Nori prawns with dashi syrup and umeboshi mayonnaise, lotus crisps, and shiso tempura with ikura

Serves 8 Starters and mains

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Method

Remove the heads and shells of the prawns, and reserve for the prawn dashi. Leave the tails intact, devein and rinse. Cut the seaweed into 15mm strips. Dampen the ends of the strips, then wrap around the top of each prawn. Chill for about 20 minutes. When ready to cook, sprinkle the prawns with a pinch of salt and dust with a little ichimi togarashi. Heat the oil in a wok over a medium heat and carefully test a prawn to see if it sizzles. Fry 5 at a time for about 1 minute, then transfer with a slotted spoon to drain on a tray lined with kitchen paper. Adjust the heat as you go so it doesn’t get too hot or drop too low.

To make the prawn dashi, put the reserved prawn heads and shells, kombu and 750ml water in a saucepan and bring to the boil. After 7 minutes, turn off the heat and leave for a further 8 minutes. Strain off the liquid into a clean pan and discard the solids. Reduce the liquid to 400ml, then lower the heat and add the sugar. When the sugar has dissolved, increase the heat and reduce the liquid to a syrup. Transfer to a bowl and leave to cool. Add the lime juice and chill until needed.

To make the umeboshi mayonnaise, put the plums and egg in the bowl of a small blender and whizz into a purée. Add the oil, a splash at a time, whizzingbetween each addition until the mixture is firm. Add 2tbsp cold water and whizz until smooth. Transfer spoonfuls to shot glasses and chill until needed.

To make the lotus crisps and shiso tempura, heat the oil to 180°C/350°F in a wok. Thinly slice the lotus using a mandolin and fry the slices a few at a time until golden, then transfer with a slotted spoon to drain on kitchen paper. For the shiso tempura, mix the flours together in a bowl with a pinch of salt. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg white with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form. Mix 150ml ice-cold water into the flours and fold in the whisked egg white (the batter should still be lumpy). Dip each shiso leaf in the batter and fry in the hot oil until the batter has puffed up (about 30 seconds). You may need to adjust the heat under the oil. Drain on kitchen paper and serve with a spoonful of ikura on top.