I love a well-stocked pantry, especially with ingredients that allow me to dish out a quick meal or when the cravings strike. One of the items on my freezer list is Chikuwa, Japanese tube-shape fish cakes. They are sold frozen at the Japanese grocery stores and I always grab a few bags to stock up. Today I’ll share a simple recipe—Chikuwa Isobeage (ちくわ磯辺揚げ). It’s essentially a crispy fried dish coated with a tempura-style batter flavored with seaweed. You’ll love it as a fun side, beer food, or a great snack for movie night!
What are Chikuwa Isobeage
Chikuwa (竹輪, ちくわ) is a type of fish cake that comes in a tube shape. The surimi (pureed fish) paste is wrapped around the bamboo stick, then steamed and broiled. It is one of the popular fishcakes, along with kamaboko. A relatively inexpensive ingredient, chikuwa is used in otsumami (a dish served with alcohol), bento, oden, and more!
Introducing Isobeage
Pronounced [iso-beh-a-geh], isobeage (磯辺揚げ) is a tempura dish in which the batter contains aonori (青のり) or aosa (あおさ), dried green seaweed flakes. Aonori/oasa has a distinct and strong aroma. You may have seen green seaweed flakes on Takoyaki, Okonomiyaki, and other dishes. For those who wonder about the Japanese word, ‘isobe’ refers to rocky coastline/beachside where you find seaweed. And as you may already know, ‘age’ means deep-fried dish, like karaage or satsuma age. Isobe Ae (磯部和え), Iseobe Mochi (磯辺餅), Isobe Yaki (磯辺焼き) are some of the dishes that include seaweed flakes.
Where to Get Aonori/Aosa
How to Make Chikuwa Isobeage
Ingredients You’ll Need
Chikuwa (fish cake) Aonori or Aosa (dried green seaweed flakes) Flour Water Salt Oil for shallow-frying
Yes, that’s it!
Overview: Cooking Step
Cooking Tips
Do not over-mix the batter. You will need just ¼ inch (6 mm) oil in the pan. Add salt in the batter, but sprinkle (flaked) salt right before eating.
Substitute Ideas
In addition to chikuwa, this seaweed-flavored tempura batter can also be used with other ingredients. Something with a bland or neutral taste would work best so that the aromatic aonori or aosa stands out. Here are my suggestions:
Fish balls (cut in half or whole) Lotus root (thinly sliced) Yamaimo/nagaimo (sticks) Tofu (cubed) Mushrooms (king oyster, shimeji, etc) (sliced or whole) Squid (small pieces) Chicken (bite-size pieces)
How to Serve Chikuwa Isobeage
With light crispy edges bursting with umami seaweed flavor, these fried fish cakes are so fun to eat! Once you take a bite, it’s hard to stop. No wonder they are such a favorite beer food in Japan. At home, you can enjoy Chikuwa Isobeage in different ways:
Serve it with chilled beer Place on top of udon/soba noodle soup Afternoon snack for kids Savory snack for movie nights A fun add-on to your main meal or bento box
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