Succulent shrimp coated with crispy panko, topped with thinly sliced cabbage, homemade tartar sauce, and sandwiched in soft brioche buns, this Japanese-inspired Ebi Katsu Burger (Shrimp Cutlet Burger) could be your next best burger cookout!
Do you have a favorite burger that you crave sometimes? I have one, and it’s Ebi Katsu (Shrimp Cutlet) Burger (海老カツバーガー) from Japanese burger shops like Mos Burger and Lotteria.
What is Ebi Katsu Burger?
Simply it’s Shrimp Cutlet Burger. It’s a burger with shrimp patty that is covered in panko breadcrumbs and deep-fried. The best way to describe Ebi Katsu is it’s a shrimp version of tonkatsu (pork) or chicken katsu. Wrapped in a crispy panko shell, it’s so good with tartar sauce and shredded cabbage inside soft burger buns.
Today not only we’re making it at home, we’re going to make BAKED Ebi Katsu, instead of deep frying!
How To Make Ebi Katsu Burger BAKED
I’ll show you how to make delicious ebi katsu with the same technique I used for my Baked Tonkatsu, Baked Chicken Katsu, Baked Croquette, and Crispy Salmon recipes.
Pre-toast Panko
We pre-toast the panko in a frying pan till it turns the optimal golden brown color. That way, panko looks like they are deep fried and the texture of panko is crisp as if they were deep fried. Here’s a quick video to show you on how I did it for tonkatsu.
Watch How to Make Baked Tonkatsu 揚げないとんかつの作り方
Tender and juicy pork loin wrapped in crispy golden panko crust, serve with tonkatsu sauce and freshly ground sesame seeds.
Plump Shrimp Patty
You could chop all the shrimp into paste form to make the burger patty. But we won’t do that for my shrimp patty. I like plump shrimp texture when I bite into the burger, so what I do is to create grid lines by cutting shallow cuts on one side of the shrimp. This way the shrimps become more pliable, and you can form a patty shape with 3-4 shrimps, depending on the burger bun size.
Ebi Katsu Burgers in fast food restaurants use smaller shrimps (because they are cheaper), but if you’re making it at home, you can buy larger shrimps to make Ebi Katsu Burger. It’s the benefit of home cooking! And the larger shrimps definitely has better texture.
Thinly Shredded Cabbage
Why shredded cabbage? I often receive this question when my readers read my tonkatsu and chicken katsu recipes. Shredded cabbage is always served with katsu, it’s the norm in Japan. The crisp texture of cabbage and refreshing green leaves complements deep fried dishes well. So almost always, deep fried katsu burger includes shredded cabbage. The tip to cut cabbage super thinly? Use a sharp knife, and practice. 🙂
Homemade Tartar Sauce
Panko crusted seafoods such as crab croquette and Ebi Fry are typically served with tartar sauce in Japan. If you have your favorite recipe, you can use it. Otherwise, my recipe here is a quick and delicious recipe that can be handy.
Burger Buns
I use brioche buns for this burger, but you can use any buns you like. These buns are from Drager’s, a local market here in the SF Bay Area. When I was shopping for meat there, I found these buns nearby and I really love how fluffy and soft they are. Trader Joe’s now sell brioche buns too, but the size of buns is larger than what I wanted.
BAKED KATSU RECIPE
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Succulent shrimp coated with crispy panko, topped with thinly sliced cabbage, homemade tartar sauce, and sandwiched in soft brioche buns, this Japanese-inspired Ebi Katsu Burger (Shrimp Cutlet Burger) could be your next best burger cookout!
- 2 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) (2 cups = 110 g)
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (for Panko)
- 12 large shrimp
- freshly ground black pepper
- salt (kosher or sea salt; use half if using table salt)
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour (1/4 cup = 4 Tbsp)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (for eggs)
- 3 brioche buns or burger buns
- ¼ onion (or 1 shallot)
- 8 cornichons or gherkins
- ½ cup Japanese mayonnaise (1 cup = 8 Tbsp)
- ½-1 Tbsp white wine (See Notes)
- salt (kosher or sea salt; use half if using table salt)
- Freshly ground black pepper
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Gather all the ingredients.
- Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 375F (190C). Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.
- Combine 2 cups panko and 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a frying pan and toast over medium heat until golden brown.
- Transfer panko to a shallow dish and allow to cool. Once cooled, save half of toasted panko in an airtight container.
- Lay the shrimp on the cutting board and make small incisions (1/8 inch or 3 mm deep) lengthwise and widthwise (grid pattern) on one side of the shrimp. Do not cut through. This helps shrimp become more pliable and cook faster. Using 3-4 shrimp, make a round shape that is about the size of your buns. If the shrimp is not pliable, make small incisions, so it’s easier to make a nice round shape.
- Season with freshly ground black pepper and kosher salt.
- Prepare flour and egg. Add 1 Tbsp. olive oil to the egg. The olive oil will help panko adhere to the shrimp.
- Dredge each shrimp patty in the flour to coat completely and pat off the excess flour.
- Then dip into the beaten egg.
- Transfer to toasted panko and coat the shrimp with toasted panko without moving the shrimps. Press on the panko flakes to make sure they adhere to the shrimp. You want to maintain the patty shape as much as possible.
- Scoop patty up with a spatula and flip over to your hand to remove excess panko that might be sitting on the shrimp.
- Transfer to the baking sheet and bake at 375F (C) for 15 minutes.
- While baking the shrimp, shred the cabbage leaves. Cut off the tough core of the cabbage and then roll up the cabbage leaves to thinly slice.
- Make the tartar sauce. Mince the onion and soak in water for 10 minutes to remove the bitterness.
- Mince the cornichons.
- Combine the minced onion and cornichons in a bowl. Add ½ cup mayonnaise.
- Add the ½ - 1 Tbsp. white wine until the desired consistency and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Take out from the oven and let cool on a wire rack so that the bottom of shrimp doesn’t get soggy.
- Heat a frying pan and toast the buns. Spread mustard on the buns.
- Place Ebi Katsu, then shredded cabbage, and finally place tartar sauce on top. Serve immediately.
White Wine: You can alternatively use Champagne or white wine vinegar.
Recipe by Namiko Chen of Just One Cookbook. All images and content on this site are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without my permission. If you’d like to share this recipe on your site, please re-write the recipe in your own words and link to this post as the original source. Thank you.
