Kaki Fry

Shucked oysters are breaded in panko and fried quickly in hot oil. The crumb stays light and crisp, and the first bite releases a rich, briny savor from the oyster inside. Overcooking shrinks the meat and toughens it, so keeping it plump is said to be what makes or breaks the dish.

Shucked oysters are rinsed carefully, drained, seasoned with salt and pepper, breaded in flour, egg, and panko in that order, and fried briefly in oil at around 180°C. Judging the frying time so the inside cooks through without the meat shrinking is said to be the key, typically served with tartar sauce or a wedge of lemon.

Hiroshima prefecture is known as one of Japan's leading oyster-producing regions, and locally the dish is said to have stayed a homestyle staple, the kind a mother fries at home rather than something eaten out. Outside the prefecture it's treated as a seasonal treat served at tonkatsu shops in autumn and winter, a difference in how the same dish is regarded depending on how close you are to where it's grown.