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Kaki Fry (Japanese Panko Fried Oysters) served with tartar sauce and shredded cabbage on the white plate.

Japanese Panko Fried Oysters (Kaki Fry) with Homemade Tartar Sauce

Course: Appetizer, Main Course
Cuisine: Japanese
Keyword: crispy oyster, fried oyster
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 2
Author: Namiko Chen
Japanese Fried Oysters or Kaki Fry (Furai) are one of the popular oyster dishes in Japan during fall and winter. To enjoy the tasty briny morsel at home, juicy oysters are panko-coated, deep-fried until golden brown and served with homemade tartar sauce. They are simply heavenly!
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Ingredients

  • 1 jar oysters (10 fl oz or 296 ml; contained 7 oysters)
  • 1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
  • 1 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour (plain flour)
  • 1 large egg (50 g w/o shell)
  • 1 Tbsp water (for egg mixture)

For Homemade Tartar Sauce

  • 2 large eggs (50 g each w/o shell)
  • ¼ onion
  • 4 sweet gherkins
  • ¼ tsp kosher/sea salt (I use Diamond Crystal; Use half for table salt)
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 Tbsp lemon juice
  • 4 Tbsp Japanese mayonnaise
  • 3 sprigs parsley (and more for garnish)
  • 1 tsp Japanese karashi hot mustard
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  1. Gather all the ingredients.

    Kaki Fry Ingredients

To Make Tartar Sauce (You can make ahead of time):

  1. Put water in a saucepan, and gently put eggs. Make sure the eggs are completely covered with water. Bring the water to a boil over medium heat. Meanwhile, rotate the eggs with a spoon once in a while (tip to note: this is to make sure the egg yolks stay in the center). Once the water boils, lower the heat and simmer for 12 minutes. Discard the water and run under cold water or transfer to iced water to let cool completely before peeling the eggs.

    Kaki Fry 1
  2. Peel the eggs and mash the hard boiled eggs with the backside of a fork in a medium size bowl.
    Kaki Fry 2

  3. Finely dice the onion.

    Kaki Fry 3

  4. The finer the onion is, the better the texture is for this recipe. Soak in cold water for 10 minutes. This helps to remove their pungency and soften their flavor.

    Kaki Fry 4

  5. Cut the pickles/cornichons/gherkins into small pieces.

    Kaki Fry 5
  6. Finely chop parsley.
    Kaki Fry 6

  7. In the bowl with mashed boiled eggs, add the diced onion and pickles.

    Kaki Fry 7
  8. Add the parsley, kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, and Japanese mayonnaise.
    Kaki Fry 8

  9. Mix all together. Squeeze ½ lemon (about 1 Tbsp) and mix again.

    Kaki Fry 9
  10. Combine 1 tsp karashi mustard with ½ Tbsp hot water and mix well. Add the karashi mustard to the tartar sauce to your liking, small portion at a time.
    Kaki Fry 10

To Make Fried Oysters:

  1. Drain the oysters well. Preheat the oven to 400ºF (200ºC). For a convection oven, reduce cooking temperature by 25ºF (15ºC).

    Kaki Fry 11
  2. Add the panko in the frying pan and add 1 Tbsp olive oil.
    Kaki Fry 12

  3. Toast the panko over medium heat until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer the panko into a bowl or shallow dish and allow to cool.

    Kaki Fry 13

  4. Coat the oyster with flour and pat off any excess flour. Then coat the oyster with egg mixture (1 large egg + 1 Tbsp water).

    Kaki Fry 14

  5. Lastly coat the oyster with toasted panko on both sides, gently pressing to adhere the batter.

    Kaki Fry 15

  6. Bake at 400ºF(200ºC) for 15 minutes. Serve hot with homemade tartar sauce and shredded cabbage (I recommend this cabbage slicer that shreds cabbage super thinly like Tonkatsu restaurant!).

    Kaki Fry 16

Recipe Video