Enjoy this crispy and crunchy Japanese Fried Shrimp recipe dipped in a sweet mayo sauce without any carb guilt! Also known as ‘ebi fry’ in Japanese, this popular dish is sure to be a crowd pleaser.
You can cook shrimp a hundred ways but this Japanese fried shrimp or ebi shrimp is the best!
Coated in a low carb friendly breading, you will find this recipe to be better and more flavorful than panko fried shrimp.
What is Japanese Fried Shrimp Ebi Fry?
One of our most popular Japanese shrimp recipes, this ebi fry is made with low-carb ingredients giving you a healthier fried shrimp recipe you can enjoy.
What does ebi fry mean?
Ebi fry translate to ‘fried shrimp’, or simply Japanese style breaded and deep fried shrimp.
What is the difference between ebi fry and shrimp tempura?
Ebi fry is breaded shrimp using Japanese breadcrumbs that’s been deep fried while tempura is shrimp that’s been dredged in a light tempura batter and deep fried.
What ingredients do I need and how do you make Japanese ebi fry shrimp?
Shrimp
- Shrimp – large shrimp that’s been peeled with the tail on.
- Black Pepper – fresh or pre-ground.
- Shredded Cabbage – thinly shredded cabbage. A mandolin works well for this.
- Almond Flour (or flour of choice) – almond flour is a low carb choice but feel free to use all-purpose flour if preferred.
- Eggs – beaten.
- Unflavored Pork Rinds – (1/3 cup if using Pork Panko or bread panko) – a low carb breadcrumbs option, can also use reba panko if preferred.
Dipping Sauce
- Kewpie Mayo (can sub with American mayo) – a Japanese mayonnaise found in most Japanese or Asian supermarkets.
- Sweetener – we use monkfruit erythritol blend, but feel free to use sugar or sweetener of choice.
- Dijon Mustard – used for the ebi fry sauce.
- Salt – table salt or sea salt.
- Black Pepper – fresh or pre-ground.
- Green Onion – topped on ebi fry sauce.
Dredge shrimp in almond flour, beaten egg, and pork rinds or panko breadcrumbs, the deep fry until golden brown. Dry on a wire rack and place on bed of cabbage. Top with optional lemon juice and serve with dipping sauce (recipe included).
How do you make homemade Japanese tartar sauce?
In a small mixing bowl, combine Kewpie Mayo, sweetener, Dijon mustard, a pinch of salt and pepper and mix well. Transfer sauce to a serving bowl and top with green onions.
Can also add relish to this sauce if preferred.
What is the nutrition information for this ebi fry recipe?
- 744 Calories
- 15g Carbohydrates
- 9g Fiber
- 83g Protein
- 41g Fat
- 569mg Cholesterol
- 1131mg Sodium
- 657mg Potassium
- 171mg Calcium
- 3mg Iron
- 320ui Vitamin A
- 14mg Vitamin C
Looking for other Japanese deep fried recipes?
- Japanese Fried Chicken Kaarage
- Japanese Tonkatsu Pork Cutlet
- Japanese Menchi Katsu Hamburger Cutlet
- Japanese Chicken Katsu Cutlet
Now, let’s get making this Japanese Fried Shrimp Ebi Fry recipe!
- Prepping Time 10M
- Cook Time 5M
- Total Time 15M
- Net Carb/Serv ~6g
- Servings 1
Ingredients
Shrimp Crust
- 1/2 lbs Shrimp with Tail On
- 1/8 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 Cup Shredded Cabbage
- 1 Cup Almond Flour (or flour of choice)
- 2 Eggs
- 3 oz Unflavored Pork Rinds (1/3 cup if using Pork Panko or bread panko)
Sauce
- 4 tbsp Kewpie Mayo (can sub with American mayo)
- 1 tsp Sweetener (Monkfruit Erythritol Blend, sugar or sweetener of choice)
- 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
- 1/8 tsp Salt
- 1/8 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/4 Stalk Green Onion
Directions
1) Gather all the ingredients.
2) Peel and prepare shrimp as needed (keep tail on) and pat dry with a paper towel. Once dried, lightly sprinkle black pepper on both sides.
3) Shred cabbage with a shredder and transfer to a serving plate.
