Japanese Ebi Mayo. Crispy fried shrimp tossed in a sweet tangy mayo sauce. A delicious, creamy shrimp dish that is easy to make with minimal ingredients and serves well as an appetizer or main course!
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What is Ebi Mayo?
"Ebi" means "shrimp" in Japanese and "mayo" just means mayonnaise. Ebi Mayo is a delicious crispy shrimp dish coated in a creamy, sweet mayo sauce made of ketchup, condensed milk, sugar, vinegar and salt. These prawns are commonly served as an appetizer, or main dish for dinner or lunch in Japanese cuisine.
This is one of my all-time favourite shrimp recipes! I love the taste of that tangy sweet mayo over the crispy battered shrimp. This Japanese food is a wonderful combination of flavours and textures that will truly keep you coming back for more.
You can serve it with steamed rice or on its own. It's easily made with simple ingredients in 30 minutes and the sauce requires no heating at all! I share how to make this Japanese shrimp recipe step-by-step with a video.
Jump to VideoIngredients
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Jumbo shrimp: I recommend using the black tiger breed as they're juicy and plump but you can also use pacific white or any large shrimp. Get the easy peel kind that's deveined to make the preparation quicker!
- Neutral oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil with a high smoke point.
Shrimp Batter
- Potato starch: or substitute with cornstarch
- Cake flour: this isn't the same as all-purpose flour as it contains a lower protein content.
- Salt
- Cold water
Shrimp Sauce
- Japanese Mayo: aka kewpie mayo. This is a creamier than traditional mayonnaise. It contains oil, egg yolks without egg whites, and vinegar. You can buy this at the Asian grocery store. It comes in a clear plastic tube with a red cap.
- Ketchup
- Condensed Milk
- Rice Vinegar: or substitute with white vinegar
- Salt
- White Granulated Sugar
- Dried parsley flakes: optional garnish
Expert Tips
- Whisk dry ingredients first before adding in the water. This allows for even distribution of the flour, starch and salt.
- Make sure your prawns or shrimp have defrosted overnight in the fridge. If they have not, place them in cold water for at least 5 minutes to help thaw them.
- Fry in small batches to maintain oil temperature so shrimp can get crispy.
- Don't overcook the shrimp. Once it curls and is pink, remove from oil.
How to make Ebi Mayo
- To create our shrimp batter: In a large bowl, add potato starch, cake flour, salt and whisk together. Then pour in cold water and whisk again until combined. Set aside.
- In another large bowl, whisk together shrimp sauce ingredients until well combined. Set aside.
- If needed, peel and devein shrimp. Pat the peeled shrimp dry with paper towels to remove any excess moisture and add shrimp to batter. Mix together.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large pan or large wok on medium heat. Make sure oil reaches 350 F with a digital instant read thermometer or dip a wooden chopstick and look for bubbles at the tip.
- Once the oil is hot, fry battered shrimp in small batches for 2 minutes, flipping over halfway through. Do not overcrowd the oil or this can cause the shrimp to not become crispy. Fry shrimp until crispy, curled and pink. If you’d like them extra crispy, drizzle 1 teaspoon of the remaining batter per each piece of shrimp as it fries (optional).
- Remove and transfer fried shrimp onto a wire rack or a paper towel lined plate to remove excess oil. Excess oil can cause the shrimp to become less crispy.
- Pour the shrimp sauce over fried shrimp and gently mix. Optional: garnish with dried parsley flakes. Enjoy immediately!
Storage & Reheating
This is best consumed immediately or the shrimp will lose it's crispy texture over time. However, leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat, microwave for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in a pan on medium heat.
Other shrimp recipes you may like!
If you enjoyed this easy ebi mayo recipe, check these out:
📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy Ebi Mayo
Ingredients
- 1 lb shrimp jumbo size
- 2 cups vegetable oil or any neutral oil
- ¼ teaspoon dried parsley flakes optional garnish
Shrimp batter:
- ⅓ cup potato starch or cornstarch
- ⅓ cup cake flour not all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup water cold
Mayo sauce:
- 5 tablespoon Japanese mayo aka Kewpie Mayo
- 2 tablespoon ketchup
- 5 tablespoon condensed milk
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar or white vinegar
- ½ teaspoon white granulated sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- To create our shrimp batter: In a large bowl, add potato starch, cake flour, salt and whisk together. Then pour in cold water and whisk again until combined. Set aside.
- In another large bowl, whisk together shrimp sauce ingredients until well combined. Set aside.
- If needed, peel and devein shrimp. Pat the peeled shrimp dry with paper towels to remove any excess moisture and add shrimp to batter. Mix together.
- Heat vegetable oil in a large pan or large wok on medium heat. Make sure oil reaches 350 F with a digital instant read thermometer or dip a wooden chopstick and look for bubbles at the tip.
- Once the oil is hot, fry battered shrimp in small batches for 2 minutes, flipping over halfway through. Do not overcrowd the oil or this can cause the shrimp to not become crispy. Fry shrimp until crispy, curled and pink. If you’d like them extra crispy, drizzle 1 teaspoon of the remaining batter per each piece of shrimp as it fries (optional).
- Remove and transfer fried shrimp onto a wire rack or a paper towel lined plate to remove excess oil. Excess oil can cause the shrimp to become less crispy.
- Pour the shrimp sauce over fried shrimp and gently mix. Optional: garnish with dried parsley flakes. Enjoy immediately!
heat guns
Christie at Home's Japanese Ebi Mayo (30-min. Recipe) is a true delight for seafood lovers! The recipe is easy to follow and Christie's instructions are straightforward, making it easy for anyone to recreate this delicious dish in their own kitchen. The ebi (shrimp) is perfectly cooked and coated in a rich and creamy mayo sauce, making this recipe a surefire hit among many. Give it a try and indulge in the flavors of Japan!
christieathome
Thanks so much for making my recipe and for the kind review! I truly appreciate it and glad it was well enjoyed to be a hit!
Rosemary
oo it is so creamy! I have a big jar of mayo that I really need a good recipe for thank you !!
Marla
This was so creamy, delicious and very easy to make! I will be making this again.