I was inspired by a place called Hapa Izakaya on Robson Street, downtown Vancouver. That's where I first tried this dish over a year ago. Amaebi Sashimi is what the Japanese call it. At Hapa the presentation is killer...they serve 5 Amaebi's in a tiny metal shopping basket looking thingy...so cute. The head is intact with the rest of the prawn peeled except for the tail. Keep in mind this is completely raw. But that's what makes it so good. I find most seafood to taste best in its natural state, just raw with a little soy sauce. So you pull the head off and dip the prawn in a soy sauce mixed with wasabi. The taste is delicious and sweet, believe it or not. The texture is what I like the best, its almost creamy and it definitely has that snap when you first bite into it that a good prawn sashimi should have. At Hapa once you eat the Amaebi Sashimi you can request to flash fry the heads (this is a free, off menu request) :). The result is a Japanese delicacy. Super crispy deep fried Prawn heads. It's really not for those who don't absolutely love seafood! But let me tell you something, it's one of the best things I've ever eaten.
So anyway, I didn't feel like going to Hapa, I made my own. I'm not a fan of preparing live food. It freaks me out a little, but you can't eat non live seafood raw. I've seen a YouTube video of this asian guy just eating the prawn live and kicking! I'm not that extreme. I learned how to prepare the Spot Prawn Sashimi by watching my favorite Chef, Japanese world renowned Iron Chef Morimoto.
What you do is flash boil the prawn for 3 seconds only, then you throw them into an ice bath. And there you go, you're almost done already! I seperated the heads and coated it with rice flour and flash fried those. I de-veined the prawns and that was it. Just like that it was ready to eat. The contrast between the fried and raw is genius for your palette. Try it, it's damn good. Below is my homemade version:
No comments:
Post a Comment