FRIED SMELTS

SERVES 3 to 4

This really takes me back to my past. My Italian friends would fry a variety of seafood on special occasions, and smelts was one of them. I hadn’t thought about it for years, not until smelts suddenly appeared at my local seafood shop. The first time I saw them, they were too large. The great thing about smelts, and other small fish, such as fresh sardines, is that they only need for the fins, heads, and guts to be removed. The remainder of the fish, including the very soft bones, which you don’t even know you are eating, is edible. The next time I went to the shop, the smelts were just the right size, about 3 to 4 inches without the head. I couldn’t resist. I had to try them, and was absolutely thrilled by the result. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen any since then, perhaps since even the fish monger had to ask me how to cook them, but I hope they will return. This is quick, easy, delicious and fun.

INGREDIENTS

Canola or other vegetable oil for frying

1 cup all-purpose flour

Salt and pepper to taste

1 pound, 3 to 4-inch smelts, gutted, with heads and fins removed

1 lemon, wedged

Heat oil, enough to come halfway up a high-sided sauté pan or small dutch oven, over medium-high heat, until a deep-fry thermometer registers 365° F. (If you don’t have a thermometer, use the handle of a wooden spoon to test. When inserted in the oil, if bubbles form around the handle, the oil is hot.) Place the flour on a flat plate and stir in the salt and pepper. Coat each smelt on both sides with the flour, then shake off the excess. Carefully drop them, one at a time, into the hot oil, working in batches as needed. Fry until golden brown, turning once, about 4 minutes. Remove from oil, drain on paper towels and season with a little more salt. Serve with a lemon wedge on the side for drizzling.

Note: Even though it is very soft and totally edible, some people may object to eating the backbone. It slips out of the cooked fish very easily by using your fingers or the tines of a fork. The smaller the smelt, the softer the backbone, so purchase only small fish.

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