Whitebait (Shirasu) Egg Fritters 吻仔鱼煎蛋

Whitebait - a collective term for immature fish, is also known as Shirasu in Japan. In Mandarin, it is quite often known as 银鱼 or 吻仔鱼.


I remember having them as egg fritters when I was younger. That is perhaps the most popular Asian way of using this ingredient. As the fish is mildly briny, it adds flavor to the omelette and if you cook the egg a little longer, the omelettle actually crisp up and become more like fragrant fritters, calcium-rich fritters!

Note: The Shirasu Egg omelette segment starts from the beginning and ends at about 4.40mins


Whitebait Egg Fritters 吻仔鱼煎蛋
Gently whisk 2-3 organic eggs, then add 1/2-1 cup of whitebait (you can get whitebait in the Japanese supermarket such as Mitsuwa, or Marukai in the Bay Area, California) into the whisked egg and whisk till the fish is thoroughly mixed into the egg. Add chopped green onions of two green onions (top green portions) into the egg. Pinch of ground white pepper into the egg. Heat up 1tbsp oil in a pan making sure the oil coats the pan evenly. Fry thinly sliced bottom white portions of green onions in the oil and then gently add in the egg-fish mix onto the pan. Use a wide-area cookpan so that the egg can spread thinly across the pan and the heat can distribute well and evenly onto the egg to crisp up the fish and the egg edges.


These are perfect sides for steamed rice or congee (rice porridge), and alternative fillings for sandwiches or sushi.

Tag: baby anchovies, whitebait, whitebait fritters, shirasu

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