Crispy Fried Atherina - Whitebait/Smelts
INGREDIENTS
500g whitebait
75g plain flour
25g semolina
25g cornflour
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoon salt
1 pinch white pepper
light flavour extra virgin olive oil for frying
METHOD
1. Rinse the whitebait really well under cold water, about 3-4 times. Drain them and place them on a couple of paper towels, patting them dry. It’s important the fish are dry before they are coated with the seasoned flour. You can prep these the day before you want to fry them, refrigerate them in a container lined with paper towels.
2. In a large freezer bag, add and mix the flour, semolina, cornflour, sweet paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Add the dry whitebait and shake until well coated. Sift everything in a colander to get rid of any remaining flour that’s been unused. It’s easier to do this in 2 batches.
3. Add the oil to a deep pan on a medium-high heat. Test the heat of the oil with one of your volunteered soldiers (whitebait). If it's sizzling and crisping up, you’re ready to go.
4. Add in a handful of fish and gently nudge with a fork occasionally to avoid any fish sticking together. Fry for 2-3 minutes until crispy and golden. Remove with a steel wide skimmer and place on a paper-towel-lined plate. Repeat in batches.
5. Season with salt and serve with lots of lemon. Avoid squeezing lemon until you’re ready to eat to keep the atherina from getting soggy.
Crispy Fried Atherina - Smelts/Whitebait. “Fish Fries”, coated in seasoned flour and fried until crispy and golden. These are yiayia Talou’s favourite. She would make these for us when we were in Cyprus during the summer holidays. I’ll be honest, they didn’t appeal to me as a kid but once I saw them being served for meze in the taverna, those nostalgic feelings would remind me of her standing by her very old but very reliable white gas cooker.
The whitebait should be gutted by your fishmongers already too btw!
