (about 2 inches long), wiped with a damp cloth
• 1/3 cup yuzu orange, or lemon or lime juice
• 1/3 cup Japanese soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons mirin (sweet rice wine)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons tamari or dark soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons Basic* Dashi Stock or 1/4 teaspoon dashi* stock granules dissolved in 2 tablespoons hot water

Ponzu Dipping Sauce Preparation:

• Heat the dried kelp over a gas flame or under a broiler (grill) until crisp and fragrant, then put in a bowl or jar with all the other ingredients.
• Cover and refrigerate for 3 days, then strain. Can be stored for up to a year.

Basic Dashi Stock (Bonita Flake) Ingredients:

• 4 inches square piece konbu**, wiped clean
• 4 cups water
• 1/4 cup cold water
• 3 ounces bonito*** flakes

Basic Dashi Stock (Bonita Flake) Preparation:

• Cut konbu square into 4 narrow strips. Place in a saucepan with 4 cups water and cook over medium heat. Heat until just about to boil, then quickly remove pan from the heat, remove and discard konbu.
• Add the cold water and bonito flakes to the konbu broth. Bring to a boil then remove immediately from heat, and set aside to cool.
• When all the bonito flakes have sunk to the bottom, pour the liquid over a strain and discard the flakes.

Note:
Ponzu is a sauce commonly used in Japanese cuisine.

Comments:
*Dashi is a class of soup and cooking stocks considered fundamental to Japanese cooking.
**Konbu, a kind of seaweed. It is associated with the word yorokobu, meaning “joy”.
***In Japanese cuisine outside Japan, bonito usually refers to the skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis), which is known as katsuo in Japan. This fish is smoked and dried to make katsuobushi, an important ingredient in making dashi (Japanese fish stock), used extensively in Japanese cuisine.

This recipe for Japanese Deep Fried Crispy Whitebait serves/makes: 4

Main Ingredient: Various Fish
Preparation Method: Deep Fried
Cuisine: Japanese