Spice Up Your Summer with Fried Fish and Veggies

By Miho Kibiki / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

12:30 JST, September 1, 2024

Around this time of year, chef Kanako Wakimoto serves deep-fried hamo pike conger at her Japanese food restaurant.

As people often crave spicy food in the summer, Wakimoto has shared a recipe for deep-fried summer vegetables and white fish seasoned with a Japanese spice mix called shichimi (seven spices). For the recipe, she chose tachiuo scabbard fish, zucchini and okra.

Scabbard fish is in season and has a light but elegant flavor. Okra and zucchini are also seasonal foodstuffs that are easy to deep-fry.

The coating is finely crushed kaki-no-tane (crispy spicy rice crackers) with a pinch of shichimi. Using kaki-no-tane elevates what might otherwise be bland ingredients to the perfect level of umami.

“The seasoned coating makes the dish taste like spicy fried chicken,” she said. “It’s easy to fry till crispy.”

You can also crush the peanuts, which often come with kaki-no-tane, or add more shichimi if you like something spicier, said Wakimoto.

After removing the bones from the scabbard fish, she cut it into bite-size pieces.

“Sea bream or horse mackerel are also suitable,” Wakimoto said. “Using boneless fillets or sashimi will make the process easier.”

Substituting chicken can work too, she added, as well as using other vegetables such as pumpkin or eggplant.

She coated the fish and vegetables in flour and dipped them in a beaten egg. Mixing crushed kaki-no-tane, salt and shichimi in a bowl, she used chopsticks to flip the ingredients over and ensure they were evenly covered.

Using a frying pan to deep-fry, she cooked on low heat first to avoid burning. The ingredients were cooked gradually, and they were ready when the outside turned entirely golden brown.

The crispy, flavorful kaki-no-tane crust perfectly highlights the umami of the ingredients. Together with the appetizing hint of shichimi, it will leave you hungry for more.

Deep-fried summer veggies, fish seasoned with shichimi

Ingredients (Serves 2):

• 2 okra sticks
• 4-centimeter-long piece of zucchini
• 100 grams scabbard fish fillets
• 20 grams kaki-no-tane rice crackers
• 1 gram shichimi red pepper
• 1 egg
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• Flour
• Oil to fry



Directions:

1. Peel okra. Cut zucchini into 1-centimeter slices.

2. To make the coating, blend kaki-no-tane in a food processor or put in a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin. Transfer to a bowl and mix with salt and shichimi.

3. Separate fish meat from backbone and then remove small bones near dorsal fin. Cut into bite-size pieces.

4. Lightly coat the fish, okra and zucchini with flour and dip into a beaten egg.

5. Place each piece in the kaki-no-tane coating bowl and evenly cover by flipping with chopsticks.

6. In a frying pan, heat enough oil for deep-frying to 160 C and cook until golden.

7. Cut the fried okra diagonally and arrange on a plate with the fish and zucchini.

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  The Yomiuri Shimbun
  Step 2: To make the coating, blend kaki-no-tane in a food processor or put in a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin. Transfer to a bowl and mix with salt and shichimi.

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  The Yomiuri Shimbun
  Step 4: Lightly coat the fish, okra and zucchini with flour and dip into a beaten egg.

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  The Yomiuri Shimbun
  Step 5: Place each piece in the kaki-no-tane coating bowl and evenly cover by flipping with chopsticks.

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  The Yomiuri Shimbun
  Step 6: In a frying pan, heat enough oil for deep-frying to 160 C and cook until golden.

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Handmade, fresh yuzu kosho



The deep-fried fish and vegetables pair well with yuzu kosho, a condiment paste made from yuzu and chili peppers.

It is easy to make: simply grate the peel of one green yuzu — or yellow yuzu if not available — and mix with ¼ teaspoon salt, plus a pinch each of sugar and shichimi pepper to taste. The sugar is added to moderate the sharpness of the salt.

“It goes well with grilled meat and fish,” Wakimoto said. “If you can find yuzu, please try it.”