VOL.214 APRIL 2026
THE APPEAL OF YOSHOKU: JAPANESE-STYLE WESTERN CUISINE (PART 2) Yoshoku Showcasing the Treasures of the Sea

Ebi fry, shrimp coated with breadcrumbs and deep-fried, is one of the most iconic yoshoku dishes. 

Surrounded on all sides by the sea, Japan has long cultivated a culture of seafood consumption. We explored how yoshoku (Japanese-style Western cuisine) made with seafood developed in the country and the history behind its evolution.

Japan offers a wide variety of yoshoku dishes that make the most of the country’s seafood. Iconic menu items include breadcrumb-coated and deep-fried specialties such as ebi  (shrimp) fry, kaki (oysters) fry, and aji (horse mackerel) fry, alongside kani cream korokke (creamy crab croquettes), and seafood doria (baked rice gratin with seafood). According to IWAMOTO Tadashi, president of the Japan Yoshoku Association and owner of a yoshoku restaurant in Minato City, Tokyo, breadcrumb-coated fried dishes have become a hallmark of yoshoku.

“Japanese-style fried foods, coated in breadcrumbs and cooked in plenty of oil, have developed as a uniquely Japanese culinary method. When Western cuisine was first introduced to Japan, restaurants used finely ground Western-style breadcrumbs made from crushed biscuits or crackers,” explains IWAMOTO.

“Japanese chefs, however, began using coarser breadcrumbs made by hand-grating fresh bread. This uniquely Japanese style of breadcrumbs gave rise to the light, airy texture that characterizes Japanese-style fried foods today. Another hallmark of these dishes is the use of ample oil, a technique adapted from tempura (lightly battered deep-fried seafood and vegetables) in traditional Japanese cuisine.”

Alongside fried seafood, seafood doria is another beloved staple of yoshoku.
“In Singapore and Hong Kong, there is a dish called ‘baked rice,’ in which sauce and cheese are placed over fried rice and baked, sometimes resembling a doria in appearance. However, Japan’s seafood doria is made by layering béchamel sauce¹ infused with the flavors of shrimp and scallops over buttered rice and baking it. This yoshoku dish was created at Hotel New Grand in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, and I think its distinctly Japanese character is evident in the way it combines a rice base with a French-style sauce to create a single, harmonious dish,” says IWAMOTO. 

The development of yoshoku highlighting the treasures of the sea in Japan reflects both the abundance of regionally distinctive marine resources and the natural compatibility of these ingredients with Western cooking techniques.

“Yoshoku dishes that use béchamel sauce, such as doria and gratin, are enjoyed across Japan as ways to combine dairy products with seafood. In Hokkaido, known for its dairy production, yoshoku dishes featuring scallops and crab are also popular. In Miyagi and Hiroshima prefectures, where oyster farming thrives, kaki fry has become a staple of home cooking,” comments IWAMOTO.

“Meanwhile, in Nagasaki, a historic port city, toruko (Turkish) rice—a local yoshoku dish combining fried seafood with buttered rice—is widely enjoyed (See “Nagasaki — Where Yoshoku Culture Got Started,” in HIGHLIGHTING Japan April 2026 issue). The integration of regional seafood resources and local food culture into yoshoku is another defining characteristic of Japan’s seafood-based yoshoku.”

When visiting Japan from abroad, IWAMOTO recommends experiencing yoshoku served in the country’s characteristic set-meal style, with rice and miso soup on the side.

“In Japan, meals are commonly served as a set with rice and miso soup, and yoshoku is often presented this way as well — Japanese-style Western dishes eaten with chopsticks. Set-meal yoshoku featuring fried items as the main dish is a uniquely Japanese way to enjoy these flavors. The light, airy texture created with Japanese-style breadcrumbs makes fried foods especially appealing. I hope visitors will try this as an introduction to experiencing yoshoku that showcases Japan’s marine delicacies.”

• 1. Also called white sauce. A sauce made by adding flour to melted butter and cooking it into a white roux, then stirring in milk until smooth.

By MOROHASHI Kumiko
Photo: TARO azabujuban; PIXTA