I got an email from my fishmonger that they were going to have smelt at the Farmer’s Market. I was bummed, I couldn’t get to the farmer’s market that day. But, luckily, my local grocery fish counter gets fish from the same bay and they had it too! I can’t say enough how thankful I am to live in a place that can get such fresh seafood and produce year round.
I’d never cooked smelt. I wasn’t sure about the whole, “Fry it, head on, guts in and eat it whole” idea but I never should have questioned it!
They were like little fish french fries. I dredged them in a combination of semolina flour and marjoram and fried them in 350° oil until they were browned and then I dipped them in white wine vinegar w/ minced shallots to eat them.
YUM!
can sardines be cooked and consumed the same way?
If they’re small enough. You need the bones to be tiny enough to eat without choking!
Yo! That shi$ is bang’in all rubbed-up in mix of rice-flour, corn starch and cornmeal.. or whatever. Drop that like the BOMB in some sides of sweet chilli sauce or nam-pla, lime, minced g-lic & hobs for that sharp and fruity fire! My boys right! You leave that head on and guts in for the “tomalley like” fest. Smelt YEP, Sardines Yep, Anchovies Yep, Herring Yep, Mackerel Yep and for the boys with the cast nets, even that White Bait yo! Fry it up homeslice.