River Shrimp

Deep-fried river shrimp

   Autumn is the season when people have the biggest appetite. Kochi has so many delicious foods particularly in autumn, so I am worried about gaining weight because of eating too much…

   Talking of local dishes of Kochi, katsuo-no-tataki (light roasted bonito) is famous but kawa-ebi (river shrimp), aosa-nori (laver), unagi (eel) and ayu (sweetfish) in the Shimanto River are also famous. Of these, let me introduce you to kawa-ebi.

   River shrimp are caught from June to September in rivers such as the Shimanto and Niyodo Rivers. They are also called tenagaebi (long-hand shrimp) because the claws of a male shrimp are longer than his body. Some say river shrimp, especially natural ones, are more delicious in autumn because there is more food available for them in the summer and they grow more plump.

   If you like to eat delicious river shrimp, kawa-ebi-no-karaage (deep-fried river shrimp) comes highly recommended. It is a standard menu at izakayas. Fried river shrimp with salt and pepper go great with beer. You can make it very easily at home. When fried, river shrimps turn a beautiful red that will stimulate your appetite!

How to make Kawa-ebi-no-karaage

 Amount of river shrimp: all you want

 Sake, oil, starch, salt and pepper: as needed

 Wash shrimps and dip them into sake (about 5 minutes).

 Drain and dry the shrimps well with paper towels and sprinkle starch on them.

 Deep-fry them in oil of 170 degrees C until crisp.

 Drain excess oil and sprinkle salt and pepper. (Adding juice squeezed from lemon is good too.)

 Dig in from head to tail!

posted by Y.M.