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Martin Bosley's recipe of the week
Sauteed Whitebait
Martin says: “Sautéeing whitebait is my preference. Firstly, I lightly dust the fish with flour before putting it into a hot frying pan. Use a large frying pan to allow plenty of room for the whitebait to brown, otherwise it can become floury and gluggy. If you don’t have a large frying pan, cook the fish in two smaller batches, wiping the pan clean between each round. Never use pepper with seasoning as the flavour is too harsh, the end result is a pile of deliciously crispy and tender fish.”
Ingredients / Serves 1
400g whitebait, drained
2 cups plain flour
50-70ml clarified butter
2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
½tsp sea salt
Juice of 1 lemon
Method
Heat a large frying pan until very hot. Place the drained whitebait in a large sieve and hold it over a roasting dish while liberally dusting the fish with flour, shaking the sieve to ensure they are evenly coated. Keep scooping the excess flour from the roasting pan and shaking it over the fish. Do not be tempted to stir the fish with your fingers as this will result in a sticky mess. Once all the fish are lightly coated, add the butter and garlic to the pan, when the butter is hot, quickly remove the garlic and carefully sprinkle the whitebait evenly around the pan. Fry for 30 seconds before using kitchen tongs to gently move the whitebait around the pan. You want the flour to form a toasted crust around the succulent fish. Season with sea salt and a squeeze of lemon juice and remove the fish from the pan. Drain on kitchen paper before dividing the whitebait between four plates.
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