Japanese tempura is known as the lightest form of frying. This recipe is called karaage – when a larger fritter is fried rather than individual items. It is a good way of making a small amount of fish go a long way.

Ingredients

400g fresh trout or salmon fillet
2 peeled carrots (around 120g)
1 small peeled kumara (around 160g)
1 courgette (around 170g)
½ small red onion
Cauliflower (around 140g)

Dipping sauce

4 tablespoons Japanese soy sauce
4 tablespoons mirin
2 teaspoons sugar

Batter

2 cups all purpose flour
¾ cup potato or cornflour
1½ cups chilled water
1 egg
2 teaspoons salt

1L vegetable frying oil. Canola or soya is fine.
A couple of tablespoons extra flour

Method

Cut the vegetables into very thin strips, there are various mandolin vegetable cutters around that you may have to make this task much easier. Cut the cauliflower into fingernail sized pieces.

Cut the fish into 1 cm cubes.

Mix together the soy sauce, mirin and sugar and keep aside. This is your dipping sauce.

Put the water (very cold) into a bowl, mix in the egg, mix in the flour, potato starch and salt. Mix quickly but don’t beat it. It is important to not over mix.

When ready to finish and serve; Heat oil, you may have a fryer, perfect, if not I find a wok is perfect.

Toss a little of the extra four through the vegetables then put them into the tempura batter, then add the diced fish also tossed in just a little extra flour.

Mix briefly with a large stainless serving spoon.

Test the oil temperature by flicking a few drops of batter into the pan, it should rise and sizzle immediately. A perfect frying temperature between 170 and 180˚C

Using a large spoon, pick up a portion of vegetables and fish, it shouldn’t have too much batter, Hold the spoon close to the oil, tip and scrape into the oil with your other index finger.

(Take care not to drop the mix in from any height as this can result in splashing hot oil)

Cook until crisp and place each fritter onto kitchen paper to drain. They can be made in advance and heated quickly in a hot oven.

Enjoy with the dipping sauce, and Kewpie mayonnaise if you have some.

First published in NZ Trout Fisher Magazine

https://nztroutfisher.co.nz/