Tara fry（Deep-fried cod, たらフライ）
Tara means a cod in Japanese. The cod is one of the popular white fishes in Japan. You can cook the cod in many ways such as steaming, grilling, putting in a hot pot, and deep-frying.
I will introduce the deep-fried cod in a deep-frying pan to cook at home easily.
Ingredients (2 plates):
- 2 cut fresh cod
- vegetable oil (less volume than a half height of your deep-frying pan)
- 4 tablespoons of flour
- 1 egg
- 1 cup of *Panko
- 1 teaspoon of salt & pepper
- 2 tablespoons of *Japanese vegetable & fruit sauce (Semi-sweet)
- 4 small pieces of boiled broccoli (if you like, for decorations)
- 2 small pieces of boiled carrots (if you like, for decorations)
- 2 small pieces of cucumbers (if you like, for decorations)
- 2 teaspoons of ranch dressing or any kinds of dressing (if you like, for broccoli, carrots and cucumbers)
*Panko is bread crumbs.
*Japanese vegetable & fruit sauce (Semi-sweet) is made of vegetables and fruits like tomatoes, onions, carrots, apples lemon, prunes and so on. It has sweet and sour flavors. Japanese people use this sauce for Tonkatsu (Japanese pork cutlet), Yakisoba (Stir fried soba noodles), deep-fried shrimp and so on.
-> See picture A, left side & right side.
Here is how to make it at home. Cooking time is about 30- 40 minutes.
- Preheat vegetable oil in a deep-frying pan with medium heat until the oil’s temperature is 170 degree Celsius (340 Fahrenheit).
- In the meanwhile, whisk an egg in a flat bottom container, put flour and *Panko in each different flat bottom containers.
- Dry the cod well with kitchen paper towel. Add salt and pepper on the cod.
- After the oil temperature is high enough, dip the cod in the flour, then in the egg, finally in the *Panko. Repeat it for 2 cod. -> See picture B.
- Put breaded cod in the deep-frying pan and deep-fry this side for about 3 minutes or until the breaded cod is brown. Flip over the cod and deep-fry for another 3 minutes or until it turns brown.
- Place the cod on a plate. Add the Japanese vegetable & fruit sauce on top. Decorate the carrots, the cucumbers, the broccoli, and the dressing on the side. (If you like. I used a small flower cookie cutter for the carrots and the cucumbers.)