Fried Whitebait
If you love fresh, crispy, and straightforward seafood snacks, fried whitebait are an absolute must-try. These little smelts fish are quick to cook, crunchy to bite, and packed full of that seaside flavour that reminds you of lazy days by the French coast.
Ingredients
- 1 kg smelts small whitebait
- 200 gr plain flour
- 2 l rapeseed oil or sunflower oil
- 2 lemons to serve
- salt and black pepper
For the fries
- 800 gr firm-fleshed potatoes
- 30 ml olive oil
- 1 pinch salt
Equipment
- 1 fryer
Instructions
1. Prepare the fish
- Rinse the whitebait gently under cold water, then dry thoroughly with kitchen paper. Wet fish steams instead of fries. You will lose the crunch before you have even started.
2. Prepare the fries
- Peel the potatoes and cut into fries. Rinse under cold water to remove excess starch, then dry thoroughly with kitchen paper. Wet potatoes will not crisp properly.
3. Oven bake fries
- Preheat oven to 220°C (fan 200°C). Toss the fries in olive oil and a good pinch of salt. Spread in a single layer on a lined baking tray with no overlapping. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes , turning halfway through, until golden and properly crisp.
4. Coat the fish
- Tip the flour into a shallow bowl and season generously with salt and pepper. Add the whitebait in batches and toss until evenly coated. Shake off any excess. A heavy coating turns gluey in the oil.
5. Heat the fryer
- Fill your deep fryer with oil and heat to 180°C. If you do not have a built-in thermometer, drop a small piece of bread in. It should turn golden in about 5 minutes .
6. Fry the whitebait
- Lower the whitebait into the fryer basket in small batches. Overcrowding drops the oil temperature and kills the crunch. Fry for 2 to 3 minutes until golden and crisp. Lift the basket, drain briefly, then tip onto kitchen paper. Season with sea salt straight away while still hot. Repeat with the remaining fish.
7. Serve
- Pile the whitebait onto plates alongside the oven fries. Serve immediately with lemon wedges. These do not improve with sitting around.
Notes
- Whitebaits are eaten whole, heads, tails, bones and all. That is the point. The texture is part of it.
- Small batches in the fryer are non-negotiable. Too many fish at once and the oil temperature drops, leaving you with soggy whitebait.
- Dry the fish really well before coating. Moisture is the enemy here.
- Aioli or sauce gribiche alongside is never a bad idea.
- If you want proper frites rather than oven chips, double-fry them in the fryer: first at 160°C for 5 minutes, then at 180°C for 2 to 3 minutes. Worth the extra step.