A smelt is a type of freshwater fish which bears a similar look to salmon but way smaller in size because an average smelt is about 6 inches long. The thought of fresh smelt deep fried is almost ecstasy to the seafood addict. The fried method is fairly easy to prepare and can be served as a side dish, a main meal and even as a snack.
So, how to cook smelt?
First, make sure they are properly and thoroughly cleaned in order to rid it of any dirt which may coat the raw fish. Prepare about 2 pounds of it and clean then soak them in cold water. This is done to maintain its freshness while preventing it from shrinking. Mix about one cup of flour and another cup of breadcrumbs plus finely chopped garlic, some parmesan cheese and some parsley to act as the batter for the smelt. In another bowl, break about two chicken eggs and beat.
After preparing the batter, drain the fish and allow it to dry a little bit more before deep frying them. Heat about 1/2 a cup of oil in a medium sized pot, and only start deep frying after the oil has reached the optimum temperature. With a pair of chopsticks, take the fish one by one and dip it into the beaten egg and dip again in the dry batter then drop it into the pot of hot oil to deep fry. Repeat this step with the rest of the fish until its coating has turned a slight golden brown. Once the fishes have been fried, place and serve them on a paper towel on a plate to absorb the excess oil. The deep fried smelt can now be served with various dips depending on your taste and preference. Drizzle some lemon juice over the deep fried fish; you can then serve them with a side of ketchup, tartar sauce or cream cheese.
Besides deep frying, you can try grilling the fish as well. First, marinade the fish with a mix of onions, lemon juice, some powdered oregano, rock salt and some black pepper. After 2 hours, grill the fish in aluminum foil and wait for it to be done. Serve the grilled fish with another squeeze of lemon to give it that sour taste.
As you can see, they can be cooked in a variety of ways but as for me, my two top favorites would be by deep frying and grilling. It comes to no surprise that they are a favorite to so many as well as me. All this talk about fish arouses my appetite in a way that I may just head to the nearest seafood diner tonight with one sentence in mind, "Some deep fried smelt please".
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