4) Finely chop green onions and set aside.
5) In a small mixing bowl, combine Kewpie Mayo, sweetener, Dijon mustard, a pinch of salt and pepper and mix well. Transfer sauce to a serving bowl and top with green onions.
6) Pour Unflavored Pork Rinds into a food processor and pulse until ground into very fine crumbs. Note – Skip this step if you are using Pork Panko.
7) Fill 1 mixing bowl with Almond Flour, 1 mixing bowl with beaten eggs, 1 mixing bowl with crushed unflavored pork rinds/pork panko.
8) Dip and coat each shrimp in the following order: almond flour > eggs > crushed unflavored pork rinds/pork panko and transfer to a holding plate.
9) Add enough oil to cover about 1/2 inch of a frying pan. Heat oil up to 375F or until the oil lightly smokes.
10) Once the oil is ready, set the heat to medium and carefully place shrimp inside. Cook until crust is golden brown, about 45-60 seconds per side.
11) Transfer to a drying rack. If you do not have a drying rack, use a plate with a paper towel to soak up oil.
12) Once dried, transfer fried shrimp onto the bed of cabbage and serve with tartar dipping sauce.
Hope you enjoy your Japanese Fried Shrimp Ebi Fry!
If you’re looking for other recipe ideas, be sure to check out our growing Recipe Index full of healthy Asian inspired recipes!
Join us on Facebook to be part of our interactive discussions & recipe requests and follow us on Instagram, Pinterest, or subscribe to our New Recipe Notification and be the first to know when we post a new recipe!
Japanese Fried Shrimp Ebi Fry
Ingredients
Shrimp Crust
- 1/2 lbs Shrimp tail on
- 1/8 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 Cup Shredded Cabbage
- 1 Cup Almond Flour or flour of choice
- 2 Eggs
- 3 oz Unflavored Pork Rinds 1/3 cup if using Pork Panko or bread crumbs
Sauce
- 4 tbsp Kewpie Mayo can sub with American mayo
- 1 tsp Sweetener monkfruit erythritol blend, sugar or sweetener of choice
- 1 tsp Dijon Mustard
- 1/8 tsp Salt
- 1/8 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/4 Stalk Green Onion
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Peel and prepare shrimp as needed (keep tail on) and pat dry with a paper towel. Once dried, lightly sprinkle black pepper on both sides.
- Shred cabbage with a shredder and transfer to a serving plate.
- Finely chop green onions and set aside.
- In a small mixing bowl, combine Kewpie Mayo, sweetener, Dijon mustard, a pinch of salt and pepper and mix well. Transfer sauce to a serving bowl and top with green onions.
- Pour Unflavored Pork Rinds into a food processor and pulse until ground into very fine crumbs. Note - Skip this step if you are using Pork Panko.
- Fill 1 mixing bowl with Almond Flour, 1 mixing bowl with beaten eggs, 1 mixing bowl with crushed unflavored pork rinds/pork panko.
- Dip and coat each shrimp in the following order: almond flour > eggs > crushed unflavored pork rinds/pork panko and transfer to a holding plate.
- Add enough oil to cover about 1/2 inch of a frying pan. Heat oil up to 375F or until the oil lightly smokes.
- Once the oil is ready, set the heat to medium and carefully place shrimp inside. Cook until crust is golden brown, about 45-60 seconds per side.
- Transfer to a drying rack. If you do not have a drying rack, use a plate with a paper towel to soak up oil.
- Once dried, transfer fried shrimp onto the bed of cabbage and serve with tartar dipping sauce.
Video
Nutrition
*This page contains affiliate marketing links*
I tried this and it turned out as pictured! And tasted even better. Having no food processor, I crushed my pork rinds by hand then sifted in a colander and then ground the last bits in my coffee grinder mill. Worked fine.
I had 2 lbs of shrimp to cook, so I quadrupled the breading and dipping sauce. I ended up with too much breading so added a few chopped up shrimp, some more egg, various spices and some shredded Parmesan cheese. Made it into small balls (golf ball size) then flattened and fried. Almost like hush puppies, but better because they’re keto.
Thanks for a great recipe. Looking forward to more!
Hey Gene! So glad you liked the recipe! Hope you find many more recipes you like here on LCA!