Ebi furai
(海老フライ, エビフラ, Fried Prawns, Ebi Fry)
These large prawns are typically dipped in egg wash, coated in panko breadcrumbs, then deep-fried. They are one of the most popular yōshoku dishes; western-inspired Japanese meals which originated during the Meiji Restoration between the 1860s and the early 1900s.
Ebi furai falls into the kawari-age category of breaded, deep-fried foods, and it is also regarded as a meibutsu, which is a Japanese term for famous foods associated with particular regions, as these fried prawns are one of Nagoya's signature dishes.
Traditionally, kuruma ebi or Japanese tiger shrimps were used for preparing ebi furai, but due to a decline in their cultivation, Nagoyans have started using black tiger shrimps or even the Japanese spiny lobster called ise ebi, which can measure up to a whopping 30 centimeters in length. Read more
Ebi furai is usually served with shredded cabbage, garnished with a lemon wedge, and enjoyed with either tartar, hoisin, or Worcestershire sauce. It is either ordered à la carte or served in a bento box, a single-portion takeout meal common in Japanese cuisine, and some places even offer these delicious shrimp fritters as ebi-sando (shrimp sandwich) and ebi-dog (shrimp hot dog), while the most impressive variety is the so-called maki ebi furai: deep-fried prawns rolled and sliced in the style of maki sushi.
The dish can easily be found not only in Nagoya, but all over the country, in virtually any seafood-orientated izakaya gastropub and every restaurant that sells yōshoku foods.
WHERE TO EAT The best Ebi furai in the world (according to food experts)
