Prawn, potato, corn and seaweed fritters

Name: Prawn, potato, corn and seaweed fritters
Cook time: 1 h
Yield: 16 fritters
Cuisine: Japanese
Ingredients: 3 corn cobs; 4 large desiree potatoes (500g-600g after peeling); 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds; freshly ground black pepper and salt flakes; 40g rice flour, plus extra; 200g green prawn meat, finely chopped; 5g dried wakame (seaweed), soaked to reconstitute, drained and chopped; ½ bunch of spring onions, green and white parts, finely chopped; olive oil for shallow frying; ¼ white or savoy cabbage, very finely shaved (optional)

Karen Martini

December 16, 2022

Japanese fritters with yuzu dressing.William Meppem

easyTime:30 mins - 1 hourServes:16 fritters

These make for a lovely snack or light summery supper as the weather warms up – perfect for entertaining. The corn colours the fritters beautifully while also adding a rich and sweet flavour to the potato and prawn, which work beautifully against the sharp and salty dressing. If you're not lucky enough to have a yuzu tree, the juice is available at Japanese grocers and you can occasionally buy the fresh fruit, which is even better.

Ingredients

3 corn cobs
4 large desiree potatoes (500g-600g after peeling)
2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
freshly ground black pepper and salt flakes
40g rice flour, plus extra
200g green prawn meat, finely chopped
5g dried wakame (seaweed), soaked to reconstitute, drained and chopped
½ bunch of spring onions, green and white parts, finely chopped
olive oil for shallow frying
¼ white or savoy cabbage, very finely shaved (optional)

For the yuzu dressing

60ml yuzu juice
60ml rice wine vinegar
50ml light soy sauce

Method

Step 1
Combine the dressing ingredients in a small bowl.
Step 2
Coarsely grate the corn kernels from the cobs over a large bowl. Set aside the resulting corn liquid.
Step 3
Add the peeled potatoes, whole, to a saucepan and cover with cold water. Place over high heat and cook from cold for 15 minutes. Drain and cool the potatoes at room temperature.
Step 4
Add the corn liquid to a small saucepan with the sesame seeds and cook over a medium heat for about 4 minutes until the liquid changes colour and starts to thicken. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Step 5
Using long sweeps of a coarse grater, shred the potatoes. Add the 40 grams of rice flour and toss through to coat. Add the prawn, thickened corn liquid, seaweed and half the spring onion. Season and mix well.
Step 6
Form the mix into flattened fritters without being too fussy about their being uniformly shaped. You're aiming for about 16 fritters.
Step 7
Heat about 2cm of oil in a large frying-pan over high heat for a few minutes. If the fritters are sticky, dust with extra rice flour before cooking. Fry in batches, adjusting the heat as needed, until golden-brown on both sides; you can keep them warm in a low oven until they're all cooked or serve them in batches. Drain on paper towel.
Step 8
Serve the fritters with the remaining spring onion scattered over and the dressing on the side, or make a bed of shaved cabbage on a plate, arrange the fritters on top, then scatter over the spring onion and spoon over the dressing.